NIH RFA · NINDS · R61, R33

RFA-NS-25-023: HEAL Initiative: Studies to Enable Analgesic Discovery (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards

Open for applicationsNext due date: Jan 15, 2027Expires Jan 16, 2027

This funding opportunity is part of a suite of NOFOs within the NIH HEAL Initiative to support the development of safe, effective, and non-addictive therapeutics to treat pain. The goal is to encourage initial translational efforts that will support a drug discovery program and advance projects to the point where they meet the entry criteria for the Pain Therapeutics Development Program. The scope will therefore be focused on development of assays to support a distinct testing funnel, screening efforts to identify hits, and initial characterization of hits and potential therapeutic agents (including small molecules, biologics, and natural products).

Full NOFO in the NIH Guide Apply on Grants.gov

NOFO number
RFA-NS-25-023
Type
RFA
Activity code
R61R33
Primary institute
NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Clinical trials
Not Allowed
Posted
Sep 18, 2024
Opens
Dec 28, 2024
Expires
Jan 16, 2027

RFA-NS-25-023 due dates

1 application due date remains before the NOFO expires. Dates marked * are NIH standard due dates. Check the related notices below for changes NIH made after posting.

Application due dates and review cycles for RFA-NS-25-023
Application Due Date(s)Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed)AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowedScientific Merit ReviewAdvisory Council ReviewEarliest Start Date
January 28, 2025January 28, 2025Not ApplicableJuly 2025October 2025December 2025
May 16, 2025May 16, 2025Not ApplicableNovember 2025January 2026April 2026
September 17, 2025September 17, 2025Not ApplicableMarch 2026May 2026July 2026
January 16, 2026January 16, 2026Not ApplicableJuly 2026October 2026December 2026
May 15, 2026May 15, 2026Not ApplicableNovember 2026January 2027April 2027
September 17, 2026September 17, 2026Not ApplicableMarch 2027May 2027July 2027
January 15, 2027January 15, 2027Not ApplicableJuly 2027October 2027December 2027

Projects funded under RFA-NS-25-023

NIH RePORTER lists 6 projects funded under RFA-NS-25-023 in FY2022–FY2026, with $5.2M in award dollars. Counts include each project's later non-competing years, which keep the original NOFO number.

Projects funded

6

Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026

New awards

6

Type 1 (new project) award records

NIH funding

$5.2M

Award dollars under RFA-NS-25-023, FY2022–FY2026

Funding by fiscal year

Award records, new awards, and funding by fiscal year under RFA-NS-25-023
Fiscal yearAward recordsNew awardsFunding
FY202200$0
FY202300$0
FY202400$0
FY202500$0
FY202666$5.2M

Institutions with the most funding

  1. University of Massachusetts Lowell$1.3M · 1 project
  2. Massachusetts General Hospital$1.1M · 1 project
  3. Washington University$816K · 1 project
  4. Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences$787K · 1 project
  5. Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ$635K · 1 project
  6. University of Miami School of Medicine$594K · 1 project

Funding institutes

  • NINDS$5.2M · 6

Activity codes funded

  • R616 records

Most recent new awards

FY2026 closed on September 30, 2026, but NIH keeps posting that year's awards to RePORTER for several weeks. FY2026 figures reflect records available on October 16, 2026 and may rise slightly at the next refresh.

Participating institutes

10 NIH institutes and offices take applications under RFA-NS-25-023. Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your research before applying.

  • NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • NEI · National Eye Institute
  • NIA · National Institute on Aging
  • NIAAA · National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
  • NIAMS · National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
  • NICHD · Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • NIDCR · National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
  • NIDDK · National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
  • NCCIH · National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
  • NCI · National Cancer Institute

Related notices

  1. Mar 31, 2025 · NOT-OD-24-084

    This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission.April 4, 2024 - Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25,…

  2. Aug 31, 2022 · NOT-OD-22-198

    Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023. See Notice NOT-OD-22-198.

  3. Aug 5, 2022

    Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy.

Award terms

Application types allowed
NewResubmission The OER Glossary and the How to Apply Application Guide provide details on these application types. Only those application types listed here are allowed for this NOFO.
Award budget
Application budgets are limited to direct costs of 350,000 per year and need to reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.
Project period
The total project period for a combined R61/R33 application submitted in response to this NOFO may not exceed three years, with no more than two years for the R61 phase and no more than two years for the R33 phase. NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.
Funds available and number of awards
The NIH HEAL Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative intends to commit an estimated total of 2,500,000 to fund 4-5 awards in FY 2025. Awards pursuant to this funding opportunity are contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Summarized from the NOFO text; the full NOFO governs eligibility, budget, and review.

Related NOFOs

  • Reissue of RFA-NS-25-012.

Other open NOFOs for R61, R33

Browse all open NIH NOFOs

About this page

GotGrant gathers the NOFO, its participation and change notices, and its NOSIs from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, and counts funded projects from NIH RePORTER by the opportunity number each award was made under. Data refreshed October 16, 2026; the NIH Guide is the authoritative source. See our data methodology.

Find who wins under this NOFO

NIH grant searchLook up awards by topic, PI, or institution.Find funded PIsInvestigators with recent NIH awards in your research area.Institute fit by topicWhich NIH institutes and institutions lead a research area.Funding trendsYear-by-year NIH award totals for any keyword.