National Institutes of Health · United States

HEAL Initiative: Studies to Enable Analgesic Discovery (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

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National Institutes of Health expects to make awards of up to $350,000 each. Applications close on 15 Jan 2027. Eligible applicant types include native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), county governments, private institutions of higher education and 12 more.

Deadline: 15 Jan 2027 (in 61 days)
Grant amount: Up to $350,000 per project
Funding rate: No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated
Cost sharing: Not required
Likely applicant types: Public bodies, Universities & research, SMEs / start-ups, Companies, Non-profits From source categories or programme rules; the call decides.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Reference: RFA-NS-25-023
Assistance listing: 93.121 Oral Diseases and Disorders Research; 93.213 Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health; 93.273 Alcohol Research Programs; 93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research; 93.846 Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research; 93.847 Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research; 93.853 Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders; 93.865 Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research; 93.866 Aging Research; 93.867 Vision Research
Last checked: 13 Nov 2026

Open the official call ↗ Add deadline to calendar

About this call

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).

Who can apply

Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
County governments
Private institutions of higher education
State governments
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
City or township governments
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Independent school districts
Special district governments
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Small businesses
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

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.

Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.

Topics

Education Food and Nutrition Health Income Security and Social Services

How to apply

Read the full notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) linked from the official page: eligibility, cost sharing and evaluation criteria.
Make sure your organisation has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID (UEI); registration can take several weeks.
For NIH: the organisation and the principal investigator also need eRA Commons accounts; applications are usually submitted through Grants.gov (for example with ASSIST).
Prepare the required forms, narrative, budget and attachments exactly as the NOFO specifies.
Submit before the deadline and keep the tracking number. Check for amendments before you submit.

From the call text

Who can apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Company stage: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Single applicant or consortium: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where applicants must be based: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where to apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Contact

National Institutes of Health · grantsinfo@nih.gov · 301-402-2541

Where these facts come from

Fact	Value	How we know	Taken from the source
Deadline	15 January 2027	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Amount per applicant	Up to $350,000	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Total budget	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—
Funding rate	No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated	read from the official text	15 Nov 2026
Who can apply	Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments); County governments; Private institutions of higher education; State governments; Others (see text field entitled "Additional…	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Where to apply	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—

Official sources

Official call page · Funder's programme page

Facts on this page come from the funder’s official data, taken on 13 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.