Adult-Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (A-ABCD) Study Renewal-Data Analysis, Informatics and Resource Center, and Coordinating Center (U24)

The Adult-Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (A-ABCD) Study Renewal, as outlined in funding opportunity RFA-DA-27-003, represents a significant initiative from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This funding opportunity is structured under the U24 cooperative agreement mechanism and is currently in a forecasted stage, with an anticipated application opening date in early February 2026. The grant will support the renewal of critical infrastructure for the ABCD Study, specifically the Data Analysis, Informatics and Resource Center, and the Coordinating Center. These core facilities are instrumental in managing, analyzing, and disseminating data for what is the largest long-term study on brain development and adolescent health in the United States. The ABCD Study began by recruiting nearly 12,000 participants aged 9 to 10 and has followed them through adolescence into early adulthood. The upcoming renewal intends to extend the longitudinal tracking of these individuals through ages 26–27. This extension provides a vital opportunity to study the onset and development of substance use disorders, mental health conditions, chronic diseases, and other key health outcomes as they emerge in early adulthood. The renewal phase will continue to integrate state-of-the-art research tools such as neuroimaging, wearable technologies, and biospecimen collection to better understand how lifestyle factors, behavioral habits, and sociotechnical environments influence brain development and health. This initiative is focused on enabling a broad research community to access and analyze the collected data, thereby driving forward translational and public health research. As such, the Data Analysis and Resource Center will be expected to maintain robust systems for data integrity, privacy, and user accessibility. The Coordinating Center, in turn, will play a pivotal role in overseeing protocol adherence across sites, facilitating communication among partners, and managing logistics for multi-site operations. Both centers must maintain a high standard of operational excellence and scientific rigor. Eligibility for this opportunity is highly restricted: only current awardees of RFA-DA-20-003 and RFA-DA-20-004 may apply. This narrow eligibility indicates the NIH’s intention to preserve continuity in infrastructure and expertise already built during the initial phases of the ABCD Study. Eligible entities span a range of institutions, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, tribal governments, school districts, and various local and state-level public agencies. Despite the wide list, this limitation ensures that only those organizations already deeply integrated with the project may continue its implementation. Although the full application requirements and evaluation criteria are not yet published, interested applicants are encouraged to begin preparations for collaboration and proposal development. The estimated post date is February 6, 2026, with a due date for applications projected for May 25, 2026. Award announcements and the project start date are both expected to align with the beginning of fiscal year 2027, with an award date and project initiation on April 1, 2027. No pre-application steps such as Letters of Intent are indicated in the current forecast, but applicants should monitor the formal NOFO release for any updates to requirements or deadlines. For more information or early inquiries, applicants can contact Bethany Deeds, PhD, at the National Institute on Drug Abuse via phone at 301-402-1935 or email at deedsb@nida.nih.gov. No official PDF or application package is currently available, as this is a forecasted notice. However, the extended lead time allows current ABCD infrastructure grantees to develop meaningful, cross-institutional partnerships and readiness for submission once the notice of funding opportunity is formally issued.