Open Funding Opportunities

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit applications for pilot projects to identify new druggable targets for pain within the understudied druggable proteome. Awards will support generation of preliminary data and/or tools around eligible understudied protein(s) listed in this NOFO. This NOFO is intended to jumpstart research on understudied proteins within the context of pain and pain management and provide applicants with sufficient funding to perform basic biochemical and/or biological work to further the characterization of understudied proteins to identify new druggable targets for pain. This NOFO is part of the Helping to End Addiction Long-term^® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative^®, to accelerate the development of novel medications to treat all aspects of the opioid addiction cycle, including progression to chronic use, withdrawal symptoms, craving, relapse, and overdose.

More than 25 million Americans suffer from daily chronic pain, a highly debilitating medical condition that is complex and difficult to manage. In recent decades, there has been an overreliance on the prescription of opioids for chronic pain despite their poor ability to improve function and high addiction liability. This contributed to a significant and alarming epidemic of opioid overdose deaths and addictions. Innovative scientific solutions to develop alternative pain treatment options are thus critically needed.

This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) encourages the development and translation of novel neurotechnologies, funded through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative and overseen by the NIH Blueprint MedTech program. Academic institutions and Small Business Concerns (SBCs) are encouraged to submit grant applications that propose non-clinical development and validation activities for subsequent clinical feasibility studies of medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of pain and opioid use disorder (OUD). Applications supporting the development and translation of groundbreaking neurotechnologies that fit within the mission of the HEAL Initiative are encouraged.

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to support preclinical optimization and development of safe, effective, and non-addictive small molecule and biologic therapeutics to treat pain. The goal of the program is to accelerate the optimization and development of promising early therapeutic molecules and to facilitate readiness for the Early Phase Pain Investigation Clinical Network (EPPIC-Net) or other Phase II clinical studies.

The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to facilitate the transition of previously funded SBIR and STTR Phase II and Phase IIB projects in pain management to the commercialization stage by providing additional assistance for private partnering activities through the Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) program. Specifically, this NOFO supports the addition of entrepreneurial expertise into small business leadership teams along with supporting partnering activities to aid in commercialization through private third-party funding or partnership with industry.

Clinical trials are not accepted under this NOFO.