Open Funding Opportunities

NOFO # NOFO Title Research Focus Area Earliest Submission Date Expiration Date Posted Date Sort ascending
PAR-24-197
HEAL Initiative-Early-Stage Discovery of New Pain Targets Within the Understudied Druggable Proteome (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Thu, 05/16/2024 Fri, 07/17/2026 Wed, 04/17/2024

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.

RFA-NS-25-012
HEAL Initiative: Studies to Enable Analgesic Discovery (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Sat, 05/18/2024 Sat, 01/16/2027 Tue, 03/26/2024

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.

RFA-NS-24-019
HEAL Initiative: Non-addictive Analgesic Therapeutics Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] to Treat Pain (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Sun, 12/24/2023 Fri, 01/08/2027 Wed, 11/01/2023

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.

RFA-NS-24-021
HEAL Initiative: Understanding Individual Differences in Human Pain Conditions (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Sat, 10/07/2023 Fri, 02/07/2025 Fri, 08/11/2023

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.

RFA-NS-23-028
HEAL Initiative: Interdisciplinary Team Science to Uncover the Mechanisms of Pain Relief by Medical Devices (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional) Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Sat, 05/13/2023 Tue, 06/10/2025 Thu, 04/27/2023

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.

PAR-23-069
HEAL Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program: Embedded Entrepreneurs for Small Businesses in Pain Management (SB1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Sun, 03/05/2023 Sat, 09/06/2025 Tue, 01/03/2023

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.

RFA-EB-22-002 HEAL Initiative: Translational Development of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Devices (R18 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Fri, 10/14/2022 Wed, 06/18/2025 Tue, 08/23/2022
no summary
NOT-NS-22-095 HEAL Initiative Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Development and Validation of Pain-Related Models and Endpoints to Facilitate Non-Addictive Analgesic Discovery Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Tue, 10/18/2022 Wed, 06/25/2025 Thu, 07/14/2022
no summary
RFA-NS-22-034 HEAL Initiative: Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Pain Treatment (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Wed, 02/02/2022 Sat, 12/07/2024 Fri, 01/07/2022
no summary