National Institute on Drug Abuse

What National Institute on Drug Abuse does

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a U.S. federal government research institute established in 1974 as one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIDA's stated mission is to advance science on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual and public health. The institute operates with a public health mandate and stable congressional funding, serving as the lead federal agency for addiction science in the United States.

NIDA's core products are scientific knowledge, research funding, public health information, and clinical research infrastructure rather than commercial goods. Its research portfolio spans basic, clinical, and translational research on drug use and addiction, with intramural programs conducted at the Division of Intramural Research in Baltimore, MD. NIDA leads the NIH HEAL Initiative — a congressionally funded program accelerating scientific solutions to the opioid crisis — and participates in the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP), a public-private collaboration with FDA and biopharmaceutical companies. NIDA also distributes health information, clinical trial resources, and grants funding through NIH-wide platforms including NIH.gov, PubMed, MedlinePlus, and ClinicalTrials.gov, and provides access to the NIH Clinical Center for first-in-human trials.

NIDA's business model is non-commercial: it is funded entirely through congressional appropriations as part of NIH's nearly $48 billion FY2024 budget, and all information, research outputs, and resources are provided free of charge to the public. There is no pricing model, product sales, or private investment. NIDA serves three primary stakeholder groups: the scientific research community (researchers, scientists, and clinicians), the general public and patients (seeking health information and treatment resources), and clinical research volunteers (nearly 3,500 healthy volunteers participate in NIH studies annually). The institute operates from NIH headquarters in Bethesda, MD, with research facilities in Baltimore, and maintains a global footprint through international research collaborations. Dr. Nora Volkow, M.D., serves as NIDA Director.

Name

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Legal name

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Website

https://nih.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Short description

NIDA is a U.S. federal research institute under NIH, established in 1974, that advances science on drug use and addiction and applies it to public health. It serves the scientific research community, the general public, and clinical research volunteers through grants, intramural research, and free health information resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Health Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use, Addiction & Harm Reduction Health Departments (HLAJAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK), Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAI)

Keywords

• Biomedical research
• Addiction science
• Substance abuse research
• Clinical research funding
• Public health information

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Appropriations: NIDA receives funding through congressional appropriations as part of the NIH budget, which totaled nearly $48 billion in fiscal year 2024. NIH invests this funding in medical research seeking to enhance life and reduce illness and disability.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NIDA advances science on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction and applies that knowledge to improve individual and public health. The institute funds extramural research through grants, conducts intramural research at its Baltimore facility, and disseminates science-based health information, prevention resources, and clinical trial opportunities to researchers, clinicians, and the public.

Product overview

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is one of 27 Institutes and Centers within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency. NIDA supports research on drug use and addiction within NIH's broader portfolio of health information services, clinical research infrastructure, grant funding programs, and wellness resources. The NIH ecosystem includes centralized platforms for health information, clinical trials participation, grant funding, training opportunities, and research resources accessible across all Institutes including NIDA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NIDA Research Grants and Funding Federal grant funding awarded to researchers and institutions conducting biomedical research on drug use, addiction, and related health conditions. Available through NIH's grants process and offered as part of NIH's role as the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world.
• Drug Abuse and Addiction Health Information Resources Science-based public health information, educational materials, and prevention resources on drug use, addiction, and treatment options. Provided free of charge to the general public through the NIDA website and the broader NIH health information portal.
• NIH Clinical Research Trials Participation Portal and program enabling healthy volunteers and patients to participate in NIH clinical studies conducted at the NIH Clinical Center. Nearly 3,500 healthy volunteers participate in NIH studies each year, with information made available through ClinicalTrials.gov.
• NIDA Division of Intramural Research (DIR) Intramural research program located in Baltimore, MD, conducting research on the basic science of the brain and behavior related to drug use and addiction. The DIR maintains collaborations with academic institutions and research centers worldwide.
• NIH HEAL Initiative Congressionally funded trans-agency NIH program accelerating scientific solutions to America's opioid crisis. NIDA plays a leading role, advancing research across multiple fronts to address the national opioid public health emergency.

Quantifiable outcome

• NIDA leads the NIH HEAL Initiative, a congressionally funded program accelerating scientific solutions to America's opioid crisis

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• NIH HEAL InitiativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018The Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative is an NIH-wide effort established in April 2018 to improve prevention and treatment strategies for opioid misuse and addiction and enhance pain management. Multiple institutes and centers within NIH collaborate under HEAL, advancing research across many fronts to address the national opioid public health emergency. NIDA plays a leading role in this trans-agency initiative.
• Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014AMP is a public-private partnership between NIH, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), multiple biopharmaceutical and life science companies, and non-profit organizations to transform the model for developing new diagnostics and treatments. The partnership aims to increase the number of new diagnostics and therapies for patients and reduce time and cost of development.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse Division of Intramural Research (DIR)coreOthersNIDA's Division of Intramural Research conducts research on the basic science of the brain and behavior, with facilities located in Baltimore, MD. The DIR maintains collaborations with academic institutions and research centers worldwide.
• ClinicalTrials.gov PartnershipcoreTechnology or IntegrationNIDA participates in ClinicalTrials.gov, a collaboration between NIH and the National Library of Medicine that provides public access to information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies on a wide range of diseases and conditions.
• NIH Clinical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIDA researchers have access to the NIH Clinical Center, America's research hospital located in Bethesda, MD, which provides a versatile clinical research environment enabling the NIH mission to improve human health through first-in-human clinical trials.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): NINDS conducts research on the brain and nervous system, overlapping significantly with NIDA's neuroscience and addiction research. Both institutes share intramural research infrastructure in Baltimore/Bethesda and collaborate on addiction neuroscience research.
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): NIAAA is the NIH Institute focused on alcohol abuse and addiction — closely parallel to NIDA in mission, structure, and funding model. Both address substance use disorders through biomedical research, public health information dissemination, and intramural research programs.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): SAMHSA is the federal agency within HHS that leads public-health efforts on substance abuse and mental illness. While SAMHSA focuses on services and program administration (versus NIDA's research mission), both operate in the federal addiction-policy ecosystem and serve overlapping populations.
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): NIMH is another NIH Institute/Center focused on mental health, with substantial research overlap with NIDA in co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Both institutes share NIH infrastructure, funding mechanisms, and intramural research programs, making NIMH NIDA's closest structural peer.

Broad incumbents

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA): FDA regulates pharmaceuticals and is a natural federal collaborator with NIDA on addiction therapeutics. While FDA's regulatory role differs from NIDA's research mission, both work on the same addiction therapeutics pipeline and partner in initiatives like the Accelerating Medicines Partnership.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI is the largest NIH Institute by budget, with a similar biomedical research and public-health mission structure. It serves as a peer in terms of operating model (intramural research, extramural grants, public information dissemination) even though its disease focus differs.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): CDC is a federal public-health agency that conducts surveillance and applied research on substance use and overdose epidemiology. While CDC focuses on population-level disease monitoring rather than biomedical research, both agencies address the addiction public-health crisis from complementary federal positions.
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): NIA is another major NIH Institute with a similar operational structure (intramural research, extramural funding, public information). It serves as a structural peer in terms of NIH Institute/Center operating model even though its disease focus (aging) differs from addiction.
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH): NCCIH is a smaller NIH Institute/Center with a comparable operating structure to NIDA, focused on complementary and integrative health approaches that can intersect with pain management and addiction research — particularly relevant given HEAL Initiative pain management research.

Regional players

• European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA): EMCDDA is the European Union's drug and addiction research and monitoring agency, providing a regional peer to NIDA. While geographically distinct, EMCDDA performs parallel functions of monitoring drug use trends, supporting addiction research, and informing evidence-based drug policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nih
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/nihod
• Facebookfacebook.com/nih.gov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-institutes-of-health
• Instagraminstagram.com/nihgov

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Institute on Drug Abuse