# National Institute on Drug Abuse

National Institute on Drug Abuse is a Research Institute based in Rockville, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Research Institute
- **Headquarters:** Rockville, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Rockville, MD, United States
- **Founded:** 1974
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** nida.nih.gov
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-national-institute-on-drug-abuse-nida

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and was founded in 1974. It provides research grants, clinical resources, and educational materials focused on drug use and addiction. The institute offers funding opportunities and information to support research and training in addiction science.

## Sectors

- Healthcare Services
- Digital Health

## People

- Nora Volkow — Director

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at NIDA?

NIDA's director, Nora Volkow, sets overall research priorities in consultation with the NIH director. Actual grant funding is allocated through a rigorous peer-review process run by the Center for Scientific Review, not through Volkow's unilateral decisions. NIDA does not operate as an investment firm; its capital deployment is driven by scientific merit and public-health needs.

### How does NIDA source its deal flow — i.e., research proposals?

NIDA primarily sources proposals through open competitive funding announcements (RFAs and PARs) published on grants.nih.gov. Scientists at academic medical centers, research institutions, and small businesses submit applications; those with the highest scores after peer review are funded. NIDA also supports an intramural research program at its own labs in Baltimore and Bethesda.

### Is NIDA structured as a grant-making agency or does it invest in private companies?

NIDA is a grant-making federal agency, not an investment firm. It does not take equity in private companies. However, its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs do fund for-profit startups developing products for addiction treatment, with the NIH sharing in royalty revenues.

### Which sectors does NIDA explicitly avoid?

NIDA avoids funding research on drugs of abuse that are not linked to public-health priorities — for example, most clinical research on hallucinogens for psychiatric applications is under NIMH or other agencies. NIDA also does not fund studies focused on performance-enhancing drugs (anabolic steroids) except where they intersect with substance-use disorders.

### Does NIDA collaborate with other NIH institutes or federal agencies?

Yes. NIDA routinely co-funds initiatives with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). It also partners with the CDC on drug-overdose surveillance and with the DEA on scheduling decisions.

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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