NIJ FY24 Novel Psychoactive Substance Discovery, Education, and Reporting Institute | O NIJ 2024 172007

Opportunity Information: Apply for O NIJ 2024 172007

The NIJ FY24 Novel Psychoactive Substance Discovery, Education, and Reporting Institute opportunity is a discretionary, science and technology focused research and development award from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). It is designed to create and run a single institute called the Novel Psychoactive Substance Discovery, Education, and Reporting Institute (NPS DiscERn). The central purpose is practical and time-sensitive: NIJ wants an entity that can rapidly identify newly emerging drugs, especially novel opioids and stimulants, and then quickly communicate reliable findings so that public safety and justice stakeholders are not caught off guard by sudden changes in the drug landscape. The emphasis is on drugs that may cause intoxication, impairment, or other adverse effects, which ties the effort directly to real-world impacts such as overdoses, impaired driving, officer safety, jail and community supervision issues, and forensic and toxicology casework.

This funding is offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means NIJ expects to have substantial involvement during the project rather than simply issuing funds and receiving periodic reports. In practice, applicants should anticipate ongoing coordination with NIJ, shared planning around deliverables, and regular communication about methods, priorities, and dissemination of results. The work is framed as an institute operation rather than a narrow, one-off research study, implying an expectation of sustained capability: monitoring emerging substances, confirming chemical identity, interpreting potential risks, and producing usable reporting and educational outputs for the field.

Only one award is expected, making this a highly competitive opportunity aimed at establishing a national hub or lead organization that can function as the central node for rapid discovery and reporting. The award ceiling is $2,000,000, which sets the maximum total amount available for the selected recipient under this solicitation. The opportunity was created on March 6, 2024, and the original application closing date is April 30, 2024, meaning it was structured on a relatively fast timeline consistent with the urgent nature of emerging drug threats.

Eligibility is broad and includes multiple categories of potential applicants: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The source information also references federal agencies and units of local government as relevant stakeholders, reflecting the cross-sector nature of the problem and the likely expectation that the institute will coordinate across public health, public safety, forensic science, and research communities. The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 16.560, and the funding opportunity number is O-NIJ-2024-172007.

Overall, the grant is about building an operational capability that can keep pace with rapidly shifting novel psychoactive substances and translate technical identification into timely, actionable reporting and education. NIJ is effectively seeking one lead institute to serve as a rapid-alert and knowledge resource for the field, helping practitioners recognize and respond to newly emerging drugs before they become widely entrenched and cause broader harm.

• The National Institute of Justice in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIJ FY24 Novel Psychoactive Substance Discovery, Education, and Reporting Institute" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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 O NIJ 2024 172007

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