National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

What National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism does

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is the lead U.S. federal agency for research on alcohol use, alcohol use disorder (AUD), and alcohol-related health consequences, established in 1970 and operating as an institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The institute supports its mission through two principal channels: an Extramural Research Program that funds hundreds of grants annually to academic and clinical investigators worldwide, and an Intramural Research Program (Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research) that conducts biomedical, epidemiological, and behavioral research internally. NIAAA also disseminates evidence-based information through the Alcohol Treatment Navigator, the Rethinking Drinking portal, College Drinking Prevention, and a portfolio of surveillance reports built on national datasets from SAMHSA, the University of Michigan, and the CDC.

NIAAA's primary published product is Alcohol Research: Current Reviews (ARCR), a peer-reviewed scientific journal ranked #1 in the substance abuse category with a Journal Impact Factor of 8.4 (Clarivate Journal Citation Reports), which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. The institute also operates the Join a Study clinical trial enrollment program and the Native Communities Alcohol Intervention Review (NativeAIR) to broaden translational reach. NIAAA serves four principal stakeholder segments: researchers and scientists (grant funding, data archives, career development), health professionals (clinical guidelines, screening tools, the Healthcare Professional's Core Resource on Alcohol), the general public (health information, treatment resources), and policymakers and community leaders (surveillance data, evidence-based intervention strategies). The institute is led by Director George F. Koob, Ph.D., and is governed by a published Strategic Plan covering Fiscal Years 2024–2028.

NIAAA does not sell products or services commercially; all resources are provided to the public at no cost. Its funding flows entirely through federal appropriations from HHS/NIH, and it generates ancillary revenue streams only incidentally (e.g., licensing royalties on intellectual property). Downstream partnerships with academic institutions (University of Kentucky, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Michigan), startups (Palisades Therapeutics, Spark Biomedical), clinical providers (The Menninger Clinic), and contractors (CSR Incorporated, which operates the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System under Contract No. HHSN275201800004C) reflect its grant funding and research collaboration model rather than a commercial customer base.

Name

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Legal name

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Website

https://niaaa.nih.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NIAAA is the lead U.S. federal institute for alcohol research, funding extramural grants and conducting intramural biomedical and behavioral studies under NIH. It serves researchers, health professionals, policymakers, and the public through ARCR journal, surveillance reports, and clinical tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Health Research Institute

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJALAI

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

SECONDARYHLAJALAB

Health Research Funding Agencies (Public/Quasi-Public)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Funding, Grants & Program Administration

Keywords

• Alcohol use disorder research
• Biomedical research funding
• Clinical trial enrollment
• Public health education
• Substance abuse treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Appropriations: As an institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIAAA is funded through federal appropriations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The institute funds external research through grants and conducts internal research through its intramural program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NIAAA supports and conducts biomedical, epidemiological, and behavioral research on alcohol use, alcohol use disorder, and alcohol-related health consequences. It funds extramural research through grants, operates an intramural research program, publishes peer-reviewed scientific literature through Alcohol Research: Current Reviews (ARCR), and disseminates evidence-based clinical guidance, treatment resources, and public health information to researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the general public at no cost.

Product overview

NIAAA operates as a U.S. federal research institute that disseminates research and educational resources rather than a traditional product company. Its primary publication is Alcohol Research: Current Reviews (ARCR), the top-ranked peer-reviewed journal in the substance abuse category with an Impact Factor of 8.4. Additional offerings include surveillance reports on alcohol consumption trends, fact sheets, clinical trial information, treatment resources, and the Alcohol Treatment Navigator—all serving researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alcohol Research: Current Reviews (ARCR) The #1 ranked peer-reviewed scientific journal in the substance abuse category with a Journal Impact Factor of 8.4, published by NIAAA/NIH. Provides in-depth, evidence-based reviews across the field of alcohol research for investigators and clinicians worldwide.
• NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator Online resource helping individuals and healthcare professionals find evidence-based alcohol use disorder treatment options, including a directory of treatment facilities and providers.
• NIAAA Clinical Trials / Join a Study Program Program enabling direct enrollment in NIAAA-sponsored and NIAAA-funded clinical research studies on alcohol and alcohol use disorder, targeting participants across the United States.
• NIAAA Extramural Research Grants Program Grant program funding hundreds of external research projects annually that support academic and clinical investigators conducting alcohol-related biomedical, epidemiological, and behavioral research worldwide.
• NIAAA Intramural Research Program (Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research) In-house research program conducting biomedical, clinical, and biological research on alcohol use, alcohol use disorder, and related health consequences at NIAAA's Bethesda, MD facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• NIAAA funds hundreds of extramural research grants annually supporting investigators worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Palisades TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIAAA is funding a complementary Phase 2 study at the University of Kentucky for PT150 (an oral glucocorticoid receptor antagonist) for treating PTSD in populations with comorbid PTSD and alcohol use disorder, which affects 30-50% of PTSD patients.
• Spark BiomedicalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpark Biomedical received a $305,000 NIH grant to study its transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (tAN) technology for treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder, conducted in partnership with clinical institutions.
• The Menninger CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical partner in Spark Biomedical NIH-funded study evaluating the Sparrow Link device for alcohol withdrawal symptoms using a five-day inpatient protocol.
• Baylor College of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the Spark Biomedical NIH-funded study on tAN technology for alcohol withdrawal, collaborating on clinical evaluation protocols.
• CSR, IncorporatedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS) under Contract No. HHSN275201800004C for NIAAA. Prepares surveillance reports on underage drinking and related behaviors using data from NSDUH, MTF, and YRBS surveys.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSource of National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data used in NIAAA surveillance reports on alcohol consumption patterns among youth and adults.
• University of Michigan Institute for Social ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, a nationally representative survey of secondary school students, whose data is used in NIAAA surveillance reports.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), providing data on adolescent health behaviors including alcohol use for NIAAA surveillance reports.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Sister NIH institute with a parallel federal-research structure, extramural grant programs, and intramural labs, but focused on drug use rather than alcohol. Directly comparable in mandate, funding model, and scientific publication apparatus.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): U.S. federal agency addressing substance use and mental health, with which NIAAA already partners on surveillance data (NSDUH). Comparable mission scope on substance use, though SAMHSA emphasizes services and program funding rather than research.

Broad incumbents

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Larger sister NIH institute covering mental health research with overlapping comorbidity interest (e.g., PTSD and AUD). Comparable in federal-research structure and publication model, but with a broader behavioral-health mandate.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Major U.S. federal health agency with which NIAAA collaborates via the YRBS data feed. Comparable as a federal public-health authority with surveillance capabilities, though operating at far broader scope.
• World Health Organization (WHO): Global public-health authority producing alcohol-related policy and surveillance work (Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health). Comparable as a public-health knowledge and norm-setting body, but international rather than U.S.-federal.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): Largest NIH institute with growing interest in alcohol as a carcinogen. Comparable federal-research structure and grant apparatus, but with a disease-specific (cancer) rather than substance-specific mandate.

Emerging players

• Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA): Scientific professional society advancing alcohol research through conferences and the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Comparable as an alcohol-research knowledge community, though operating as a nonprofit membership society rather than a federal funder.

Others

• National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): Sister NIH institute with overlapping interest in alcohol's neurological effects. Comparable in federal research structure but with a different organ/disease focus and no direct mandate on substance use.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NIAAAnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alcohol-research-current-reviews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments9 records

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