Advancing Real-World Effectiveness Evidence for Rapid-Acting Psychotropic Interventional Drugs (RAPIDs)
🏛 National Institutes of Health (HHS-NIH11)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Sep 18, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for research institutions and organizations developing a network to study rapid-acting psychotropic interventional drugs (RAPIDs) like ketamine and psilocybin. Eligible applicants typically include universities, research centers, and health systems with research capacity and mental health expertise. The grant supports real-world evidence generation on clinical effectiveness, safety, and implementation of these emerging treatments. Applicants must demonstrate ability to conduct rigorous clinical research across diverse patient populations and healthcare settings.
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Key dates
- Sep 16, 2026 Applications open
- Nov 13, 2026 Application deadline in 55 days
- Jul 1, 2027 Award announced
- Jul 1, 2027 Project start
Program description
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support the development of a research network to study rapid-acting psychotropic interventional drugs (RAPIDs), such as ketamine, esketamine, psilocybin, and other emerging treatments for serious mental illnesses.
Preliminary studies suggest that RAPIDs can produce clinically meaningful improvements in mental health outcomes, in some cases following a single dose. However, important questions remain regarding their effectiveness, safety, durability of benefit, and implementation in routine clinical practice. As these interventions move toward broader use, rigorous real-world evidence is needed to identify how RAPIDs can be delivered safely, effectively, and sustainably across diverse patients, providers, and health care settings.
The primary goal of this NOFO is to generate actionable evidence on the clinical effectiveness, safety, and implementation of RAPIDs. The resulting evidence from this study will help determine how RAPIDs can be safely and effectively integrated into clinical care and may inform future approaches to health care delivery.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Federal application form)
- Project Narrative/Research Plan
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biosketch of Key Personnel
- Letters of Support from Partner Organizations
- Organizational Capacity Documentation
- Data Management and Safety Plan
- Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval or IRB Coordination Plan
Program contact
- 👤 Division of Services and Intervention Research
- 📧 NIMHRAPIDS@nih.gov
- 📞 Please contact via email.
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.242 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$92,363,814
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$91,890,365
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$67,491,373
-
$64,705,159
-
$63,991,707
-
$48,653,752
-
$40,395,082
-
$38,475,557
-
$36,135,833
-
$35,940,675
Top States by Funding
- CA 15 awards $433.4M
- MA 10 awards $257.3M
- WA 4 awards $191.8M
- NY 6 awards $185.7M
- PA 6 awards $111.3M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.242). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $1,722,300,004 | |
| 2025 | $1,726,864,191 | |
| 2026 est. | $99,221,272 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Research institutions, universities, hospitals, and health systems with research infrastructure and mental health expertise typically qualify. Consortia and networks of organizations are expected for this RAPID study initiative.
What is the deadline?
The fixed deadline is November 13, 2026. This is a one-time funding cycle with no rolling applications anticipated.
What activities does this grant support?
It supports development of a research network and real-world evidence generation on clinical effectiveness, safety, durability, and implementation of rapid-acting psychotropic drugs in routine clinical practice.
How competitive is this grant?
This is highly competitive. It's a $20 million national initiative from NIMH requiring rigorous research design and strong clinical partnerships. Applicants need established research capacity and mental health expertise.
What funding range should I expect?
Award amounts are not specified in the NOFO. Applicants should review the full funding opportunity when published for budget guidance.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Plan your research network and partnerships now. Identify institutions with complementary expertise in ketamine, psilocybin, and implementation science before applying.
- Emphasize real-world settings. Show how your network will conduct research in actual clinical practices, not just research labs, across diverse populations.
- Address safety rigorously. Include detailed plans for monitoring adverse events, risk mitigation, and participant safety across all study sites.
- Build diverse partnerships. Demonstrate collaboration with community health centers, rural providers, and organizations serving underserved populations.
- Focus on implementation. Explain how your evidence will be translated into actionable guidance for healthcare delivery systems and clinical practice.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Underestimating network coordination complexity. Successful applications clearly detail governance structures, communication protocols, and roles for all partner sites. Failing to address equity and diversity. Reviewers expect explicit plans to include diverse patient populations, minority-serving providers, and underrepresented communities in the research network. Weak implementation science framework. Applications must move beyond efficacy studies to explain how findings will translate into routine clinical practice across varied settings.
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