HEAL Initiative: Studies to Enable Analgesic Discovery (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NIH funds early translational pain-therapeutics discovery projects that develop assays, run screening campaigns, and characterize hits and candidate agents for entry into the Pain Therapeutics Development Program, for eligible applicant organizations including U.S. universities.
⚑ Clinical Trial Not Allowed · foreign organizations and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible · R61/R33 phased mechanism with translational go/no-go progression · award ceiling $350,000
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 80 strong | technical depth: substantial; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 45 partial | peripheral portfolio topic: public_health; social/behavioral work is none; funds applied research; biomedical core — IPPRA health lane is communication/crisis/policy (capped); capped at 45 (limited social-science role) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | funds applied research; deep-tech content |
Description
This funding opportunity is part of a suite of NOFOs within the NIH HEAL Initiative to support the development of safe, effective, and non-addictive therapeutics to treat pain. The goal is to encourage initial translational efforts that will support a drug discovery program and advance projects to the point where they meet the entry criteria for the Pain Therapeutics Development Program. The scope will therefore be focused on development of assays to support a distinct testing funnel, screening efforts to identify hits, and initial characterization of hits and potential therapeutic agents (including small molecules, biologics, and natural products).
Eligibility
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 Organizations) are not eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: National Institutes of Health <grantsinfo@nih.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Institutes of Health conventions SEE AN NIH EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Institutes of Health's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.