Growing Great Ideas: Research Education Course in Product Development and Entrepreneurship for Life Science Researchers

The National Institutes of Health, through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), has announced a forecasted funding opportunity titled Growing Great Ideas: Research Education Course in Product Development and Entrepreneurship for Life Science Researchers. This program is designed to advance NIDA’s mission of addressing substance use disorder by equipping academic researchers with entrepreneurial and product development skills. The goal is to create a well-recognized entrepreneurship teaching program that specifically supports researchers focused on substance use disorder, ensuring that promising discoveries in the lab can be translated into impactful products that benefit affected populations. The initiative will fund the development and delivery of a hybrid-format research education course that blends in-person instruction with online learning. The curriculum will be tailored to the needs of U.S.-based substance use disorder researchers and innovators. It will provide guidance on identifying product development opportunities within addiction research, applying business ideation tools to assess markets, conducting customer discovery, protecting intellectual property, navigating regulatory processes, understanding reimbursement strategies, sourcing capital through mechanisms such as SBIR and STTR programs, and building sustainable revenue models. The grant is intended to strengthen the drug addiction science workforce by training academic innovators to evaluate the commercial potential of their research. This education program will provide both technical and business-oriented knowledge, encouraging participants to develop actionable commercialization strategies and bridge the gap between academic research and real-world solutions. The emphasis is on fostering early-stage innovation, ensuring that discoveries are not stalled in academia but instead reach the communities in need. Eligibility for this program is broad and includes a wide range of public and private entities. Eligible applicants include small businesses, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, state and local governments, tribal organizations and governments, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, public and private institutions of higher education, school districts, housing authorities, and special district governments. Additional eligible entities also include U.S. territories or possessions, faith-based and community-based organizations, and regional organizations. This broad eligibility underscores the program’s intention to attract a diverse range of applicants with capacity to support the national effort against substance use disorders. The forecast indicates that the estimated posting date for the opportunity is June 1, 2026, with an application due date of October 1, 2026. The anticipated award date is July 1, 2027, with project start dates expected on the same day. No pre-application deadlines or letters of intent have been specified at this stage. Applications are not being solicited at this time, but this advance notice is provided so potential applicants may begin preparing a curriculum and outreach plan. The grant will be issued as a cooperative agreement under the authority of Section 301 (42 U.S.C. § 241) and Section 405 (42 U.S.C. § 284). While the expected total program funding, award ceiling, and award floor have not yet been disclosed, the program does not require cost sharing or matching contributions. Interested applicants are advised to monitor Grants.gov for updates. For further details, potential applicants may contact Jessica Lukacs, MD, MBA, at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who can be reached at 301-435-5916 or by email at jess.lukacs@nih.gov.