Proposal for New Institute to Focus on Substance Abuse

This week, the Scientific Management Review Board recommended the creation of a new institute focusing on substance use, abuse, and addiction research and related public health initiatives. The proposed institute would integrate the relevant research portfolios from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and other National Institutes of Health institutes and centers.

In response to the recommendation, a task force was created to determine where substance use, abuse, and addiction research programs currently exist at NIH and make recommendations about what programs should be moved into the proposed new Institute. In addition, the task force will survey NIDA and NIAAA for programs that are not related to substance use, abuse, and addiction research and make recommendations about where such programs will go.

All existing substance use, abuse, and addiction research programs at NIH will continue unchanged. It is anticipated that the task force will produce a detailed reorganization plan for consideration this summer.