Open Funding Opportunities

The purpose of this HEAL Initiative program is to: (1) support basic and mechanistic pain research from R15-eligible undergraduate-focused serving institutions, health professional schools or graduate schools; (2) promote integrated, interdisciplinary research partnerships between Principal Investigators (PIs) from R15-eligible institutions and investigators from U.S. domestic institutions; and (3) enhance the pain research environment at the R15-eligible institution for health professional students, undergraduate and/or graduate students through active engagement in pain research.

Applications in response to this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) should include plans to accomplish these goals. Specifically, applications should include a rigorous plan for conducting basic and mechanistic pain research in the Research Strategy section of the application. In addition, a research partnership between the PI’s institution and at least one investigator from a separate U.S. domestic institution that provides resources and/or expertise that will enhance the proposed pain research program must be included in a separate Team Management Plan. The proposed partnership will be a sub-award agreement(s) with at least one partnering institution, which does not need to be R15-eligible. The budget of all sub-awards must not exceed one third of the total budget. Furthermore, applications must include a Facilities & Other Resources document that demonstrates active involvement of health professional students, undergraduate and/or graduate students from the R15-eligible institution(s) in the proposed pain research projects.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) requires a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP).

The application receipt dates are November 19, 2024; October 28, 2025; and October 27, 2026. View Frequently Asked Questions about this initiative.

The purpose of this NIH HEAL Initiative PainCare Clinician Training Program (PCTP): Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Awards (K08) (Clinical Trials Required) is to support the career development of individuals with clinical doctoral degrees to create a group of new and well-trained, independent investigators. This supervised career development program will provide independent NIH research support during the early-career phase to help recipients  establish independent research programs in areas supported by the NIH HEAL Initiative’s Clinical Research in Pain Management program.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for applicants proposing to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or a separate ancillary study to an existing trial, as part of their research and career development. Applicants not planning an independent clinical trial, or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator, must apply to a companion NOFO.

The purpose of this NIH HEAL Initiative PainCare Clinician Training Program (PCTP): Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Awards (K08) (BESH) is to support the career development of individuals with clinical doctoral degrees to create a group of new and well-trained, independent investigators. This supervised career development program will provide independent NIH research support during the early-career phase to help awardees establish independent research programs in areas supported by the NIH HEAL Initiative’s Clinical Research in Pain Management program.

This Parent Announcement is for basic science experimental studies involving humans, referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as “prospective basic science studies involving human participants.” These studies fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research. Types of studies that should be submitted under this NOFO include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical or behavioral outcomes in humans for the purpose of understanding the fundamental aspects of phenomena without specific application towards processes or products in mind. Applicants not planning an independent clinical trial or basic experimental study with humans, or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial or basic experimental study with humans led by another investigator, must apply to the 'Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed' companion NOFO.

The proposed project must be related to the programmatic interests of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) based on their scientific missions.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for applicants proposing to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or a separate ancillary study to an existing trial, as part of their research and career development. Applicants not planning an independent clinical trial or basic experimental study with humans, or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial basic experimental study with humans led by another investigator, must apply to the Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed companion NOFO.

This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) aims to encourage research grant applications for initial translational efforts that will enable a drug discovery program for novel, non-opioid, and non-addictive treatments for pain. The program provides funding to develop and validate assays to support a distinct testing funnel and conduct screening efforts to identify and characterize potential therapeutic agents including small molecules, biologics, and natural products. Preliminary in vivo pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and efficacy studies may also be supported. The goal of this NOFO is to advance projects to the point where they meet the entry criteria for the Pain Therapeutics Development Program or other later-stage translational programs.

Despite an evidence base of effective programs to prevent the initiation of substance use, misuse and disorder, a substantial research to practice gap exists. The goal of this initiative is to support projects that fill this research to practice gap, improving public health and responding to the opioid crisis by increasing knowledge pertaining to the delivery of prevention services. This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) solicits applications to address understudied areas of opportunity that, if researched, could create the foundation needed to inform a prevention infrastructure for ongoing delivery and sustainment of interventions to prevent opioid and other substance misuse and use disorders. This NOFO invites projects for which preliminary or feasibility data is available. This NOFO is a companion to RFA-DA-24-066 which solicits applications for which pilot data is unavailable.

This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) seeks to support research aimed at holistic understanding of inter-individual or between-person differences in human pain conditions, focusing  on ‘Whole Person Health’ and enhancing pain treatment and management strategies towards personalized pain medicine. The goal of this NOFO is to support studies that focus on the collection of clinical and/or preclinical data to enable evidence-based modeling and understanding of inter-individual differences and/or heterogeneity of pain occurring with use of pain therapy/management, or with conditions such as a second pain condition, a comorbid health condition, a comorbid mental health condition, or conditions of use / misuse of opioids, alcohol or other substances.

Through targeted research efforts, the NIH HEAL Initiative aims to support the development of safe and effective devices to treat pain with little or no addiction liability. This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is designed to support interdisciplinary research teams of multiple PDs/PIs to investigate the mechanisms of action of pain relief using FDA-approved or -cleared medical devices with the overall goal of optimizing therapeutic outcomes for these technologies. Program teams are expected to accomplish goals that require considerable synergy and collaborative interactions. Teams must leverage appropriate multi-disciplinary expertise to develop new principles and methods for experimentation, analysis, and interpretation. Project goals should not be achievable with a collection of individual efforts or projects. Teams are encouraged to consider objectives that will produce major advances in the understanding of pain relief by medical devices that are likely to improve strategies for pain management.

The purpose of the NIH HEAL Initiative® Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) program is to support a cohort of new and well-trained independent investigators conducting Pain and/or SUD research, in order to increase the independent investigator workforce in research areas supported by the NIH HEAL Initiative®. This program is designed to facilitate a timely transition of eligible postdoctoral researchers from their mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions. The program will provide independent NIH research support during this transition to help awardees establish independent research programs in areas supported by the NIH HEAL Initiative®.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity is for basic science experimental studies involving humans, referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as “prospective basic science studies involving human participants.” These studies fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research. Types of studies that should be submitted under this NOFO include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical or behavioral outcomes in humans for the purpose of understanding the fundamental aspects of phenomena without specific application towards processes or products in mind. Applicants not planning an independent clinical trial or basic experimental study with humans, or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial or basic experimental study with humans led by another investigator, must apply to the 'Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed' companion NOFO.

The proposed project must be related to the programmatic interests of one or more of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) based on their scientific missions.

The purpose of the NIH HEAL Initiative® Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) program is to support a cohort of new and well-trained independent investigators conducting Pain and/or SUD research, in order to increase the independent investigator workforce in research areas supported by the NIH HEAL Initiative®. This program is designed to facilitate a timely transition of eligible postdoctoral researchers from their mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions. The program will provide independent NIH research support during this transition to help awardees establish independent research programs in areas supported by the NIH HEAL Initiative®.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for candidates proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, an ancillary study to a clinical trial, or an independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans (BESH). Applicants to this NOFO are permitted to propose research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor. Those proposing an independent BESH as lead investigator, should apply to the companion NOFO (RFA-NS-22-023).