The Tobacco Regulatory Science Program (TRSP) is an interagency partnership between the NIH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products.
About the Tobacco Regulatory Science Program
With the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (often called the Tobacco Control Act) in 2009, the FDA acquired the authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products in order to protect public health and established a new Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). Within the framework of the Tobacco Control Act, the NIH and FDA/CTP formed an interagency partnership to foster research that informs FDA/CTP tobacco regulatory activities. This partnership leverages the NIH’s infrastructure to solicit, review, and manage research, the long-standing support for tobacco-related research at several NIH Institutes and Centers, and the FDA’s expertise and authority in tobacco regulatory science. The National Cancer Institute is a participating Institute in the Tobacco Regulatory Science Program and holds a diverse portfolio of tobacco regulatory science grants.
Research Funded Through TRSP
Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS)
The Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS) generate critical research to inform the FDA’s regulation of tobacco products. The TCORS are made up of investigators with a broad range of expertise (including epidemiology, economics, toxicology, addictions, and marketing) who conduct research projects around an integrative theme. In 2013, 14 Centers (TCORS 1.0) were funded, and in 2018, nine Centers (TCORS 2.0) received funding. NCI programmatically manages four of the nine TCORS 2.0 Centers.
Center for the Assessment of the Public Health Impact of Tobacco Regulations (CAsToR) 
CAsToR aims to provide evidence-based and expert-informed modeling of the behavioral and public health impacts of tobacco regulations.
Examining the Effects of Advertising, Packaging and Labeling on Perceptions, Use and Exposure of Combustible Tobacco Products
The University of Pennsylvania – Rutgers University TCORS focuses on the effects of tobacco advertising, marketing, packaging, and labeling on risk perceptions, use, behavior, and exposure for combustible tobacco products.
Watch an interview with Dr. Strasser and learn more about the Center’s work.
Tobacco Regulatory Science Investigating the Intersection of Products with Diverse Populations
The University of Southern California TCORS conducts research on the use and health effects of specific e-cigarette products across populations, including youth and young adults.
WNY Center for Research on Flavored Tobacco Products (CroFT)
The Western New York (WNY) Center for Research on Flavored Tobacco Products (CRoFT) focuses on assessing the impact of tobacco product flavors and flavorings on consumer behavior, exposures, and health.
Other Funded Research
View a list of NCI grants funded through TRSP in current and prior fiscal years.
Funding Opportunities in Tobacco Regulatory Science
| Title | Announcement # | Expiration Date | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| R01 | |||
| Tobacco Regulatory Science (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA-OD-19-028 | February 14, 2021 | |
| Notice of Special Interest: Research to Advance the Understanding of Tobacco Product Pharmacokinetic Research | NOT-OD-20-081 | February 13, 2021 | |
| R21 | |||
| Maximizing the Scientific Value of Existing Biospecimen Collections (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA-OD-19-021 | March 9, 2021 | |
| Secondary Analyses of Existing Datasets of Tobacco Use and Health (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA-OD-19-022 | March 9, 2021 | |
| K01 and K99/R00 | |||
| Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award in Tobacco Regulatory Research (K01 – Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA-OD-20-008 | July 11, 2022 | |
| Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award in Tobacco Regulatory Research (K01 – Independent Clinical Trial Required) | RFA-OD-20-011 | July 11, 2022 | |
| Pathway to Independence Award in Tobacco Regulatory Research (K99/R00 – Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA-OD-20-009 | July 11, 2022 | |
| Pathway to Independence Award in Tobacco Regulatory Research (K99/R00 – Independent Clinical Trial Required) | RFA-OD-20-010 | July 11, 2022 | |
Resources for Tobacco Regulatory Science Research
Resources for Interested Applicants
- TRSP Research Priorities – TRSP encourages research in eight scientific domains.
- TRSP Application Review Criteria – TRSP review criteria for Significance and Innovation are different from standard NIH review criteria.
- CTP Database of Tobacco Regulatory Research Projects – Use this search tool to find abstracts and more information about funded projects, including but not limited to those funded by the NIH-FDA Tobacco Regulatory Science partnership.
Selected Tobacco Regulatory Science Research and Reports
- Chemistry, Toxicology, and Addiction Research on Waterpipe Tobacco (Special Issue – Tobacco Control, February 2020)
- E-cigarettes and Non-combustible Tobacco Products (Special Issue – Addictive Behaviors, April 2019)
- Patterns and Correlates of Multiple Tobacco Product Use in the United States (Special Issue – Nicotine & Tobacco Research, September 2018)
- Patterns of Tobacco Product Use in the United States: Transitions across Three Waves of the PATH Study (2013-2016) (Special Issue – Tobacco Control, May 2020)
- Standard Measures for Tobacco Regulatory Research: The PhenX Toolkit Collections (Special Issue – Tobacco Control, January 2020)
- Standards to Reduce Nicotine in Combusted Tobacco in United States (Special Issue – Nicotine & Tobacco Research, December 2019)
- Tobacco Regulatory Science Research Program at FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products: Summary and Highlights (FDA CTP)
Contacts
