Behavioral and Integrative Treatment Development Program (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 22 183

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 22 183

The Behavioral and Integrative Treatment Development Program (R34 Clinical Trial Optional), funding opportunity number PAR 22 183, is a discretionary NIH grant designed to support the early, practical development and testing of behavioral and integrated treatment approaches for drug abuse and related health concerns. It focuses on building and refining interventions that can move toward real-world use, with an emphasis on understanding whether an intervention works, how and why it works, what amount or intensity is needed to produce benefit (dose-response), and how best to combine or sequence behavioral and medication-based strategies. While it is framed as an R34 (a mechanism often used for intervention development and pilot or preparatory clinical work), the FOA is explicitly clinical trial optional, meaning applicants may propose studies that do or do not include a clinical trial component, depending on what best fits the research aims.

At its core, this program is about treatment development research for substance use and drug abuse treatment, including projects that test efficacy and examine mechanisms of behavior change. The FOA encourages work that clarifies the active ingredients of an intervention, identifies the pathways through which behavior change happens, and improves interventions through optimization strategies rather than treating the intervention as a fixed package. It also supports research on the sequencing and integration of approaches, for example whether patients do better when behavioral treatment comes first and medication is added later, or when both are delivered together, or when treatment is adapted over time based on response. The program explicitly includes combined, sequential, or integrated behavioral and pharmacological interventions, reflecting NIH interest in approaches that can be personalized, stepped, or coordinated across modalities.

The announcement lays out several priority areas. One major area is drug abuse treatment interventions, including those designed for patients who have comorbidities, which can include co-occurring mental health conditions, medical conditions, or other complicating factors that often interfere with standard treatment response. Another priority is drug abuse treatment and adherence interventions, recognizing that even effective treatments do not help if people cannot or do not stay engaged. The FOA also highlights adherence interventions that use technology to strengthen outcomes and improve implementability and sustainability, pointing to tools like mobile health supports, digital monitoring, telehealth-delivered components, automated reminders, or other technology-enabled strategies intended to make interventions easier to deliver consistently and maintain over time in routine care settings.

A particularly important focus area is HIV prevention and care within the context of drug abuse treatment. The FOA encourages interventions aimed at preventing the acquisition or transmission of HIV among individuals in drug abuse treatment, as well as interventions that promote adherence to drug abuse treatment and to HIV and addiction medications. This is meant to support integrated solutions where substance use treatment, HIV prevention strategies, and medication adherence supports can work together rather than being delivered in disconnected systems. The opportunity also includes interventions to treat substance misuse and chronic pain, reflecting the real overlap between pain management challenges, opioid and other substance misuse risks, and the need for behavioral strategies that can reduce harm while improving functioning and quality of life.

In terms of the stage of research, the FOA notes that research of interest includes but is not limited to Stage I research, which commonly refers to early-stage behavioral intervention development, refinement, feasibility testing, and early efficacy work. In practice, that means the program is well suited for investigators who are still shaping an intervention, determining the best format and components, or testing key hypotheses needed before a larger, definitive trial. The emphasis is on generating strong, decision-quality evidence about what to do next, such as whether the intervention is ready to scale, which components are essential, and what implementation supports may be required.

Eligibility is broad and designed to include a wide mix of organizations capable of conducting behavioral and health research. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations. This range signals an interest in supporting intervention development across diverse settings and populations, including communities that are often underrepresented in clinical research or disproportionately affected by substance use and HIV outcomes.

The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the program is offered as a grant under funding activity categories in education and health. The CFDA numbers listed are 93.273 and 93.279. The opportunity was created on 2022-05-09, and the original closing date listed is 2025-03-21. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, so applicants would typically confirm budget limits, project period expectations, and any institute-specific guidance in the full FOA and related NIH notices.

Overall, this FOA is aimed at teams developing and testing behavioral and integrated interventions for substance use, especially where adherence, comorbidity, HIV-related outcomes, technology-supported delivery, and chronic pain intersect. The program is structured to help investigators move from promising ideas and early evidence to well-optimized, mechanism-informed interventions that are ready for broader testing and, ultimately, practical adoption in real treatment environments.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Behavioral and Integrative Treatment Development Program (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273, 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-05-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-03-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 22 183

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