Our pilots support the development and evaluation of cutting-edge applications of technology to the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders and problems.

• Implementation science research to promote scaling access to digital therapeutics;
• Linking digital assessment and digital phenotyping to personalized digital therapeutics, including just-in- time adaptive interventions, and other adaptive intervention regimes;
• Digital therapeutics for co-occurring disorders, focused specifically on substance use in conjunction with mental health and other health conditions (including physical health conditions);
• Research on ethics in digital health research, including topics of privacy, data sharing, and informed consent;
• Diversity research, focused on interventions targeted or tailored for particular minority populations, recruitment or retention of minority populations in substance use and digital research, and testing generalizability of results across diverse populations.

• Support junior investigators with promise interested in research focused on digital research methods and interventions related to substance use
• Foster cross-discipline collaborations necessary to support innovative digital research
• Provide seed funding that can lead to successful research project applications to NIDA and other NIH institutes or agencies

The Principal Investigator of the pilot project must be a CTBH Faculty Affiliate, or a trainee or fellow (for example, a post-doctoral scholar or junior faculty in a mentored position such as funded by a K award or other career development award) mentored by a CTBH Faculty Affiliate, at Dartmouth or other affiliated institution. Involvement of graduate students and medical students is encouraged, but trainees at this level are not eligible to serve as Principal Investigators.

Prior experience in substance use research is not required. To support researchers with less expertise related to substance use research, the CTBH offers mentoring resources to pilot projects. Specifically, applicants can be paired with a CTBH-affiliated substance use expert mentor, with the mentor time to be paid by CTBH in addition to the pilot funds.

Applicants may request a mentor to assist with development of the pilot application. Mentorship funds available to each funded pilot project include up to 24 hours (2 hours per month on average) of substance use expert consultant time for each one-year project.

Priority consideration will be given to new investigators and to applicants who have not previously received a pilot project award from CTBH.

If you have specific questions regarding applicant eligibility or about mentorship, please contact Sonia Oren (Sonia.D.Oren@Dartmouth.edu).

Studies are expected to last 12 months and should not exceed $20,000 in direct costs. These pilot grants are intended to support project-specific costs and do not support time/effort of investigators. For budgetary questions please reach out to Sonia Oren (Sonia.D.Oren@Dartmouth.edu).

Submit a letter of intent by the deadline. Full applications are due one month after the letter of intent deadline. See above for current application cycle dates. Email Letters of Intent and full proposals (as a Word document or PDF) to Sonia Oren (Sonia.D.Oren@Dartmouth.edu) with the subject “CTBH Pilot Project Research Application.”

If you have an idea for a new research project but are not sure whether it would qualify for this funding opportunity, or if you have questions about this application, please contact Research Program Manger Sonia Oren (Sonia.D.Oren@dartmouth.edu) or the Pilot Core Director Dr. Catherine Stanger (Catherine.Stanger@dartmouth.edu).