The Grant Development and Sustainability (GDS) Workgroup was created to:

1. To support the development and submission of competitive NIH grant applications in recovery science, contributing to a strong and active portfolio of CoARS member projects; and

2. To sustain funding for ongoing CoARS activities.

CoARS member projects are research studies in addiction recovery that support the network’s mission. PIs or mPIs of member projects commit to serving on the CoARS Steering Committee and require their team members to actively participate in CoARS workgroups and showcases.

The GDS workgroup actively solicits and recruits new member projects, reviews applicant materials (e.g., letter of intent, specific aims page, and investigator biosketches) for alignment with the CoARS mission and provides application support as needed. Recommendations for potential members projects are then shared with the CoARS Steering Committee, which makes the final decision.

The GDS workgroup helps to ensure continued CoARS funding by tracking the status of member projects, interfacing with program officers within key funding agencies, and coordinating efforts among CoARS investigators to apply for funding opportunities that can support CoARS activities. 

Meeting Times: Monthly on the 1st Tuesday of the month, 11am – 12pm PT.

Meeting Format: Agendas are shared in advance. The one-hour meeting is primarily dedicated to discussion of agenda items, including new member project applications and status updates, recruitment strategies, and funding opportunities to sustain the network. Meeting notes are distributed to members afterward.

Contact: For any inquiries or requests to be added to the workgroup, please reach out to co-leaders:

Dr. Amy Mericle at americle@arg.org and Dr. Carmen Masson at Carmen.Masson@ucsf.edu