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 prevention and treatment for opioid misuse and addiction
Featured News
Making HEAL Data Speak: Finding Scientific Solutions for People and Communities
HEAL has worked hard over the past 2 years to build a comprehensive data ecosystem that will help people and communities affected by the opioid crisis through maximal data sharing and re-use.
Read the Director’s MessageResearch Snapshot: Better Sleep Eases Opioid Withdrawal and Cuts Drug Craving
The insomnia drug suvorexant helped people with opioid use disorder sleep longer and better. It also reduced painful withdrawal symptoms, lessened drug cravings, and increased the desire to not use opioids.
Read the SnapshotLatest Research Spotlight
Latest Research Spotlight
The Justice System Provides a Window of Opportunity to Treat Addiction
Helping people in jails get 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.
Explore Funding for Your Research
Explore Funding for Your Research
Through the initiative, NIH supports research to enhance pain management and to prevent and improve treatment for opioid misuse and addiction. The initiative funds work in research focus areas led by most NIH ICs supporting hundreds of projects, from basic science to implementation research.
See Open HEAL Funding Opportunities