The National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the Department of Health and Human Services, has released a forecasted notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) titled “Forecast to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Copy of Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) Consortia Research Resource (U24) (Clinical Trial Optional).” This initiative falls under the discretionary grant category and uses the U24 cooperative agreement mechanism. The grant opportunity number is NOT-AA-25-010, and it is designed to support the renewal of the Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) under the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
The goal of this initiative is to fund two collaborative research consortia that will focus on the brain-body homeostatic dysregulation contributing to excessive alcohol use and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Emphasis is placed on hypothesis-driven research that explores the interactions between alcohol and other influencing factors, with an overarching goal of identifying translatable biological markers and mechanisms that could support prevention and intervention efforts for chronic alcohol-related conditions. The initiative promotes advanced neurobiological research using tools and technologies from the BRAIN Initiative, NIH Common Fund, and related sources to explore brain function across multiple scales and account for peripheral influences.
The structure of the initiative will consist of two multisite consortia funded through cooperative agreements. Each consortium will include administrative and resource cores along with U01 grants for individual research projects. A core requirement of the initiative is integration at multiple levels: across projects and sites, across biological scales, through standardized resources and protocols, and via cross-species translational research. Standardization of neurofunctional measures and replicability across consortia are emphasized to ensure rigor and reproducibility.
The forecast provides an estimated post date for the funding opportunity on October 1, 2025, with an anticipated application due date of May 1, 2026. The projected award and project start dates are February 1, 2027. A total program funding amount of $700,000 is anticipated, and approximately two awards are expected. Cost sharing or matching is not required.
Eligibility for this grant opportunity includes a broad range of entities such as state and county governments, public and private higher education institutions, independent school districts, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, tribal governments and organizations, housing authorities, and both small and other for-profit businesses. No specific geographic restrictions are mentioned, indicating nationwide eligibility.
Applicants are advised that this is a forecast and not a formal solicitation. The notice is being issued to give potential applicants adequate time to develop robust and responsive collaborative projects. For questions or additional details, the designated contact is Mark Egli, who can be reached at 301-594-6392 or via email at mark.egli@nih.gov.
