Impact of a NIDA Research Development Program in a School of Social Work.

Accomplishments of a research development program (RDP) funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work (UT-SSW) were far-reaching. Benefits included training for faculty and doctoral students on the federal grant proposal process, an increase in investigator-initiated research development and proposal submissions, and substantial research productivity on a broad range of topics that involve substance abuse treatment and prevention in underserved populations. Critical to this success were mentoring opportunities facilitated by the RDP that fostered UT-SSW investigators in developing their research agendas and cultivating interdisciplinary collaborations. The RDP also represented a culture shift for faculty who were accustomed to conducting agency-initiated program evaluation research that often requires a less extensive proposal process. Through mentoring from the RDP principal investigator, coinvestigator, and other National Institutes of Health-funded researchers, faculty and doctoral students learned important lessons about the need to expand their research agendas, conduct preliminary studies, establish research reputations, and gain experience on other federally funded projects before successfully competing for their own federal funding. KEY WORDS: federal funding; infrastructure; interdisciplinary collaboration; investigator-initiated research; mentoring ********** In November 1999 the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released a Request for Application (RFA) for Social Work Research Development Programs in Substance Abuse, PAR-00-008. The purpose of these programs was "(1) to build a stable infrastructure for drug abuse research in schools of social work; and (2) to increase interdisciplinary participation in drug abuse research in order to improve the quality of interventions aimed at reducing drug abuse and addiction in this country. "This opportunity was similar to that of centers that the National Institute of Mental Health had funded to establish infrastructure for social work research on mental health (Austin, 1999). Both RFAs represented potential funding for schools of social work to establish interdisciplinary, collaborative research teams that would foster the development of competitive federal proposals and cutting-edge research, while building on the profession's strengths. These infrastructure grants addressed factors that Proctor (1996) outlined as necessary for growth in social work research: a supportive environment, interdisciplinary work and approach, and rigorous training, which she also called "climate, connections, and competencies." In 2001 the third NIDA Social Work Research Development Program (RDP) was awarded to the Center for Social Work Research (CSWR) at the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work (UT-SSW).This infrastructure grant provided support for developing investigator-initiated research agendas and federal proposals. Its specific aims were to develop an Administrative Core structure to facilitate the development of high-quality federally funded research on substance abuse prevention and treatment among underserved groups and to develop a Research Core infrastructure to increase research capacity through structured faculty mentoring, by encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations, and by increasing capacity to publish articles on drug abuse research in prominent journals. The RDP represented a shift for many faculty members who were accustomed to conducting program evaluation and other research for state and nonprofit agencies. MENTORING, TEAMWORK, AND COLLABORATION Mentoring was critical at all stages of the RDP, starting with the submission of the infrastructure proposal. Writing the initial RDP proposal, which was scored but not funded, and the successful resubmission in 2000, involved mentoring and assistance by other research centers, social work researchers, and National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded investigators who were willing to offer guidance and share successful proposals. …