Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS): Population, Clinical and Applied Prevention Research (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 18 847

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 847

The NIH funding opportunity PAR 18-847, titled "Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS): Population, Clinical and Applied Prevention Research (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)," is a discretionary grant program designed to support rigorous research on electronic nicotine delivery systems, including e-cigarettes and related vaping products. The core aim is to build practical, evidence-based knowledge about how ENDS are used across real-world settings and what their use means for health and disease prevention at both the population and clinical levels. The announcement emphasizes research that can clarify why people start using ENDS, how patterns of use spread or change over time, and how ENDS use affects health outcomes and broader tobacco use behaviors in different groups.

A major focus of the opportunity is understanding the etiology and epidemiology of ENDS use. In practice, that means studies that examine the drivers of initiation, continuation, escalation, dual use with other tobacco products, and cessation-related behaviors, as well as how use varies by age, geography, socioeconomic status, culture, and other demographic or social determinants. The opportunity also calls for research that identifies potential risks and potential benefits of ENDS. Risks may include nicotine addiction, respiratory or cardiovascular impacts, toxicant exposure, and the possibility of increased likelihood of transitioning to combustible tobacco. Potential benefits could include harm reduction for adults who switch completely from combustible cigarettes to ENDS, or impacts on quitting trajectories, depending on patterns of use and product characteristics. Importantly, the announcement is not limited to one narrative about ENDS; it is oriented toward careful measurement of both harms and potential public health impacts, including unintended consequences.

The grant is positioned around population-based, clinical, and applied prevention research, meaning it encourages studies with direct relevance to preventing disease and guiding interventions, programs, or policies. This can include research conducted in healthcare settings, community settings, schools, or other real-world environments where prevention efforts occur. The "clinical trial optional" designation signals that applicants may propose studies that include clinical trials if appropriate, but clinical trials are not required. This flexibility supports a wide range of methods, such as observational cohort studies, surveillance and trend analyses, natural experiments evaluating policy changes, pragmatic clinical studies, implementation research, and applied prevention interventions, as long as the work addresses ENDS use and its implications for disease prevention and tobacco control.

The funding mechanism is an R01 research project grant, which typically supports substantial, multi-year projects with clearly defined aims, strong methodological design, and significant potential to advance the field. While the source data does not list an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, the R01 structure generally implies competitive, peer-reviewed funding for well-developed research programs rather than small pilot efforts. The activity falls under education and health-related categories and is associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.121, 93.279, 93.307, 93.399), reflecting the involvement of NIH programs that support biomedical, behavioral, and public health research.

Eligibility is broad, which aligns with the cross-cutting nature of ENDS research and the need for diverse research settings and populations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts, as well as public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities. Institutions of higher education are eligible across public/state-controlled and private categories. Tribal participation is explicitly supported through federally recognized Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. Nonprofits are eligible whether or not they hold 501(c)(3) status, and both for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses may apply. The announcement also highlights additional eligible applicant types, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). It also includes faith-based and community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, indicating that NIH is open to research partnerships and study sites that extend beyond the continental United States when scientifically justified.

From a practical standpoint, the opportunity is meant to strengthen the evidence base that informs clinical guidance, prevention strategies, and public health decision-making around ENDS. Competitive projects under this announcement would typically be expected to define the ENDS products and exposure metrics carefully, consider the rapidly changing product marketplace, address confounding and co-use with other substances or tobacco products, and pay close attention to differences across populations, particularly groups that may be disproportionately affected by nicotine addiction or tobacco-related disease. The original closing date listed in the source data is June 15, 2021, and the opportunity was created on June 29, 2018, which places it in the context of heightened national concern and scientific uncertainty about vaping patterns, youth uptake, and health consequences, as well as debates about potential harm reduction for adults.

In short, PAR 18-847 supports robust, prevention-oriented research on how ENDS are used, why people use them, what health risks and benefits they may carry, and how they influence other tobacco behaviors across diverse populations and settings, using an R01 mechanism with the option, but not the requirement, to include clinical trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS): Population, Clinical and Applied Prevention Research (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121, 93.279, 93.307, 93.399.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-06-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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 PAR 18 847

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