HEAL Initiative: Coordinating Center for National Pain Scientists Career Development (R24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 22 046

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 22 046

The HEAL Initiative: Coordinating Center for National Pain Scientists Career Development (R24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) funding opportunity (RFA-NS-22-046) is a National Institutes of Health grant designed to strengthen and expand the U.S. pipeline of pain researchers. NIH is emphasizing this area because the field needs stronger evidence on best practices for pain management and more effective, non-opioid approaches to treating pain, yet there are not enough investigators entering and staying in pain research to meet long-term national goals. The Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC) has flagged this workforce gap as a major barrier slowing progress, pointing to issues like barriers to entry into pain research, limited growth in the field, and a high departure rate among senior investigators and mentors. In response, this program is positioned as part of the broader NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative and focuses on building a more durable, better connected, and better mentored community of pain scientists.

At the center of the opportunity is the creation of a Coordinating Center for National Pain Scientists (CCNPS). Rather than funding a set of individual research projects, the CCNPS is meant to function as a hub that organizes, supports, and connects people across the pain research workforce. Its primary role is to integrate training and mentoring activities across a network of NIH-supported early-stage investigators and experienced mentors, including NIH trainees, fellows, and career development awardees. The overarching goal is to improve the quality and consistency of career development in pain science from basic to translational to clinical research, while also creating a large, visible network of NIH-funded pain researchers who can more easily find collaborators, share expertise, and form multidisciplinary teams.

A major theme in the announcement is that pain research often remains siloed, with basic scientists, translational researchers, and clinicians not routinely collaborating when building grant applications or shaping research directions. NIH is explicitly trying to change that pattern by using the CCNPS to promote cross-disciplinary interaction and coordinated mentoring. The expectation is that if researchers across these domains work together more deliberately, pain research will become more innovative and more likely to yield findings that translate into practical improvements in pain management. In that sense, the CCNPS is intended to be both a training infrastructure and a field-building mechanism that accelerates collaboration and helps early-stage investigators develop the skills, professional networks, and mentorship relationships needed to remain in pain research long term.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH grant using the R24 activity mechanism, and it is labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the coordinating center work supported under this award cannot include conducting clinical trials. The opportunity falls under CFDA numbers 93.213, 93.853, and 93.865, and it was originally posted with a closing date of March 24, 2022 (creation date January 10, 2022). While the notice text provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, the overall structure indicates NIH is looking for a single central entity (or a central organizing team) capable of running national-level coordination, mentoring integration, and community-building functions that serve a broad network of NIH-funded pain researchers.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and government entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and foreign components (as NIH defines them) are not allowed, though non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations may be eligible under NIH policy.

In practical terms, applicants are being asked to propose a national coordinating center that can act as a connective backbone for pain scientist career development under the HEAL Initiative. The emphasis is on organizing structured mentoring and training experiences, reducing fragmentation across disciplines, and creating an enduring network that helps early-stage investigators succeed and encourages experienced investigators to remain engaged as mentors. The intended end result is a stronger, more collaborative pain research workforce that is better positioned to develop and evaluate improved pain management strategies, especially non-opioid approaches, and to translate discoveries into real-world clinical benefit.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: Coordinating Center for National Pain Scientists Career Development (R24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.853, 93.865.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-24. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA NS 22 046

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