Funding Opportunity
Cultivating the future of cannabis research through seed funding
The R3CR is committed to fostering the next generation of cannabis researchers and supporting the continued growth of existing investigators. To achieve this, we administer seed funding awards designed to help researchers overcome logistical barriers to conducting cannabis research. These funds are intended to support proposal development and registration, rather than experimental activities. The seed funding awards will be managed by the Research Support Core.
Note: Details for the 2027 opportunity will be posted at the end of summer 2026.
Seed Funding Program Overview
Purpose
The R3CR seed funding program provides awards to support the advancement of cannabis research by helping investigators overcome logistical barriers. The funding is not intended to support experimental activities.
Proposal Evaluation
A working group will review applications. Reviewers will score proposals based on criteria such as innovation, scientific significance, potential for attracting external funding, and the appropriateness of the proposed budget.
Eligibility
Everyone is eligible to apply for these seed funding projects, including the contacting PIs of the research networks. However, foreign seed funding projects are prohibited due to regulatory challenges.
See below for more details 
Budget and Timeline
The R3CR plans to award up to eight grants per year, beginning in year two (2026), with a maximum of $50,000 in total costs per year for each award.
Deliverables and Reporting
Funded projects will require a report at the end of the project period outlining the data acquired and how it has helped advance the research project. Awardees will be asked to submit specific PHS 398 forms, an abstract, and a full research plan, which will be submitted to the NCCIH grants management official. Progress and outcomes of the seed funding projects must be reported annually to the Steering Committee and the NCCIH PD.
Proposal Instructions
The RFA will outline the specific eligibility criteria, application format, required documents, and budget requirements. Proposals should be no more than three pages in length (excluding references) and must contain sections on the research problem, proposed use of the instrument, broader impact, budget, and an eligibility statement.
2026 Seed Funding Awardees
Cultivating the Future of Cannabis Research: Announcing the 2026 R3CR Seed Funding Recipients
The Resource Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research (R3CR) is proud to announce the 7 recipients of our 2026 Seed Funding awards. The R3CR seed funding program provides up to $50,000 per award to help investigators overcome logistical and regulatory barriers to conducting cannabis research, supporting vital non-experimental activities like proposal development, infrastructure building, and registration.
Congratulations to this year’s awardees 
PI: Dr. Desmond Mortley
Tuskegee University
Establishing Regulatory and Security Infrastructure for Cannabis Research
Dr. Mortley’s project will establish the regulatory, documentation, and security infrastructure needed to transition Tuskegee University from hemp to fully regulated DEA Schedule I cannabis research. Funds will support the installation of DEA-compliant security systems, the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs), and the preparation of a Schedule I researcher application.
PI: Dr. Danielle Smith
Health Research, Inc., Roswell Park Division
Enhancing Organizational Capacity for Schedule I Cannabis Research
Dr. Smith’s initiative addresses key institutional barriers to Schedule I research by developing scalable compliance and training resources. Her team will create a centralized institutional resource library that includes tailored training materials, template documents, and database tracking systems to help multiple investigators navigate cannabis-related regulatory challenges.
PI: Dr. Tess Eidem
University of Colorado Boulder
Building the Colorado Cannabis Public Health Database to Advance Cannabis Research and Policy
Vital cannabis public health data is currently fragmented across various agencies, creating significant research barriers. Dr. Eidem’s project will aggregate and standardize these siloed datasets into the Colorado Cannabis Public Health Database (CCPHD). Hosted on CU Scholar, this open-access repository will feature visual dashboards to democratize health data and support future evidence-based research
PI: Dr. Brad Conner
Developing Legal Market Cannabis Products to be Used in Research Studies
To address the lack of external validity in current cannabis research, Dr. Conner is partnering with a commercial cannabis producer to design and test legal market products for use in research (e.g., edibles). This project will develop packaging and blinding procedures that conform to state law, enabling double-blind, randomized controlled observational research on products sold in dispensaries.
PI: Dr. Miyabe Shields
Streamlining NIH-Aligned Cannabis Grant Submissions
Operating through the Center for Drug Discovery, Dr. Shields and their team aim to streamline the administrative processes for cannabis-related grant submissions. The project will develop customized checklists, internal fast-track procedures, and compliance guidance to improve regulatory efficiency and empower investigators to pursue funding opportunities more quickly.
PI: Dr. Anthony Ferrari
Sym Sciences
IND-Enabling Cannabinoid Health Outcome Platform for Multi-Site Clinical Evaluation
Dr. Ferrari’s project establishes a regulatory technical assistance hub to generate the groundwork required for Investigational New Drug (IND) submissions. By developing IND-ready regulatory packages, safety data, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC) documentation, and conducting FDA pre-IND consultations, this platform will drastically reduce startup times and regulatory barriers for multi-site clinical trials.
PI: Dr. Mohamed Radwan
Advancing Cannabinoid Stability Research
Dr. Radwan’s project addresses a critical gap in understanding cannabinoid biodegradation and storage stability. By acquiring specialized ICH-compliant environmental stability chambers, his team will systematically evaluate the effects of temperature and humidity on the purity, dosage, and safety of various cannabis products, providing crucial logistical support for future clinical research.
Priorities
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
- Promote approaches and best practices to support research on the effects of minor cannabinoids and terpenes in the cannabis plant as it relates to pain and/or nociception.
- Promote approaches and best practices to support research on the mechanisms by which minor cannabinoids and terpenes may affect pain pathways, including cellular and molecular signaling pathways, neuroimmune interactions, or other innovative regulatory pathways related to pain.
- Promote approaches and best practices to support research on the interaction between the microbiome and minor cannabinoids or terpenes.
- Promote approaches and best practices to support research on how specific terpenes may influence potential analgesic mechanisms of understudied minor cannabinoids.
- Promote approaches and best practices to support research on multimodal approaches to analgesia that include minor cannabinoids and terpenes.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Promote approaches and best practices to develop and validate standard measures.
- Develop approaches and promote best practices to support research on the effects of cannabis/cannabinoid exposure on brain structure, function, and development prenatally and throughout the lifespan, as well as other health and social outcomes.
- Develop approaches and promote best practices to evaluate the therapeutic potential of cannabis/cannabinoids (alone, or in combination with other treatments) for pain, substance use disorders, and substance use comorbidities, such as HIV.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- Promote approaches and best practices (e.g., recruitment and retention strategies, population-specific measurement tools, other culturally appropriate considerations) to support research in diverse and understudied populations across the lifespan, including older adults and those with cognitive impairment.
- Develop and validate standard measures and promote best practices to gain a deeper mechanistic understanding of cannabinoid signaling and changes in signaling with aging to enable development of therapeutics that can benefit health across the lifespan.
- Develop and validate standard measures and promote best practices to support research on the effects of cannabis/cannabinoids in the context of aging, including but not limited to understanding mechanisms of cannabis and its constituents in the setting of pain and/or nociception, age-related cognitive decline and/or impairment, Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias, weight loss and/or cachexia, sleep, or conditions in palliative care settings, and in relation to multiple chronic conditions and polypharmacy.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Promote generation of scientific evidence and best practices to support the planning and execution of cannabis and cannabinoid clinical trials in cancer patients and survivors (e.g., validation of measurement tools, addressing issues tied to IND applications, enhancing diversity of cannabis products for research purposes).
Eligibility
Higher Education Institutions
- Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
- Private Institutions of Higher Education
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
- Hispanic-serving Institutions
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
- Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
- Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
- Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
For-Profit Organizations
- Small Businesses
- For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)
Local Governments
- State Governments
- County Governments
- City or Township Governments
- Special District Governments
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
Federal Governments
Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
U.S. Territory or Possession
Other
- Regional Organizations
- Independent School Districts
- Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
- Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
Foreign Organizations
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
- Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.