Digital Health Technologies to Address the Social Determinants of Health in context of Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DA 20 017

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 20 017

The grant opportunity titled "Digital Health Technologies to Address the Social Determinants of Health in context of Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Optional)" is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) solicitation focused on building practical, commercial-ready digital health products that can reduce substance use disorder risk by targeting social determinants of health. Rather than funding general research on addiction alone, the emphasis is on tools that can realistically be developed into products and deployed in real-world settings to improve the underlying social and environmental conditions that contribute to drug use, relapse, and poor recovery outcomes, including in populations affected by opioids.

At the core of the announcement is the idea that substance use disorders are heavily influenced by conditions outside the clinic. Social determinants of health typically include factors like housing instability and homelessness, unemployment and financial stress, limited access to transportation, food insecurity, low health literacy, lack of reliable social support, exposure to violence, involvement with the justice system, stigma and discrimination, and barriers to accessing healthcare and recovery services. This opportunity is looking for digital health technologies that do more than track symptoms or deliver generic education. The goal is to create digital approaches that actively help people navigate and improve these upstream conditions, because those conditions often determine whether someone can start treatment, stay engaged, and sustain recovery.

The mechanism is R41/R42, which indicates the SBIR phased structure: a Phase I (R41) focused on early feasibility, prototype development, and proof of concept, followed by a Phase II (R42) focused on further development, validation, and steps needed for commercialization and broader implementation. The "Clinical Trial Optional" label means applicants may propose studies that meet NIH’s definition of a clinical trial if it fits the product and its evidence plan, but they are not required to run a clinical trial to apply. In practice, this creates flexibility: a company might propose usability testing, pilot implementation studies, pragmatic trials, or other evaluation strategies aligned with the maturity of the technology.

Eligibility is restricted to small businesses, consistent with SBIR rules. Non-U.S. (foreign) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement may be allowed, which generally means a U.S. applicant could potentially include some discrete foreign involvement if it is well-justified and compliant with NIH policy, but the applicant organization itself must be eligible and U.S.-based.

From an agency and catalog standpoint, the opportunity is issued by NIH, with CFDA number 93.279, and it is categorized under education and health. The funding opportunity number is RFA-DA-20-017, indicating it is tied to NIH’s drug abuse-focused institute/mission area (historically associated with NIDA). It was created on 2019-05-13 with an original closing date of 2019-07-29, meaning it was a time-limited solicitation with a specific due date rather than an always-open program announcement.

What NIH is effectively signaling with this announcement is a demand for scalable, technology-enabled interventions that can be integrated into the addiction treatment and recovery ecosystem while addressing real barriers in people’s daily lives. That could include mobile apps, telehealth enhancements, digital navigation platforms, remote support systems, decision-support tools for providers working with high-risk communities, or integrated platforms that connect individuals to social services. The key is that the product should be digital health-based, oriented toward commercialization, and intentionally designed to improve social and environmental risk factors that drive SUD vulnerability and worsen outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Digital Health Technologies to Address the Social Determinants of Health in context of Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-05-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-07-29. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.

Apply for RFA DA 20 017

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