RFA-NS-23-028: HEAL Initiative: Interdisciplinary Team Science to Uncover the Mechanisms of Pain Relief by Medical Devices (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2023.
National Institutes of Health offered grants of up to $1.5 million to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on June 9, 2025.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed April 27, 2023. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$1.5 million
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeRM1
- Clinical trialsOptional
- RM1, Research Project with Complex Structure. A large research project with several connected parts under one award. Other open RM1 notices.
Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read RFA-NS-23-028 in the NIH Guide.
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFA-NS-23-003 | August 1, 2022 | Closed April 27, 2023 | Closed |
Key dates
| Posted | April 27, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | June 9, 2025 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | July 15, 2025 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.
All 15 applicant types the notice lists
- 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 (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Most of the money in the 11 programs behind this notice (73% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
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 in 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. 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 funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is designed to support interdisciplinary research teams of multiple PD/PIs to investigate the mechanism of action of pain relief by medical devices with the overall goal of optimizing therapeutic outcomes for FDA-approved or -cleared 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. Teams are encouraged to consider objectives that will produce major advances in the field of pain relief by medical devices.
Who has won Aging Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Aging Research (93.866) awarded $19 billion across 11,026 grant awards, an average of $1.7 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 337 | $575 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 242 | $574 million |
| University of Southern California | California | 203 | $572 million |
| The Washington University | Missouri | 210 | $556 million |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 232 | $538 million |
Who has won Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research (93.847) awarded $9.6 billion across 7,877 grant awards, an average of $1.2 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 273 | $345 million |
| The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | 187 | $272 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | 209 | $238 million |
| The Washington University | Missouri | 187 | $227 million |
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 176 | $208 million |
Who has won Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (93.853) awarded $9.1 billion across 8,641 grant awards, an average of $1.0 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The General Hospital Corporation | Massachusetts | 203 | $288 million |
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 248 | $277 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | 230 | $276 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 188 | $226 million |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 179 | $221 million |
Other programs behind this notice
- Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs
- Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research
- Cancer Cause and Prevention Research
- Vision Research
- Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research
- Alcohol Research Programs
- Oral Diseases and Disorders Research
- Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is RFA-NS-23-028 still open?
No. It closed on June 9, 2025.
Who can apply for HEAL Initiative: Interdisciplinary Team Science to Uncover the Mechanisms of Pain Relief by Medical Devices (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)?
National Institutes of Health accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for HEAL Initiative: Interdisciplinary Team Science to Uncover the Mechanisms of Pain Relief by Medical Devices (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)?
Closed June 9, 2025. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $1.5 million each.
Who has won Oral Diseases and Disorders Research grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Regents of the University of Michigan, The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco, University of Southern California. The program made 2,263 awards worth $1.9 billion in that time.
Similar open grants
- HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR): Research Centers (RM1 Clinical Trial Required)
- High Priority HIV and Substance Use Research (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Somatic Mosaicism across Human Tissues (SMaHT) Program: Experimental and Computational Technology Development (RM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Change of Recipient Organization (Type 7 Parent Clinical Trial Optional)
- R3PEATS Multi-Team Triangulation: Collaborative Cross-Method Approaches to Scientific Discovery (RM1)
- BRAIN Initiative: Integrative Team-Research BRAIN Circuits Program - iBCP (RM1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)