Limited Competition: Growing Great Ideas: Research Education Course in Entrepreneurship and Product Development for Researchers Studying Drug Use, Drug Misuse, and Drug Addiction (UE5 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The funding opportunity titled Limited Competition: Growing Great Ideas: Research Education Course in Entrepreneurship and Product Development for Researchers Studying Drug Use, Drug Misuse, and Drug Addiction is offered by the National Institutes of Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, specifically through the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This initiative builds on an established program designed to address a persistent gap in translating addiction-related biomedical research into practical, real-world solutions. Despite advances in scientific discovery, many innovations fail to progress into usable treatments, technologies, or interventions due to limited expertise in commercialization, regulatory strategy, and product development among researchers. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support the development and delivery of an educational program that equips researchers with the entrepreneurial and translational skills necessary to move biomedical discoveries toward implementation and commercialization. The program is expected to combine structured coursework, mentorship, and experiential learning to foster innovation in addressing drug use, misuse, and addiction. Funded activities must focus on curriculum development and implementation of training programs or short courses that emphasize product development, market evaluation, intellectual property, and venture creation. Funding is provided through a cooperative agreement mechanism, indicating substantial involvement from federal program staff throughout the project period. Applicants may request up to 325000 dollars in direct costs per year for a project period of up to five years, with the first year potentially dedicated to curriculum development and planning. The total anticipated funding is 350000 dollars to support a single award. Allowable costs include personnel, participant support, travel, and program-related expenses, with indirect costs reimbursed at a fixed rate. Cost sharing is not required for this program. Eligibility is limited to domestic higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations that demonstrate an established and recognized entrepreneurship or business education program. Applicants must have the capacity to design and deliver an integrated curriculum tailored to researchers in addiction science. The Principal Investigator must be affiliated with a school of business or entrepreneurship, and multidisciplinary collaboration is encouraged. Foreign organizations and components are not eligible. Participants in the program must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and interested in transitioning toward entrepreneurship or small business development. Applications must be submitted electronically through NIH-approved systems such as ASSIST, Grants.gov Workspace, or institutional system-to-system solutions. Applicants are required to follow detailed submission instructions outlined in the NIH Application Guide and the specific program announcement. Required components include a comprehensive Research Education Program Plan covering curriculum development, participant recruitment, evaluation strategies, and dissemination plans, as well as institutional commitment documentation and compliance with responsible conduct of research training requirements. Applications will be evaluated through NIH’s standard peer review process based on criteria such as significance, investigator qualifications, innovation, approach, and environment. Additional considerations include the effectiveness of participant recruitment, program evaluation plans, and institutional support. The application process follows a defined timeline, with submissions opening on September 1, 2026, and due by October 1, 2026. Review is expected in March 2027, with funding decisions in May 2027 and project start anticipated in July 2027. This opportunity is not recurring and represents a limited competition intended to sustain and expand an existing successful training model. The program emphasizes building a national community of researchers capable of translating addiction-related science into impactful biomedical products, thereby addressing a critical public health challenge in the United States.

Align curriculum tightly with product development and commercialization outcomes; demonstrate strong recruitment strategy and national reach; provide clear evaluation metrics and participant impact