HEAL Initiative: Coordinated Pain Care in Health Care Systems Research Program - Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 22 065

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 22 065

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) under the HEAL Initiative to support a single Coordinating Center for the Coordinated Approaches to Pain Care in Health Care Systems Research Program. The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, meaning NIH will have substantial involvement in program direction and oversight, and the focus is on coordination and infrastructure rather than running an independent clinical trial (the FOA specifies "Clinical Trial Not Allowed"). The intent is to create a central hub that helps multiple pain-care implementation projects operate as a unified program, with shared methods, shared resources, and consistent stakeholder engagement across different health care systems.

The Coordinating Center is expected to provide leadership and hands-on support to each project team funded through the broader program (described as being supported through the Collaboratory program) and to their partner health care systems (HCS). In practical terms, that means working with sites and investigators to help them develop, test, and implement their proposed pain-care approaches inside real-world clinical settings. The Center is not just a convening body; it is meant to actively strengthen the quality and consistency of project execution by offering technical assistance, study design input, and coordination services that make it easier for diverse project teams to operate under a common program umbrella.

A major required function is the delivery of centralized, shared resources that all participating projects can draw on. The FOA explicitly calls out expertise in electronic health records (EHRs), which is often essential for identifying eligible patient populations, integrating interventions into clinical workflows, capturing outcomes, and monitoring implementation fidelity. It also highlights study design and statistical expertise geared toward implementation trials, along with bioethics and regulatory expertise, reflecting the complexity of conducting research across multiple health systems where privacy, data governance, IRB coordination, and human subjects protections can vary widely. The Coordinating Center is expected to use these capabilities to promote coordination and integration across projects, so that lessons learned, tools developed, and analytic approaches are comparable and can be synthesized at the program level.

Another core expectation is centralized engagement with key stakeholders who shape pain care and its adoption in routine practice. This includes patients, front-line care providers, health care systems leadership, payors, and policy makers. The goal is to ensure that the program is informed by real-world needs and constraints, and that implementation strategies are feasible and relevant beyond academic settings. The FOA places special emphasis on engaging health care systems that have historically had less involvement in research, which signals a priority for broadening participation and making the program more representative of the settings where most patients receive care. This could involve creating stakeholder advisory structures, developing shared engagement practices, and supporting sites that may have less research infrastructure to participate effectively.

In addition to the scientific and technical coordination, the Coordinating Center is intended to function as the central administrative backbone for the entire Coordinated Approaches to Pain Care Program. That typically implies responsibilities such as organizing cross-project meetings and working groups, maintaining shared documentation and reporting structures, facilitating consistent communication with NIH program staff, tracking milestones and deliverables across projects, supporting harmonized data and measures planning, and ensuring that program operations run smoothly across multiple institutions and health systems.

Eligibility is broad and includes many domestic organization types: state, county, 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 other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/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 entities. The FOA also explicitly lists categories of interest such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the FOA is clear that non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed.

Key administrative details from the source include the FOA number RFA-NS-22-065, the funding instrument type "Cooperative Agreement," and the activity category of Health, Income Security and Social Services. The CFDA numbers associated with this opportunity are 93.213, 93.273, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866. The posting indicates an original closing date of November 4, 2022, and a creation date of July 21, 2022. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided listing.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: Coordinated Pain Care in Health Care Systems Research Program - Coordinating Center (U24 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, 93.273, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-07-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-11-04. (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 22 065

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