Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Information

This is Archived Content. This content is available for historical purposes only. It may not reflect the current state of science or language from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). View current information on nida.nih.gov.

Congressional Justification for National Institute on Drug Abuse

Organizational Chart

Organization Chart for NIDA, see link below graphic for description

Appropriations Language

For carrying out section 301 and title IV of the Public Health Services Act with respect to drug abuse [$1,032,759,000] $1,045,384,000 (Department of Health and Human Services Appropriation Act, 2009)

Amounts Available for Obligation 
Source of Funding FY 2008 Actual FY 2009 Estimate FY 2010 PB
Appropriation $1,018,493,000 $1,032,759,000 $1,045,384,000
Rescission -17,793,000 0 0
Supplemental 5,322,000 0 0
Subtotal, adjusted appropriation 1,006,022,000 1,032,759,000 1,045,384,000
Real transfer under Director's one-percent transfer authority (GEI) 1,273,000 0 0
Comparative transfer under Director's one-percent transfer authority (GEI) -1,273,000 0 0
Subtotal, adjusted balance authority 1,006,022,000 1,032,759,000 1,045,384,000
Unobligated balance, start of year 0 0 0
Unobligated balance, end of year 0 0 0
Subtotal, adjusted budget authority 1,006,022,000 1,032,759,000 1,045,384,000
Unobligated balance lapsing 0 0 0
Total obligations 1,006,022,000 1,032,759,000 1,045,384,000

Excludes the following amounts for reimbursable activities carried out by this account: FY 2008 = $4,024,000 FY 2009 Estimate = $4,451,000 FY 2010 Estimate = $4,477,000. Excludes $179,000 Actual in FY 2008; Estimate $179,000 in FY 2009 and Estimate $179,000 in FY 2010 for royalties.

BA by Program (Dollars in Thousands)
  FY 2008
Actual
FY 2008
Comparable
FY 2009
Estimate
FY 2010
PB
Change
Extramural Research: FTEs Amount FTEs Amount FTEs Amount FTEs Amount FTEs Amount
Detail:
Basic and Clinical Neuroscience and Behavorial Research   $472,687   $472,549   $485,386   $491,018   $5,632
Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research   237,448   236,882   243,317   246,140   2,823
Pharmacotherapies and Medical Consequences   114,346   114,087   117,186   118,546   1,360
Clinical Trials Nework   40,393   40,393   41,490   41,972   482
Subtotal, Extramural   864,874   863,911   887,379   897,676   10,297
Intramural research 123 84,489 123 84,332 122 86,272 122 87,566 0 1,294
Res. management & support 253 57,932 253 57,779 262 59,108 270 60,142 8 1,034
TOTAL 376 1,007,295 376 1,006,022 384 1,032,759 392 1,045,384 8 12,625

Includes FTEs which are reimbursed from the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research


Major Changes in Budget Request

Major changes by budget mechanism and/or budget activity detail are briefly described below. Note that there may be overlap between budget mechanism and activity detail and these highlights will not sum to the total change for the FY 2010 budget request for NIDA, which is $12.625 million greater than the FY 2009 Estimate, for a total of $1.045 billion.

Research Project Grants (+$6.226 million; total $614.972 million): The NIH budget policy for Research Project Grants (RPGs) in FY 2010 is to provide inflationary 2 percent increases in noncompeting awards and a 2 percent increase in the average cost of competing RPGs. NIDA will continue to support new investigators while maintaining an adequate number of competing RPGs. NIDA will support a total of 1,415 Research Project Grant (RPG) awards in FY 2010. Non competing RPGs will decrease by 42 awards and decrease by $4.5 million. New and Competing RPGs will increase by 29 awards and increase by $12.6 million.

Intramural Research (+$1.294 million; total $87.566 million): Intramural Research will receive an increase of 1.5 percent to help cover the cost of pay and other increases. NIDA will work to identify areas of potential savings within the Intramural Research Program that will allow the institute to continue to achieve its program goals of performing cutting edge research within a multidisciplinary framework.

Research Management and Support (+$1.034 million; total $60.142 million): The NIDA oversees almost 1,900 research grants and more than 500 full-time training positions and over 200 research and development contracts. The 1.7 percent increase will partially be used to cover the expenses associated with pay raises and other inflationary cost increases necessary to provide for the effective administrative, planning and evaluation, public information and communications, and scientific leadership of the institute.

Summary of Changes Table

Overall

  • FY 2009 estimate - $1,032,759,000
  • FY 2010 Estimated Budget Authority -1,045,384,000
  • Net Change - 12,625,000
Summary of Changes Table
Changes 2009 Current Estimate Base Change from Base Actual
Number Budget Authority Number Budget Authority
A. Built-in:
1. Intramural research:
 
a. Annualization of January 2009 pay increase   $19,963,000   $239,000
b. January FY 2010 pay increase   19,963,000   299,000
c. Zero less days of pay   19,963,000   0
d. Payment for centrally furnished services   8,446,000   169,000
e. Increased cost of laboratory supplies, materials, and other expenses   57,863,000   939,000
Subtotal
2. Research management and support:
1,646,000  
a. Annualization of January 2009 pay increase   $33,404,000   $399,000
b. January FY 2010 pay increase   33,404,000   501,000
c. Zero less days of pay   33,404,000   0
d. Payment for centrally furnished services   6,089,000   122,000
e. Increased cost of laboratory supplies, materials, and other expenses   19,615,000   327,000
Subtotal
Subtotal, Built-in
1,349,000
2,995,000
B. Program:
1. Research project grants:
 
a. Noncompeting 1058 $455,948,000 (42) ($7,420,000)
b. Competing 370 133,646,000 29 13,365,000
c. SBIR/STTR 60 18,152,000 2 281,000
Total 1488 607,746,000 (11) 6,226,000
2. Research centers 47 73,117,000 0 1,097,000
3. Other research 339 87,243,000 3 1,309,000
4. Research training 564 24,804,000 5 248,000
5. Research and development contracts 203 94,469,000 3 1,417,000
Subtotal, extramural 10,297,000
  FTEs   FTEs  
6. Intramural research 122 86,272,000 0 (352,000)
7. Research management and support 262 59,108,000 8 (315,000)
8. Construction   0   0
9. Buildings and Facilities   0   0
Subtotal, program   1,032,759,000   9,630,000
Total Changes 384   8 12,625,000
 

Budget Graphs

History of Budget Authority and FTE's

Funding levels, FY 2006, $998.9 million, FY 2007, $1 billion, FY 2008 $1.006 billion, FY 2009, $1.0328 billion, FY 2010, $1.0454 billion

FTE's by Fiscal Year: 2006, 361;  2007, 371; 2008, 376; 2009, 384 and 2010, 392

Distribution by Mechanism

Mechanism dollars:  Research Project Grants, 59% or $614 million; Research Centers, 7% or $74.2 million; RM&S, 6% or $60.1 million; Intramural Research, 8% or $87.6 million; R&D Contracts, 9% or $96 million; Research Training, 2% or $25 million; Other Res

Change in Selected Mechanisms

Change from 2009: Research Project Grants +1%, Research Centers +1.5%;  Other Research +1.5%; Research Training +1.0%; R&D Contracts +1.5%; Intramural Research +1.5%; RM&S +1.7%

Justification of Budget Request

Authorizing Legislation: Section 301 and title IV of the Public Health Service Act, as amended.

  FY 2008 Appropriation FY 2009 Omnibus FY 2009 Recovery Act FY 2010 President's Budget FY 2010 +/- 2009 Omnibus
BA $1,006,022,000 $1,032,759,000 $261,156,000 $1,045,384,000 +$12,625,000
FTE 376 384   392 +8

This document provides justification for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 activities of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), including HIV/AIDS activities. Details of the FY 2010 HIV/AIDS activities are in the "Office of AIDS Research (OAR)" Section of the Overview. Details on the Common Fund are located in the Overview, Volume One. Program funds are allocated as follows: Competitive Grants/Cooperative Agreements; Contracts; Direct Federal/Intramural and Other.

Director's Overview

Scientific advances continue to improve our understanding of drug addiction as a disease of the brain. New knowledge is revealing an increasingly detailed picture of the molecular, cellular, and circuit level changes that can lead to compulsive drug use and addiction. The need for this knowledge is urgent, as drug abuse and addiction continue to cause immeasurable morbidity and mortality, and to cost our society more than half a trillion dollars annually.

In FY 2009, a total of $261,156,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds were transferred from the Office of the Director. These funds will be used to to support scientific research.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) support of science has generated knowledge used to develop prevention interventions that have contributed to the declines in both licit and illicit drug use, particularly among our Nation's youth. NIDA's 2008 Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey reports a 25-percent decline in illicit drug use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders combined, between 2001 and 2008, with cigarette smoking at its lowest rate since the survey began in 1975. Still, drug abuse and addiction remain highly prevalent, and changes in the drug culture require vigilance to curtail their spread. Particularly worrisome is the non-medical use of prescription and over-the-counter medications, most severe for opiate analgesics (e.g, hydrocodone and oxycodone). Abuse of these drugs rose throughout the 1990s and has remained stubbornly steady among adolescents during recent years, surpassed only by marijuana in rates of abuse.1

Another overarching challenge is how to deliver treatment to those who need it, most of whom go without. Thus, we remain committed to translating research for use in community settings through support of effectiveness research, including our National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) and Criminal Justice-Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJ-DATS), and through educational outreach to judges, physicians, treatment providers, single state authorities, and other stakeholders.

New Tools, New Opportunities

We now have more sensitive and less costly tools to identify the genetic variations that increase vulnerability for addiction and related health consequences, including cancer. Cigarette smoking, the most preventable cause of cancer, is a primary target of NIDA's research portfolio. Recent genome-wide association studies of nicotine addiction, for example, have pointed to previously unsuspected genes whose products may be involved in the addiction process and in the susceptibility to smoking-related diseases, such as lung cancer and peripheral arterial disease (see "Portrait of a Program: Genetics and Addiction"). Knowledge gleaned from genetics research on addiction and its medical consequences, such as cancer, will not only help identify predictors of disease vulnerability, but will help optimize treatments to improve the public health. In support of the Presidential Initiative, NIDA will increase its cancer research funding by 4.4 percent to $10.950 million.

To complement these efforts, NIDA is investing in the rapidly evolving field of epigenetics, which focuses on the lasting modifications to DNA structure and function from exposure to various stimuli (e.g., parenting quality, stress, diet, drugs, etc.). A better understanding of how to exploit epigenetic changes to reduce vulnerability or counter the effects of abuse and addiction could result in unprecedented opportunities to enhance addiction treatment efficacy. While these genetic and epigenetic tools will greatly expand our ability to predict addiction risk and treatment success, new research designed to develop a comprehensive panel of addiction biomarkers could produce an addiction "signature" that could be used to assess chronic exposure to drugs and to monitor the effects of a given course of therapy.

Other emerging opportunities are found in interventions using web- and computer-based technologies, which have produced positive outcomes for drug abuse and HIV risk behaviors. NIDA-supported research will continue to investigate how such interactive technology can be integrated into the addiction treatment system to improve its effectiveness and bring about more widespread adoption of evidence-based approaches.

Partnering with Physicians and the Health System

Physicians can be the frontline for identifying patients who are abusing drugs that may put their health at risk even before problems arise. Thus, NIDA is set to disseminate a web-based "toolkit" to help physicians screen their patients for abuse of both licit and illicit substances, including prescription drugs, so these patients can be referred to treatment. NIDA also continues to support research on the impact and cost effectiveness of physician screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for substance abuse.

The development of new medications may also serve to engage physicians more fully. Indeed, medications development is a crucial component of NIDA's research portfolio, particularly as efforts to engage the private sector have been met with limited success because of perceived financial disincentives and addiction-related stigma. Advances in our understanding of addiction neurobiology are revealing new molecules and structures that could be targets for addiction therapies. These include medications aimed at methamphetamine and cannabis addiction; vaccines for cocaine, nicotine, heroin, and methamphetamine addiction; pain medications without addictive liability; and new entities based upon recently identified candidate receptors or receptor combinations.

New Strategies in the Fight against HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse

Drug use and HIV are inextricably linked - intravenous use is responsible for roughly one-third of HIV infections in this country since the epidemic began, and prevalence rates among non-injection drug users can be just as high. NIDA therefore supports research aimed at reducing HIV transmission, including finding innovative ways to incorporate HIV education, testing, counseling, and treatment referral in community settings, and overcoming barriers, such as stigma and inadequate access to HIV and drug abuse treatment. To attract innovative scientists, NIDA created an Avant-Garde award for high-impact research likely to foster groundbreaking approaches to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in drug abusers. NIDA also continues to target HIV/AIDS-related health disparities and integrate HIV/AIDS initiatives worldwide (see "Portrait of a Program: NIDA's International HIV/AIDS-Drug Abuse Efforts").

Conclusion

NIDA's portfolio reflects a comprehensive approach aimed at developing knowledge that can transform the way we prevent and treat drug abuse and addiction, and that can be translated into the clinic and the community.

(1Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2008). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2007. Volume I: Secondary school students (NIH Publication No. 08-6418A). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 707 pp.)

Overall Budget Policy

NIDA will continue to support new investigators and to maintain an adequate number of competing RPGs. NIDA is providing a 2 percent inflationary increase for both non-competing and competing grants. In addition, the NIDA has targeted a portion of the funds available for competing research project grants to support high priority projects outside of the payline, including awards to new investigators, and early investigators. The Institute also seeks to maintain a balance between solicitations issued to the extramural community in areas that need stimulation and funding made available to support investigator-initiated projects. Intramural research and Research management and Support receive modest increases to help offset the cost of pay and other increases.

FY 2010 Justification by Activity Detail

Program Descriptions and Accomplishments

Basic and Clinical Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical neuroscience represent two programs in NIDA that work together to enlarge understanding of the neurobiological, genetic, and behavioral factors underlying drug abuse and addiction. Specifically, they examine the factors affecting increased risk and/or resilience to drug abuse, addiction, and drug-related disorders; the mechanisms of addiction; and the effects of drugs on the brain and behavior. To see these effects in real time, NIDA researchers are increasingly integrating brain imagining tools like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) into their studies. This may facilitate the development of novel treatments for addiction using "neurofeedback" (i.e., training patients to influence brain activation at specific sites) and will allow the examination of less-studied brain circuits, such as those involved with interoception (internal monitoring of bodily functions and sensations) linked with emotion and motivation. A greater understanding of interoceptive processing may lead to new targets for treatment research to reduce a patients' risk of relapse to substance abuse. Another emerging research area is epigeneticsŠŠthe study of long-term changes in gene function that result from environmental impacts, such as drug exposure, maternal behavior, and stress. This is the focus of a key NIH Roadmap initiative that NIDA co-leads with NIDCD and NIEHS. Collectively, this research provides the fundamental information to develop and communicate prevention and treatment interventions for drug abuse and addiction.

Budget Policy: The FY 2010 estimate for this program area is $491.018 million, an increase of $5.632 million and 1.2 percent above the FY 2009 estimate. By applying funds from grants that ended in FY 2008, we will pursue opportunities in line with our top priorities, one of which is exploring gene x drug interactions to better identify addiction vulnerability.

Portrait of a Program: Genetics and Addiction

FY 2009 Level: $107.165 million
FY 2010 Level: $105.895 million 
Change: $1.270 million

Research has shown that drug abuse and addiction are complex diseases, resulting from the interplay of genes, environment, and developmental stage. Genetics accounts for approximately half of an individual's vulnerability to addiction, including the way genes interact with the environment and with developmental stage. Scientific advances have yielded tools of exceptional power to identify and use these variables to better tailor prevention and treatment strategies.

An important goal in understanding the role of genetics in addiction is to see how genes affect brain function and, in turn, influence behavior. To this end, NIDA supports genome wide association studies to establish reliable connections between particular genotypes and addiction risk. The results of a recent study involving nearly 11,000 Icelandic smokers found that variations in a gene cluster (harboring the α3, α5, and β4 nicotinic receptor subunits) had a strong effect on nicotine dependence and the risk of lung cancer and peripheral arterial disease. These findings are remarkable because (1) they converge with other, independently gathered data associating the same gene cluster with nicotine dependence or lung cancer susceptibility and (2) they reveal promising new targets for treating nicotine addiction and lung cancer.

Complementing these efforts, NIDA's pharmacogenomics research - the study of how genes regulate an individual's reaction to drugs and medications - can help treatment providers tailor medications for individual patients. NIDA is also working with other institutes and disciplines in building up the informatics and technological infrastructure to optimize the value of all the genetic data being generated.

FY 09 funding for genetics projects is spread across different NIDA funding mechanisms and therefore encompasses different start dates and average lengths.

Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research: This major program area seeks to promote integrated approaches to understand and address the interactions between individuals and environments that contribute to the continuum of drug abuseŠrelated problems. The vision is to support research and major data collection systems and surveillance networks to help identify substance abuse trends locally, nationally, and internationally; to guide development of responsive interventions for a variety of populations; and to encourage optimal service delivery in real-world settings.

By mining our National Monitoring the Future Survey of youth, a robust correlation was discovered between regular exercise in 12th graders and lower prevalence rates of daily cigarette smoking or marijuana use in the past month. Spurred in part by this compelling finding, NIDA-sponsored a science meeting in June 2008, entitled "Can Physical Activity and Exercise Prevent Substance Use: Promoting a Full Range of Science to Inform Prevention." The meeting allowed scientists to share relevant research findings addressing the relationship between physical activity/exercise and behavioral health. NIDA has since issued a call for studies on physical activity and drug abuse prevention, which will include basic, clinical, and services research.

Budget Policy: The FY 2010 estimate for this program area is $246.140 million, an increase of $2.823 million and 1.2 percent above the FY 2009 estimate. A major focus for this NIDA program area is to improve drug abuse prevention and treatment services among populations including targeted research on drug abuse and stress among military service personnel and their families. NIDA will also reach out to major academic health centers that are part of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) consortium to ensure that drug abuse research is an integral component.

Pharmacotherapies and Medical Consequences: This program area is responsible for medications development aimed at helping people recover from drug abuse and addiction and sustain abstinence. Capitalizing on research showing the involvement of different brain systems in drug abuse and addictionŠŠbeyond the dopamine systemŠŠNIDA's medications development program is pursuing a variety of newly defined targets and treatment approaches. This program area also seeks solutions addressing the medical consequences of drug abuse and addiction, including infectious diseases such as HIV. NIDA is exploring several areas with exciting implications for the future. These include individualized treatments based on a person's genetic makeup, new mechanisms for restoring an addicted person's capacity to appreciate natural rewards in lieu of drugs, and pharmacotherapies that use an immunization strategy to help prevent relapse to drugs, with cocaine and nicotine vaccines now undergoing safety and efficacy testing, respectively, in humans.

Budget Policy: The 2010 estimate for this program area is $118.546 million, an increase of $1.360 million and 1.2 percent above the FY 2009 estimate. Program plans for FY 2010 give highest priority to facilitating medications development for patients addicted to multiple substances of abuse, both licit and illicit. NIDA is also building on the promise of immunotherapies to develop vaccines for drugs of abuse.

Program Portrait: NIDA's International HIV/AIDS-Drug Abuse Efforts

FY 2009 Level: $312.901 million
FY 2010 Level: $317.829 million
Change: $4.928 million

The proportion of new HIV infections attributable to injection drug use has shown a continuing 3-decade decline in the United States, thanks in part to improved treatments for injection drug users (e.g., methadone and buprenorphine for heroin addiction). However, for many other countries, HIV/AIDS is still a growing and deadly epidemic, driven in large part by intravenous heroin use. NIDA research has shown that medically supervised detoxification, drug counseling, and treatment with opioid medications can sustain abstinence and reduce injection drug risk, fostering the adoption of effective treatments by countries once unconvinced.

Malaysia, for example, is coping with the second highest HIV prevalence rate among adults and the highest proportion of HIV cases from injection drug use. Historically, Malaysia did not permit use of opioid agonists or partial agonists - addiction medications that bind to the same brain receptors as heroin, but are long-acting and can suppress withdrawal symptoms without intoxication (e.g., methadone and buprenorphine). In 2003, research findings demonstrating the efficacy of buprenorphine in sustaining heroin abstinence, improving treatment retention, and decreasing injection drug use led to the approval of both methadone and buprenorphine for treating opioid addiction in Malaysia. Rapidly embraced by the country's medical community, these medications have resulted in tens of thousands of opiate-dependent patients receiving medical treatment, helping to stem the spread of HIV infection among this population.

Similar success stories are unfolding in Russia, China, and the Ukraine, where research-demonstrated effectiveness stands to ultimately transform national policy and reduce HIV spread. NIDA has also issued a call for studies to develop a heroin vaccine, which would use antibodies to block the drug's entry into the brain and thereby prevent relapse. This approach may be more acceptable to countries that reject the use of agonist medications.

Clinical Trials Network: NIDA's National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN), which now comprises 16 research nodes and more than 240 individual community treatment programs, serves 34 States, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The CTN tests the effectiveness of new and improved interventions in real-life community settings with diverse populations. It also serves as a research and training platform to help NIDA respond to emerging public health areas. Currently, the CTN provides a research platform for more than 30 research grants and a training platform for 60+ research fellows and junior faculty. Upcoming activities include plans to evaluate the potential value of exercise as an add-on to inpatient treatment for substance abusers, and a clinical trial to assess the relative effectiveness of various HIV testing strategies in reducing risky sexual and drug-related behaviors. Finally, in the wake of encouraging results in 2008 on the application of "Positive Choice", an interactive, patient-tailored computer program to improve clinic-based assessment and counseling for risky behaviors, NIDA is also planning to support the development of web-based training on addiction medicine for pain management providers.

Budget Policy: The FY 2010 estimate for this program area is $41.972 million, an increase of $482 thousand and 1.2 percent above the FY 2009 estimate. Program plans, along with expected accomplishments, are a continuation of initiatives begun in FY 2008 to (1) assess the effectiveness of a 12-step facilitation intervention for stimulant abusing patients in initiating and sustaining their involvement with support groups like Cocaine or Alcoholics Anonymous, (2) determine whether adding individual drug counseling to buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP/NX) treatment, along with Standard Medical Management (SMM), improves outcomes for patients addicted to pain medications, and (3) compare the effect of BUP/NX versus methadone on liver enzymes in patients entering opioid treatment programs, a phase 4 study requested by the FDA to provide additional information on risks, benefits, and optimal use of these medications.

Intramural Research Program (IRP): This Intramural program performs cutting edge research within a coordinated multidisciplinary framework. The IRP attempts to elucidate the nature of the addictive process; to determine the potential use of new therapies for substance abuse, both pharmacological and psychosocial; and to decipher the long-term consequences of drugs of abuse on brain development, maturation, function, and structure, and on other organ systems. Recent IRP activities include the conduct of basic research to understand the role of mitochondriaŠŠthe "powerhouse" of a cell that breaks down glucose to release energy - in degenerative neurological diseases (e.g., Parkinson's Disease). IRP activities also use a variety of animal models of addiction to better understand the effects of drugs on brain and behavior. In addition, the IRP supports an HIV/AIDS Pathophysiology and Medications Discovery Program, which focuses on (1) how HIV or its products cross the blood-brain barrier, (2) how toxic compounds generated by HIV invade brain cells, and (3) the development of compounds to block the toxic effects of HIV on immune system cells.

Budget Policy: The FY 2010 estimate for this program area is $87.566 million, an increase of $1.294 million and 1.5 percent above the FY 2009 estimate. NIDA plans to take advantage of new and emerging techniques, including new tools to measure the effect of psychosocial stress on individuals with substance-use disorders by collecting behavioral and physiological data in participants' real time environments. This activity represents the first systematic, prospective effort to link indices of community-level risk to intensive field measurements of individual attempts at behavior change.

Research Management and Support (RMS): RMS activities provide administrative, budgetary, logistical, and scientific support in the review, award, and monitoring of research grants, training awards, and research and development contracts. Additionally, the functions of RMS encompass strategic planning, coordination, and evaluation of NIDA's programs, regulatory compliance, international coordination, and liaison with other Federal agencies, Congress, and the public. NIDA currently oversees more than 1,800 research grants and more than 190 research and development contracts.

In addition to the infrastructure required to support research and training, NIDA also strives to educate the public about drug abuse and addiction and to raise awareness of the science behind it. In October 2008, NIDA held its second Drug Facts Chat Day, following an overwhelming response the year before, to again give students and teachers across the country the chance to interact with NIDA staff via the Internet on questions about drugs' effects on the brain and body, and a variety of other issues related to addiction and treatment. NIDA also strives to encourage young people interested in careers in science. This year NIDA co-sponsored an Addiction Science award given at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair to the top three projects advancing addiction science. The winners offered impressive and innovative approaches to exploring some of the neurological and environmental underpinnings of addiction. This premier event was followed by an in-person visit to NIDA and NIH by the top winners, who presented their findings to staff and to Dr. Elias Zerhouni, who was then director of NIH.

Budget Policy: The FY 2010 estimate for this program area is $60.142 million, an increase of $1.034 million and 1.7 percent above the FY 2009 estimate. NIDA will continue to support scientific meetings to stimulate interest and develop research agendas in areas significant to drug abuse and addiction. NIDA will also continue to support educational outreach aimed at diverse audiences, including the general public, HIV high-risk populations, physicians, judges, and educators to help raise awareness of substance abuse issues and disseminate promising prevention and treatment strategies.

NIH Common Fund: NIDA is the co-lead, with NIEHS and NIDCD on the Epigenomics initiative; and with OBSSR on the initiative: Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research Via Methodological and Technological Innovation in the Behavioral and Social Sciences. NIDA also participates in the support of Institutional Training Grants focused on Interdisciplinary training through the NIH Blueprint and the NIH Common Fund.

Budget Authority by Object
  FY 2009 Estimate FY 2010 PB Increase or Decrease
Total compensable work years:  
Full-time employment 384 392 8
Full-time equivalent of overtime and holiday hours 0 0 0
Average ES salary $158,223 $161,387 $3,164
Average GM/GS grade 12.8 12.8 0.0
Average GM/GS salary $104,086 $106,167 $2,081
Average salary, grade established by act of July 1, 1944 (42 U.S.C. 207) $92,111 $93,953 $1,842
Average salary of ungraded positions 115,063 117,365 2,302
OBJECT CLASSES      
Personnel Compensation:  
11.1 Full-time permanent $27,594,000 $28,870,000 $1,276,000
11.3 Other than full-time permanent 10,206,000 10,776,000 570,000
11.5 Other personnel compensation 1,473,000 1,546,000 73,000
11.7 Military personnel 1,331,000 1,398,000 67,000
11.8 Special personnel services payments 2,054,000 2,176,000 122,000
Total, Personnel Compensation 42,658,000 44,766,00 2,108,00
12.0 Personnel benefits 9,841,000 10,326,000 485,000
12.2 Military personnel benefits 868,000 912,000 44,000
13.0 Benefits for former personnel 0 0 0
Subtotal, Pay Costs 53,367,000 56,004,000 2,637,000
21.0 Travel and transportation of persons 1,285,000 1,249,000 (36,000)
22.0 Transportation of things 111,000 109,000 (2,000)
23.1 Rental payments to GSA 0 0 0
23.2 Rental payments to others 32,000 31,000 (1,000)
23.3 Communications, utilities and miscellaneous charges 831,000 809,000 (22,000)
24.0 Printing and reproduction 687,000 662,000 (25,000)
25.1 Consulting services 7,831,000 7,740,000 (91,000)
25.2 Other services 4,545,000 4,438,000 (107,000)
25.3 Purchase of goods and services from government accounts 104,963,000 105,454,000 491,000
25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities 2,300,000 2,294,000 (6,000)
25.5 Research and development contracts 56,783,000 57,760,000 977,000
25.6 Medical care 198,000 198,000 0
25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment 852,000 847,000 (5,000)
25.8 Subsistence and support of persons 0 0 0
25.0 Subtotal, Other Contractual Services 177,472,000 178,731,000 1,259,000
26.0 Supplies and materials 3,266,000 3,242,000 (24,000)
31.0 Equipment 2,791,000 2,750,000 (41,000)
32.0 Land and structures 0 0 0
33.0 Investments and loans 0 0 0
41.0 Grants, subsidies and contributions 792,910,000 801,790,000 8,880,000
42.0 Insurance claims and indemnities 0 0 0
43.0 Interest and dividends 7,000 7,000 0
44.0 Refunds 0 0 0
Subtotal, Non-Pay Costs 979,392,000 989,380,000 9,988,000
Total Budget Authority by Object 1,032,759,000 1,045,384,000 12,625,000
Includes FTEs which are reimbursed from the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research
Salaries and Expenses
OBJECT CLASSES FY 2009 Estimate FY 2010 PB Increase or Decrease
Personnel Compensation:  
11.1 Full-time permanent $27,594,000 $28,870,000 $1,276,000
11.3 Other than full-time permanent 10,206,000 10,776,000 570,000
11.5 Other personnel compensation 1,473,000 1,546,000 73,000
11.7 Military personnel 1,331,000 1,398,000 67,000
11.8 Special personnel services payments 2,054,000 2,176,000 122,000
Total, Personnel Compensation (11.9) 42,658,000 44,766,00 2,108,00
12.1 Civialian Personnel benefits 9,841,000 10,326,000 485,000
12.2 Military personnel benefits 868,000 912,000 44,000
13.0 Benefits for former personnel 0 0 0
Subtotal, Pay Costs 53,367,000 56,004,000 2,637,000
21.0 Travel and transportation of persons 1,285,000 1,249,000 (36,000)
22.0 Transportation of things 111,000 109,000 (2,000)
23.2 Rental payments to others 32,000 31,000 (1,000)
23.3 Communications, utilities and miscellaneous charges 831,000 809,000 (22,000)
24.0 Printing and reproduction 687,000 662,000 (25,000)
Other Contractual Services 177,472,000 178,731,000 1,259,000
25.1 Advisory and assistance services 7,831,000 7,740,000 (91,000)
25.2 Other services 4,545,000 4,438,000 (107,000)
25.3 Purchases from government accounts 87,581,000 87,980,000 399,000
25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities 2,300,000 2,294,000 (6,000)
25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment 852,000 847,000 (5,000)
25.8 Subsistence and support of persons 0 0 0
Subtotal Other Contractual Services 103,109,000 103,299,000 190,000
26.0 Supplies and materials 3,256,000 3,232,000 (24,000)
Subtotal, Non-Pay Costs 109,311,00 109,391,000 80,000
Total, Administrative Costs 162,678,000 165,395,00 2,717,000
Authorizing Legislation
  PHS Act/Other Citation U.S. Code Citation 2009 Amount Authorized FY 2009/Estimate 2010 Amount Authorized FY 2010 PB
Research and Investigation Section 301 42§241 Indefinite $1,032,759,000 Indefinite $1,045,384,000
National Institute on Drug Abuse Section 402(a) 42§281 Indefinite $1,032,759,000 Indefinite $1,045,384,000
Total, Budget Authority       $1,032,759,000   $1,045,384,000
Appropriations History
Fiscal year Budget Estimate to Congress House Allowance Senate Allowance Appropriation(1)
2001 496,294,000(2) 788,201,000 789,038,000 781,327,000
Rescission       (331,000)
2002 907,369,000 900,389,000 902,000,000 888,105,000
Rescission       (372,000)
2003 960,582,000 968,013,000 968,013,000 968,013,000
Rescission       (6,292,000)
2004 995,614,000 995,614,000 997,614,000 997,414,000
Rescission       (6,641,000)
2005 1,019,060,000 1,019,060,000 1,026,200,000 1,014,760,000
Rescission       (8,341,000)
2006 1,010,130,000 1,010,130,000 1,035,167,000 1,010,130,000
Rescission       (10,101,000)
2007 994,829,000 994,829,000 1,000,342,000 1,000,621,000
2008 1,000,365,000 1,015,559,000 1,022,594,000 1,018,493,000
Rescission       (17,793,000)
Supplemental       5,322,000
2009 1,001,672,000 1,035,997,000 1,029,539,000 1,032,759,000
2010 1,045,384,000      

1 - Reflects enacted supplementals, rescissions, and reappropriations.
2 - Excludes funds for HIV/AIDS research activities consolidated in the NIH Office of AIDS Research.

Details of Full-Time Equivalent Employment (FTEs)
OFFICE/DIVISION FY 2008 Actual FY 2009 Estimate FY 2010 PB
Office of the Director 23 24 24
Office of Extramural Affairs 16 17 17
Office of Management 63 64 64
Office of Science Policy & Communications 30 31 31
Division of Epidemiology, Services & Prevention Research 30 31 33
Division of Basic Neurosciences & Behavioral Research 29 30 33
Division of Pharmacotherapies & Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse 33 34 35
Center for the Clinical Trials Network 13 14 15
Division of Clinical Neuroscience & Behavioral Research 16 17 18
Intramural Research Program 123 122 122
Total 376 384 392
Includes FTEs which are reimbursed from the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research FTEs supported by funds from Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (0) (0) (0)
Average GM/GS Grade per Fiscal Year
FISCAL YEAR Average GM/GS Grade
2006 12.5
2007 12.6
2008 12.8
2009 12.8
2010 12.8
Detail of Positions
GRADE FY 2008 Actual FY 2009 Estimate FY 2010 PB
Total, ES Postions 1 1 1
Total, ES Salary 155,121 158,223 161,387
GM/GS-15 63 63 63
GM/GS-14 93 93 93
GM/GS-13 55 55 55
GS-12 47 47 47
GS-11 11 11 11
GS-10 2 2 2
GS-9 12 12 12
GS-8 9 9 9
GS-7 9 9 9
GS-6 2 2 2
GS-5 3 3 3
GS-4 1 1 1
GS-3      
GS-2      
GS-1      
SubTotal 307 307 307
Grades established by Act of July 1, 1944 (42 U.S.C. 207):      
Assistant Surgeon General      
Director Grade 7 7 7
Senior Grade 4 4 4
Full Grade      
Senior Assistant Grade 1 1 1
Assistant Grade      
SubTotal 12 12 12
Ungraded 78 78 78
Total permanent positions 317 317 317
Total positions, end of year 398 384 392
Total full-time equivalent (FTE) employment, end of year 376 384 392
Average ES salary 155,121 158,223 161,387
Average GM/GS grade 12.8 12.8 12.8
Average GM/GS salary 102,046 104,086 106,167
Includes FTEs which are reimbursed from the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research.

New Positions Requested FY 2010

  • Health Science Administrator, Grade GS-13/14, Number - 8, Annual Salary $100,939. Total Positions Requested - 8