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SHARE: Focus on Pain Research
In 2018 the International Association for the Study of Pain revised the definition of pain to "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage." Pain is a critical national health problem with a tremendous clinical burden. Millions of Americans suffer from daily chronic pain and it is the main reason people seek medical attention or are out of work. NINDS supports ongoing efforts to understand the basic science of acute and chronic pain and develop new tools and treatments for pain patients. Additional general information about pain can be found at the NINDS Paininformation page.

NINDS is the lead institute for pain research at NIH and supports basic, translational, and clinical pain research to develop new and innovative advances in the pain field. NINDS leads the Executive Committee of the NIH Pain Consortium, which includes 21 Institutes and Centers. The NIH Pain Consortium identifies, coordinates, and supports pain research initiatives, activities, and strategic planning at NIH. NINDS also serves on the Executive Committee of the NIH Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee, a group whose goal is to coordinate all pain research efforts within HHS and across other Federal Agencies

Projects on pain research within NINDS’ mission do not need to be submitted to a pain-titled funding announcement and can be submitted to appropriate parent announcements. Please see a list of NINDS parent announcements for open funding opportunities.

Not sure what funding opportunity might be right for you? Try NIH Matchmaker

NINDS strongly encourages investigators to discuss their research interests with NINDS program staff prior to submitting their grant application. Visit the Find you NINDS Program Officer webpage to find the Program Officer most appropriate for your project.

Pain conditions within NINDS’ mission include, but are not limited to:

Acute Pain
	Chronic Pain
	Headache
	Migraine
	Neuropathic pain not associated with cancer treatments or diabetes
	Post-stroke pain
	Amputee pain
	Painful neuromas
	Pain following traumatic brain injury
	Pain associated with spinal cord injury
	Pain associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
	Pain associated with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease
	Chronic overlapping pain conditions

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

Cellular and molecular research on the mechanisms of pain
	Central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) mechanisms of the perception and modulation of pain
	Neurobiology of headache and migraine
	Utilize human tissue to characterize the functional genetic elements, epigenetic signatures, and molecular/cellular pathways that contribute to pain
	Development and validation of animal models of pain
	Biomarker signatures of pain conditions and pain chronification
	Development of translational neural devices to treat pain
	Identify and validate novel therapeutic targets for pain
	Development of non-addictive pain therapeutics
	Fellowships and career development awards for pain scientists and clinical researchers

For examples of NINDS funded pain research grants please visit NIH Reporter.

NIH Funding for Various Research, Condition, and Disease Categories

Research/Disease Areas*
			FY 2018
			(Actual)
			FY 2019^
			(Actual)
			FY 2020
			(Actual)
			FY 2021
			(Actual)
			FY 2022
			(Actual)Pain Research
			$605
			$1,011
			$846
			$867
			$978

^The FY 2019 actuals include obligations of over $400 million from FY 2018 carryover to support the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative. These amounts, combined with obligations from FY 2019 annual appropriations, have a significant impact on Opioids, Opioids Misuse & Addiction, and Pain Research categories. This is a one-time spike in FY 2019 actuals, and FY 2020 actuals are proportionately lower since they reflect a single year of funding.

*Dollars in millions and rounded*To learn more about this NIH Investment, please visit the Categorical Spending site and enter "Pain Research".*



NINDS and the HEAL Initiative:

NINDS is part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative®, or the NIH HEAL Initiative®, an aggressive, trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. Please see HEAL Initiative Clinical Research Opportunities for more information and funding opportunities for clinical projects. Please visit the HEAL Initiative's Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management page for opportunities and funding announcements for preclinical projects.

For more information, please refer to the list of all HEAL Initiative open funding opportunities and NINDS’ Role in the HEAL Initiative website.



Headache/Migraine

Research involving headache and migraine falls within the mission of NINDS. Funding for migraine research increased 43% from 2020 to 2021.

Image
              image-20230131140225-5
Line graph showing annual support level in millions for Migraines research across NIH from FY2014-FY2021Image
              image-20230131140107-4
Line graph showing annual support level in millions for Headaches research across NIH from FY2014-FY2021Research/Disease Areas*
			FY 2019
			(Actual)
			FY 2020
			(Actual)
			FY 2021
			(Actual)Headaches
			$40
			$42
			$47Migraines
			$28
			$28
			$40

*Dollars in millions and rounded*To learn more about this NIH Investment, please visit the Categorical Spending site and enter "Headaches" or "Migraines".*



**Sharing Pain Research Data:**

NINDS strongly encourages researchers who receive funding from the Institute to use these common data elements (CDEs) in their clinical research.

Headache specific CDEs can be found at: NINDS CDE for Headache
	Pain specific CDEs for the HEAL Initiative can be found at: HEAL CDE Program
	NIH will implement the Data Management and Sharing Policy in 2023.



Funding Opportunities with Upcoming Receipt Dates:

NOFO Title
			Upcoming Receipt Date
			ContactHEAL Initiative: Development and Validation of Non-Rodent Mammalian Models of Pain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
			03/06/2024
			HEAL Animal ModelsHEAL Initiative: Development of Therapies and Technologies Directed at Enhanced Pain Management (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
			04/04/2024
			Emily Caporello, Ph.D.HEAL Initiative: Development of Therapies and Technologies Directed at Enhanced Pain Management (R41/R42 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
			04/04/2024
			Emily Caporello, Ph.D.HEAL Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program: Embedded Entrepreneurs for Small Businesses in Pain Management (SB1 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
			05/05/2024
			Emily Caporello, Ph.D.Notice of Special Interest to Encourage Eligible NIH HEAL Initiative Awardees to Apply for PA-20-222: Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Admin Supp - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
			05/15/2024
			Eric Hudak, Ph.D.HEAL Initiative: Non-addictive Analgesic Therapeutics Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] to Treat Pain (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
			05/24/2024
			Mary Pelleymounter, Ph.D.HEAL Initiative: Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Pain Treatment (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
			06/02/2024
			Michael L. Oshinsky, Ph.D.HEAL Initiative: Understanding Individual Differences in Human Pain Conditions (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)
			06/06/2024
			D.P. Mohapatra, Ph.D.HEAL Initiative: Interdisciplinary Team Science to Uncover the Mechanisms of Pain Relief by Medical Devices  (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)
			06/10/2024
			Eric Hudak, Ph.D.HEAL Initiative Advanced Postdoctoral-to-Independent Career Transition Award in PAIN and SUD Research (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
			06/11/2024
			D.P. Mohapatra, Ph.D.HEAL Initiative Advanced Postdoctoral-to-Independent Career Transition Award in PAIN and SUD Research (Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
			06/11/2024
			D.P. Mohapatra, Ph.D.HEAL Initiative Advanced Postdoctoral-to-Independent Career Transition Award in PAIN and SUD Research to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
			06/11/2024
			D.P. Mohapatra, Ph.D.HEAL Initiative Advanced Postdoctoral-to-Independent Career Transition Award in PAIN and SUD Research to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
			06/11/2024
			D.P. Mohapatra, Ph.D.Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): HEAL Initiative: Clinical Translation of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Devices via Blueprint MedTech
			06/20/2024
			Eric Hudak, Ph.D.

Resources and Tools

Contacts

Michael Oshinsky, Ph.D.
Director, NINDS Office of Preclinical Pain Researchmichael.oshinsky@nih.gov

D.P. Mohapatra, Ph.D.
Program Director, Systems & Cognitive Neurosciencedp.mohapatra@nih.gov

Tom Greenwell, Ph.D.
Program Director, Systems & Cognitive Neurosciencethomas.greenwell@nih.gov

Julia Bachman, Ph.D.HEAL Program Manager, Systems & Cognitive Neurosciencejulia.bachman@nih.gov

Elizabeth Sypek, Ph.D.
Health Program Specialistelizabeth.sypek@nih.gov

Rachel Weinberg, Ph.D.
Health Program Specialistrachel.weinberg@nih.gov

Trevolyn E. Fullerton
Operations Coordinatortrevolyn.fullerton@nih.gov

Funding Opportunities

NINDS HEAL Funding Opportunities

NINDS Pain Funding Opportunities

See all NIH HEAL Funding Opportunities





Related Topics

**NINDS' Role in the HEAL Initiative**

NIH HEAL Initiative

NIH Pain Consortium

Director's Message on Pain Awareness Month

Federal Pain Research Strategy Current Research
  
    

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