U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
What is the NIH HEAL Initiative?
The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, is an aggressive, trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. Almost every NIH Institute and Center is accelerating research to address this public health emergency from all angles.
The initiative is funding hundreds of projects nationwide. Researchers are taking a variety of approaches to tackle the opioid epidemic through:
- Understanding, managing, and treating pain
- Improving treatment for opioid misuse and addiction
Featured News
Evolving with the Changing Opioid Crisis
October 27, 2021
The NIH HEAL Initiative’s research efforts will advance the newly released Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Overdose Prevention Strategy to address the needs of people with pain and addiction at risk of drug overdose. Our current and planned research activities will advance the four priorities of the HHS strategy: harm reduction, primary prevention, evidence-based treatment, and recovery support.
Read the Director's MessageLatest Research Spotlight
Latest Research Spotlight
Can Technology Help People Keep Taking Buprenorphine?
New personalized text-messaging app may make it easier for people with opioid use disorder to continue buprenorphine treatment
Read the SpotlightResearch Priorities
In 2018, NIH, in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, identified a set of research priorities reflecting urgent unmet needs across the lifespan, areas of promising scientific opportunity, and concrete strategies capable of providing rapid and durable solutions to the opioid crisis.
Through evidence-based scientific research, the NIH HEAL Initiative will provide lasting, scientific solutions to the opioid crisis.
Funded Research Focus Areas
Funded Research Focus Areas
Through the initiative, NIH supports research to enhance pain management and improve treatment for opioid misuse and addiction. The initiative includes research focus areas led by 12 NIH ICs supporting hundreds of projects that reflect the full spectrum of research from basic science to implementation research.
Find information on funding for the initiative