Solutions for Linkage to Care Implementation Challenges for People with Opioid Use Disorder

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, operates the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), commonly referred to as the Injury Center. This center leads national efforts to prevent injuries and violence, including those related to substance use and overdose. Through this forecasted funding opportunity, the CDC is advancing its mission to reduce opioid-related morbidity and mortality by supporting applied research focused on improving linkage to care for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). The program is structured as a cooperative agreement, indicating substantial involvement from the federal agency in the execution and oversight of funded projects. The primary purpose of this opportunity is to solicit investigator-initiated research that identifies, develops, implements, and rigorously evaluates strategies to overcome persistent barriers to linking individuals with OUD to appropriate care services. The program specifically targets individuals who either have a diagnosed opioid use disorder or meet criteria consistent with OUD and are at heightened risk of overdose, including those who may be using multiple substances. The research emphasis is on real-world applicability, requiring that proposed solutions be actionable and capable of integration into clinical and healthcare system workflows. Funding under this opportunity is intended to support research activities that produce scalable and sustainable improvements in care linkage systems. Projects must demonstrate how proposed interventions will ensure access to comprehensive overdose prevention services and improve measurable outcomes. Applicants are required to incorporate at least two defined outcome measures, which will be detailed in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Although specific allowable and unallowable costs are not outlined in the forecast, the cooperative agreement structure implies support for personnel, data collection, implementation activities, and evaluation efforts aligned with project goals. Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and includes a wide range of entity types such as institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations including small businesses, and various levels of government including state, county, city, and tribal entities. Applicants must establish at least one partnership with a public health entity or a bona fide agent. Additionally, all applicants are required to collaborate with a local champion within a healthcare setting to strengthen linkage to care processes. These partnership requirements are central to the program’s design and must be clearly articulated in the application. The application process is expected to follow standard federal submission procedures through Grants.gov, with applications required to be submitted electronically by the stated deadline. While the forecast does not specify all application components, applicants should anticipate the need to provide detailed research plans, partnership descriptions, evaluation methodologies, and implementation strategies. The estimated application due date is December 1, 2026, with submissions required by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The opportunity is currently in forecast status, with an estimated posting date of October 1, 2026. The anticipated award timeline indicates that funding decisions will be made by August 29, 2027, with project start dates expected on September 30, 2027. The program is expected to fund approximately five awards, with a total estimated funding pool of 11,250,000 dollars and individual award ceilings of up to 550,000 dollars. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this opportunity. Interested applicants may direct inquiries to the CDC Injury Center via the provided program email contact. As a forecasted opportunity, applicants are encouraged to begin early engagement activities such as partnership development and research planning in advance of the official NOFO release.

Focus on actionable real world solutions and clearly defined partnerships with public health entities and healthcare providers