The JCOIN Rapid Innovation Grant (J-RIG) program is a rapid-funding mechanism to support small research grants to study newly emerging policies, practices, or interventions that address prevention and treatment of addiction in justice settings. While opioids are a key priority for J-RIG projects, applications may focus more broadly on other substance use issues, particularly substances associated with overdose and overdose mortality. Projects will have direct relevance to individuals who are justice-involved, but need not take place within justice settings. J-RIG is intended to facilitate short-term projects that are not compatible with traditional National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding mechanisms for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, time sensitivity or pilot data collection.

The J-RIG call for proposals are released up to three times per year and welcome both applicants who work in research environments and those who do not work in research environments, but could benefit from funding to study local initiatives, policy changes, or practice improvement efforts. J-RIG projects also are appropriate for developmental pilots, feasibility studies, or other research broadly defined as foundational work for further research and practice.

The J-RIG project is part of the JCOIN Coordination and Translation Center (CTC) that is based at George Mason University. Learn more and apply on the JCOIN Partner Portal: https://www.jcoinctc.org/resources/funding-opportunities/

Funded Projects:

Cycle 1 Awards:

A Statewide Evaluation of the Implementation of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Vermont Correctional Facilities and the Impact of COVID-19.
This project will assist the state of Vermont with a state-wide evaluation of the effects of implementing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in all correctional facilities in Vermont, the second state to engage in this practice, and assess the impact of COVID-19 on MOUD for people incarcerated or recently released in Vermont.

• • PI: Elias Klemperer, Assistant Professor, Vermont Center on Behavior and Health, Dept of Psychiatry, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine.

Teleservices in Judicially Led Diversion Programs:  The Impact of COVID-19 on the Adoption of Remote Treatment and Recovery Services.
This project will study (1) teleservice practices within Judicially Led Diversion Programs (JLDPs), an umbrella term that encompasses drug courts, opioid courts, and recovery-oriented compliance dockets, in 14 states; (2) explore how the unanticipated shifts in the operational environment of JLDPs during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic influenced attitudes, adoption, and acceptance of teleservice; and (3) whether JLDPs’ early adoption of teleservices mitigated disruptions and behavioral health service delivery and successful program completion

• • PI: Tara Kunkel, Executive Director, Rulo Strategies LLC.