The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) plans to release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the HEAL Initiative’s Pain Management Collaboratory, specifically targeting pragmatic clinical trials and implementation science projects for nonopioid pain management strategies within Veteran and military health care settings. This funding opportunity supports research that investigates the effectiveness of nonopioid approaches to manage pain and related conditions in Veterans, military personnel, and their families, with a particular focus on interventions that can be integrated into standard care practices. The NOFO also emphasizes the importance of complementary and integrative approaches, such as mindfulness meditation combined with standard treatment, and projects designed to prevent and treat opioid misuse and addiction.

Key research areas include conducting pragmatic clinical trials that focus on the effectiveness of nonopioid interventions and on implementation science, aiming to understand how these approaches can be integrated into real-world health care systems. Researchers are encouraged to propose projects that make available data, resources, and best practices to further research partnerships with Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) health care systems. Projects should avoid replicating ongoing or completed research in the Pain Management Collaboratory by reviewing current studies on the PMC website.

The anticipated funding is substantial, with a single award planned at an estimated $850,000 for fiscal year 2025, covering both UG3 and UH3 phases. The UG3 exploratory phase, capped at $500,000 per year, will last for one year, followed by the UH3 implementation phase with a budget limit of $1 million per year for up to four years. Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, non-profits, small businesses, tribal organizations, state and local governments, and certain for-profit entities. This phased award is designed to support a five-year project with comprehensive evaluation criteria and stages for both clinical and implementation efficacy.

Applications for this opportunity are expected to open in November 2024, with awards beginning as early as July 2025. Interested applicants should begin forming collaborations and planning projects that meet the unique requirements and goals of the Pain Management Collaboratory initiative.