# Simpler Grants.gov #PAR-27-045

NIH HEAL Initiative Clinical Research Funding for Joint Pain Mechanisms

**Buyer:** National Institutes of Health
**Posted:** September 28, 2026
**Respond By:** October 30, 2026
**Identifier:** PAR-27-045
**NAICS:** 541715

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is announcing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under the HEAL Initiative for clinical research on joint pain mechanisms.
- Government Buyer:
  - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  - HEAL Initiative management
- OEMs and Vendors:
  - No specific OEMs or vendors are named; the opportunity is for clinical research services
- Products/Services Requested:
  - Phased mechanistic clinical research program
    - Focus on identifying and validating multi-tissue biological mechanisms driving joint pain
    - Testing non-pharmacologic or multimodal interventions targeting these mechanisms
    - No specific products, part numbers, or quantities requested
- Unique/Notable Requirements:
  - Projects must align with priorities from the 2023 HEAL Whole Joint Pain Workshop
  - Eligible applicants include U.S.-based government entities, educational institutions, nonprofits, and businesses
  - Foreign organizations and non-U.S. components are excluded
  - Maximum project duration is five years
  - Emphasis on safe, non-addictive, and prevention-oriented approaches to chronic pain

### Description

The NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term® (HEAL) Initiative is releasing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support a phased mechanistic clinical research program focusing on understudied biological mechanisms that drive joint pain. The program supports projects up to five years in duration that will identify and validate multi-tissue mechanisms underlying joint pain and test non-pharmacologic or multimodal interventions targeting these mechanisms. This initiative aligns with the 2023 HEAL Whole Joint Pain Workshop priorities and aims to advance safe, non-addictive, and prevention-oriented approaches to chronic pain.

[View original listing](https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/361304)