Under the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is releasing a set of interrelated Request for Applications (RFAs) to create the HIV/Justice Research Network, a coordinated effort to develop innovative strategies to promote improvements in HIV prevention and treatment services for individuals involved in the criminal legal system with substance use disorder (SUD).
Donor Name: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
State: All States
County: All Counties
U.S. Territories: American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/16/2023
Size of the Grant: $750,000
Grant Duration: 5 years
Details:
This NOFO seeks applications for multiple Regional Research Hubs. These phased awards will partner with the criminal legal system and HIV/SUD service providers in three or more communities to field pilot studies and hybrid implementation-effectiveness trials testing innovative service delivery models to better engage populations involved in the criminal legal system in HIV and SUD prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction.
Regional Research Hubs: Scope of Activities and Purpose
This NOFO specifically seeks applications for RRHs. A priority for the proposed HIV/Justice research hubs is to engage justice system stakeholders and HIV/SUD treatment stakeholders in geographic regions where there is a disproportionate HIV burden – generally speaking, these tend to be areas in which little justice system research has been conducted at all. Study sites outside of the EHE priority jurisdictions may be selected with adequate justification. The use of phased awards will allow researchers time to establish and build partnerships with justice and healthcare (HIV and SUD) service providers in these geographic areas, engage them meaningfully in the study design process, and assess feasibility by pilot testing interventions and study procedures. The initiative will focus on HIV prevention and treatment services, in tandem with SUD treatment. The overarching goal is to develop effective, replicable, scalable models for delivering integrated HIV/SUD services in high-risk areas and to high-risk populations involved in the criminal legal system.
Each RRH is strongly encouraged to form its own structure for obtaining local stakeholder input on an ongoing basis. This may include a community advisory board (CAB) or similar structure. Optimally, stakeholders will bring perspectives at multiple levels (patient, provider, program, payer) relevant to the RRH’s proposed research project. Note that RRH CABs are distinct from, and complementary to, the activities being conducted by the PERC. RRH CABs should reflect the population, infrastructure, and priorities of the communities in which the RRH projects are based. The PERC activities are designed to bring a broader patient-centered perspective that will contribute to the generalizability of these projects.
RRHs will be supported through phased awards with four required activities:
- In the R61 phase, conduct a pilot test of key components of a service delivery model(s) or implementation strategy to improve the delivery of HIV diagnosis, prevention and treatment and SUD treatment, recovery and/or harm reduction services for populations with criminal legal system involvement. This pilot test, along with justice agency and health care (HIV and SUD) service provider input, and input from the companion PERC advisory panel, will inform the final design of the implementation trial to be conducted in the R33 phase.
- Also during the R61 phase, engage with other funded projects and the DCDC to select a set of common measures to be collected across all R33 studies.
- During the R33 phase, conduct a hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial in at least three distinct communities (as defined below), focused on testing a service delivery model to improve engagement in HIV diagnosis, prevention and treatment and SUD treatment, recovery, and/or harm reduction by individuals involved with the criminal legal system with SUD. Periodically and strategically seek and receive input from members of the companion PERC to ensure that research questions and study results directly address the input of individuals with lived experience in HIV, SUD, and criminal legal system involvement, and are informed by the experience of individuals from outside the hub’s communities and service systems.
- During the R33 phase, reserve funds to support the RRH’s engagement in at least one collaborative pilot study with one or more other RRHs. The topic and scope of the collaborative pilot study will be determined post-award by the RRH teams (i.e., these will be delayed onset studies), and will be designed to leverage opportunities that uniquely draw on the characteristics of the funded RRHs, communities, and partner agencies. Collaborative pilot studies will require NIDA Program Officer approval prior to launch.
The goal of the R61 phase of the award is to demonstrate readiness and capacity – including necessary interagency partnerships – to execute the proposed R33 trial. For transition to the R33 phase, recipients must submit a transition package no less than two months before the completion of the R61 phase. The transition plan must include the R61 progress report describing in detail the progress towards the R61 milestones and a description of how research proposed for the R33 phase will be supported by the completion of the R61 phase milestones. These materials will be evaluated by NIH program staff to determine if the milestones were met. Achieving the R61 milestones is a necessary but not sufficient condition for transition to the R33 phase. R33 funding decisions will be based on the original R61/R33 peer review recommendations, successful completion of transition milestones, any proposed changes to the R33 research based on R61 findings, program priorities, and availability of funds.
The primary objective of the R33 phase will be to conduct a multisite clinical trial testing a proposed model for delivering evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment services in combination with evidence-based SUD services in a defined segment of the criminal legal system in at least three distinct communities. The proposed trial must include a significant implementation research component – that is the study must incorporate a Hybrid 2 or Hybrid 3 (implementation-effectiveness) trial. Each R33 trial will be expected to collect the common measures agreed upon during the R61 phase, and to periodically consult with the PERC’s patient advisory panel.
Funding Information
Application budgets for the R61 phase are limited to $750,000 in direct costs and for the R33 phase are limited to $1,000,000 in direct costs per year.
Project Period
Project periods are limited to 5 years, to include a one-year R61 planning phase and an R33 clinical trial phase of up to 4 years.
Eligible Organizations
Higher Education Institutions
- Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
- Private Institutions of Higher Education
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
- Hispanic-serving Institutions
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
- Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
- Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
- Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
For-Profit Organizations
- Small Businesses
- For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)
Local Governments
- State Governments
- County Governments
- City or Township Governments
- Special District Governments
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
Federal Government
- Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
- U.S. Territory or Possession
Other
- Independent School Districts
- Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
- Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
- Regional Organizations
Foreign Institutions
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
- Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
