The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under the HEAL Initiative for the NIH-DOD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory (PMC), inviting proposals for phased research projects on nonopioid pain management. This NOFO aims to fund projects that use pragmatic clinical trials or implementation science approaches to evaluate nonopioid strategies for managing pain and related conditions in U.S. military personnel, Veterans, and their families. Projects are expected to collaborate with the PMC's Coordinating Center for support in implementing health care system (HCS)-focused research, offering technical expertise and standardized processes across projects.

The HEAL Initiative, NIH's response to the opioid crisis, promotes research to improve pain management and treat opioid misuse. Veterans and military personnel often face chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and other complex comorbidities, for which traditional opioid treatments present high risks. Research funded under this NOFO will explore nonopioid interventions, both as standalone treatments and in combination with traditional care, within military and Veteran health care systems. Projects may address effectiveness and implementation of various approaches, such as mindfulness or cognitive behavioral therapies, while also considering socio-economic, racial, and ethnic disparities in pain management.

The phased award structure includes a 1-year UG3 planning phase with a direct cost limit of $500,000, followed by a possible transition to a UH3 research execution phase, lasting up to four years with an annual budget of up to $1,000,000 in direct costs. Applicants must submit a combined UG3/UH3 application, detailing milestones for both phases. Transition to the UH3 phase is contingent on meeting the UG3 planning phase milestones, scientific merit, relevance, and availability of funds.

Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, nonprofits, for-profit organizations, and various government entities within the United States. Collaborative partnerships with HCS that serve military and Veteran populations are essential, and applicants should demonstrate experience in conducting clinical research with these systems. Additionally, projects must comply with NIH's inclusivity standards, requiring a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP) in their application, which will be evaluated during the review process.

The application process requires several steps, including registrations with SAM, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov. Key dates include a Letter of Intent deadline of October 7, 2024, with full applications due by November 7, 2024. Reviews will take place in early 2025, with awards anticipated by July 2025. Applicants are advised to engage early with the PMC's Coordinating Center and consult relevant resources to avoid duplicating ongoing research within the PMC and other NIH-funded projects.

In summary, this NOFO seeks innovative, large-scale research on nonopioid pain management to enhance treatment options for the military and Veteran communities, with a focus on team-based and whole-person approaches that address both pain and its associated conditions in real-world settings.