NIH RFA · NINDS · UG3, UH3
RFA-NS-27-007: HEAL Initiative: Non-addictive Analgesic Therapeutics Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] to Treat Pain (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards
The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support the preclinical optimization and development of safe, effective, and non-addictive small molecule and biologic therapeutics for the treatment of pain. The goal of the program is to accelerate the advancement of promising early-stage therapeutic candidates and facilitate their readiness for Phase II clinical trials. Applicants must have a promising small molecule or biologic lead candidate for optimization, a strong biological rationale for the proposed approach, and established assays to guide the optimization process. The scope of the program includes lead optimization, early-stage development activities, IND-enabling…
- NOFO number
- RFA-NS-27-007
- Type
- RFA
- Activity code
- UG3UH3
- Primary institute
- NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Clinical trials
- Optional
- Posted
- Jun 16, 2026
- Opens
- Aug 21, 2026
- Expires
- Feb 21, 2029
RFA-NS-27-007 due dates
8 application due dates remain before the NOFO expires. Dates marked * are NIH standard due dates. Check the related notices below for changes NIH made after posting.
| New | Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) | AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowed | Scientific Merit Review | Advisory Council Review | Earliest Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2026 | October 21, 2026 | Not Applicable | March 2027 | May 2027 | July 2027 |
| February 19, 2027 | February 19, 2027 | Not Applicable | July 2027 | October 2027 | December 2027 |
| June 21, 2027 | June 21, 2027 | Not Applicable | November 2027 | January 2028 | April 2028 |
| October 20, 2027 | October 20, 2027 | Not Applicable | March 2028 | May 2028 | July 2028 |
| February 22, 2028 | February 22, 2028 | Not Applicable | July 2028 | October 2028 | December 2028 |
| June 20, 2028 | June 20, 2028 | Not Applicable | November 2028 | January 2029 | April 2029 |
| October 20, 2028 | October 20, 2028 | Not Applicable | March 2029 | May 2029 | July 2029 |
| February 20, 2029 | February 20, 2029 | Not Applicable | July 2029 | October 2029 | December 2029 |
What its predecessor RFA-NS-24-019 funded
RFA-NS-27-007 reissues RFA-NS-24-019. Until awards appear under the new number, its funding history is the best guide to who wins under this program: 3 projects and $7.9M in FY2022–FY2026.
Projects funded
3
Distinct projects, FY2022–FY2026
New awards
3
Type 1 (new project) award records
NIH funding
$7.9M
Award dollars under RFA-NS-24-019, FY2022–FY2026
Funding by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Award records | New awards | Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| FY2023 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| FY2024 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| FY2025 | 1 | 1 | $2.1M |
| FY2026 | 2 | 2 | $5.8M |
Institutions with the most funding
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute$3.9M · 1 project
- University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston$2.1M · 1 project
- Quiver Bioscience Inc.$2.0M · 1 project
Funding institutes
- NINDS$7.9M · 3
Activity codes funded
- UG33 records
Most recent new awards
- Development of Nav channel targeting antisense oligonucleotides as chronic pain therapeutics using an integrated platform based on machine learning and optical electrophysiology (opens NIH RePORTER)
Quiver Bioscience Inc. · 1UG3NS146009-01 · NINDS · Notice Apr 28, 2026
$2.0MUG3
- Neurotensin 1 allosteric modulator for the treatment of pain (opens NIH RePORTER)
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute · 1UG3NS141745-01A1 · NINDS · Notice Apr 17, 2026
$3.9MUG3
- Development of MMP-9 inhibitory monoclonal antibodies to relieve neuropathic pain (opens NIH RePORTER)
University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston · 1UG3NS143650-01 · NINDS · Notice Aug 13, 2025
$2.1MUG3
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-27-007. 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
- NHLBI · National Heart, Lung, and Blood 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
- NIDA · National Institute on Drug Abuse
- NCCIH · National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- NCI · National Cancer Institute
Related notices
NIH lists no related notices for RFA-NS-27-007 yet.
Award terms
- Application types allowed
- New Resubmission Revision 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 must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project but should not include the costs of NIH contract resources requested.
- Project period
- The UG3 phase of the grant must be at least 1 year and cannot exceed 2 years. The UH3 phase cannot exceed 4 years. The total duration may not exceed 5 years. The actual duration of individual projects will depend upon successful achievement of milestones and conditions as described in the Milestones and Implementation sections of the program overview. NIH grants policies as described in the NIH…
- Funds available and number of awards
- The NIH HEAL Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative intends to commit an estimated total of 11,000,000 to fund 3 awards in FY 2027. 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-24-019.
Other open NOFOs for UG3, UH3
- PAR-25-052NIH StrokeNet Clinical Trials and Biomarker Studies for Stroke Treatment, Recovery, and Prevention (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)NINDS · next due Oct 19, 2026
- PAR-27-065NINDS Efficacy and Exploratory Clinical Trials (UG3/UH3 - Clinical Trial Required)NINDS · next due Nov 9, 2026
- PAR-24-293Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN): Biologic-based Drug Discovery and Development for Disorders of the Nervous System (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)NINDS · next due Jan 15, 2027
- PAR-25-383Blueprint MedTech Translator (UG3/UH3 - Clinical Trial Optional)NINDS · next due Jan 28, 2027
- PAR-27-015Community-Based Participatory Research to Advance Data and Practice Transformation (ADAPT) for Optimizing Oral Health for All (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)NIDCR · next due Oct 16, 2026
- RFA-RM-27-012PRIMED-AI: Data-to-Model Academic-Industrial Partnerships (D2M-AIP) for Precision Medicine with AI: Integrating Imaging with Multimodal Data (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)RMOD · next due Oct 19, 2026
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.