HEAL Initiative: Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Clinical Research Centers (UG1 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DA 19 025

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 19 025

The HEAL Initiative: Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Clinical Research Centers funding opportunity (RFA-DA-19-025) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) cooperative agreement designed to strengthen how justice settings and community health systems respond to the opioid crisis. The central idea is that people involved in the justice system are often at very high risk for opioid use disorder, overdose, and related health harms, especially during transitions such as release from jail or prison, reentry to the community, or changes in supervision status. By targeting the points where justice agencies and health providers intersect, the program aims to test and scale practical interventions that can reduce overdose deaths, improve access to evidence-based treatment, and build lasting capacity across systems that do not always coordinate well.

JCOIN is structured as a national consortium rather than a set of isolated projects. NIDA planned the network around three tightly connected components: (1) multiple Clinical Research Centers, (2) one central Coordination and Translation Center, and (3) one central Methodology and Advanced Analytics Resource Center. This particular announcement solicits applications only for the Clinical Research Centers, while two companion announcements were released in parallel to fund the two central cores (RFA-DA-19-024 for the Coordination and Translation Center and RFA-DA-19-023 for the Methodology and Advanced Analytics Resource Center). In practice, the intent is for each funded Clinical Research Center to plug into a shared national infrastructure for coordination, harmonization of measures, and advanced analytics, making it easier to run comparable studies across many sites and to translate results into real-world justice and public health practice.

As a Clinical Research Center, an applicant organization would be expected to propose a specific study focused on promising interventions or approaches relevant to opioid use disorder and related outcomes in justice-involved populations. A key structural requirement is scale and multi-site execution: each center must propose a study that will be carried out in at least five research performance sites. That multi-site requirement is meant to ensure that findings are not limited to a single locality or a single agency culture, and that results have a better chance of generalizing across different justice settings (for example, jails, prisons, probation/parole, drug courts, or other diversion and supervision programs) and different community treatment environments. The “Clinical Trial Optional” label signals that proposed research may include a clinical trial but does not have to; the emphasis is on rigorous, well-designed studies that can produce actionable evidence.

The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement (UG1), which is different from a standard grant in that it anticipates substantial scientific and programmatic involvement from NIH staff during the project. That typically means awardees collaborate closely with NIDA and the network’s central coordinating and methods resources on things like study start-up, common data elements, quality assurance, cross-site protocols, and dissemination planning. The broader HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative context also underscores an expectation of timely, high-impact research that can inform policy and practice, especially in systems facing urgent overdose and treatment-access challenges.

Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and intentionally inclusive, reflecting the cross-sector nature of justice and health work. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The announcement also highlights additional eligible categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based and community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies. At the same time, it clearly restricts foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed.

Key administrative details from the source information include that the agency is NIH, the opportunity category is discretionary, and the activity aligns with education and health (CFDA 93.273 and 93.279). The original closing date listed was February 27, 2019, and the award ceiling noted is $1,500,000. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at building a coordinated national research effort where multiple Clinical Research Centers run robust multi-site studies, supported by centralized coordination and advanced analytics, to generate evidence on interventions that can meaningfully improve opioid-related outcomes for justice-involved individuals and strengthen the ability of justice systems to respond effectively to the opioid epidemic.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Clinical Research Centers (UG1 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 2018-12-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-02-27. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• 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 RFA DA 19 025

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