Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 159
The NIH funding opportunity "Mechanisms, Models, Measurement, and Management in Pain Research (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" (FOA number PA-18-159) is a discretionary grant program designed to spark new, exploratory pain research across many NIH Institutes and Centers. It uses the R21 mechanism, which is typically meant for early-stage, high-impact, and innovative projects that may be more developmental or proof-of-concept in nature. The core aim is to broaden and accelerate progress in basic, clinical, and translational pain research by encouraging investigators to test new ideas, build new tools, and generate foundational data that can lead to larger follow-on studies.
A key theme of the announcement is that pain remains a complex and highly individualized experience, even though scientific advances have clarified important parts of pain biology, such as neural pathways involved in pain signaling. The FOA emphasizes that major gaps still exist in understanding why pain varies so much across people, why treatment responses differ, and how acute pain transitions into chronic pain after injury or illness. In practical terms, NIH is signaling strong interest in projects that explain mechanisms driving chronic pain development, identify risk and protective factors, and reveal biological, psychological, behavioral, and social processes that shape pain persistence and disability.
The scope is intentionally broad, covering the "micro to macro" spectrum of science. On the micro end, this includes molecular, cellular, genetic, and neurobiological work that clarifies pain mechanisms or identifies new targets for intervention. On the macro end, it includes behavioral, psychosocial, and social science approaches that examine how environment, stress, mental health, culture, healthcare access, and other real-world influences affect pain perception, coping, and outcomes. The title highlights four interconnected areas: mechanisms (how pain is generated and maintained), models (experimental systems, animal or human models, computational approaches, or conceptual models that explain pain), measurement (better ways to assess pain and related outcomes, including objective or scalable measures), and management (approaches to prevent, treat, or reduce the burden of pain, including nonpharmacologic and systems-level strategies). Because the FOA is "Clinical Trial Optional," applicants may propose studies that include a clinical trial when appropriate, but a clinical trial is not required to be responsive.
The announcement strongly encourages interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams, reflecting NIH's view that pain problems rarely fit within a single field. Competitive projects under this FOA would often combine expertise, for example, across neuroscience, anesthesiology, rehabilitation, psychology, epidemiology, data science, engineering, pharmacology, and health services research. It also explicitly encourages participation and leadership by investigators from groups that have been historically underrepresented in biomedical research, including underrepresented minorities, women, and investigators with disabilities, both to strengthen the workforce and to broaden the perspectives applied to pain research questions.
Eligibility is expansive, reflecting NIH's intent to reach beyond traditional academic settings. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other organization types. The FOA also notes additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. (foreign) entities. That breadth aligns with the real-world nature of pain research and the need to study diverse populations and care settings.
From the funding details provided, the agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the activity is within the education and health domain, associated with multiple CFDA numbers (93.121, 93.213, 93.279, 93.307, 93.361, 93.393, 93.846, 93.853, 93.866), which indicates participation across multiple NIH components. The award ceiling listed is $200,000, consistent with the R21 concept of supporting smaller, innovative projects. The FOA record shows a creation date of November 7, 2017, and an original closing date of May 7, 2021, which is relevant for historical context and suggests applicants should verify any current successor announcement or updated due dates if they are looking to apply now.
Overall, this opportunity is meant to catalyze fresh, testable ideas that can move the field toward more precise explanations of pain, more realistic and predictive models, better measurement tools, and more effective, individualized, and scalable pain management approaches. It is especially oriented toward projects that confront the unresolved challenge of chronic pain development and the persistent variability in pain experience and treatment response across individuals and populations.Apply for PA 18 159
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mechanisms, Models, Measurement, and Management in Pain Research (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121, 93.213, 93.279, 93.307, 93.361, 93.393, 93.846, 93.853, 93.866.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-07.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.
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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (PA 18 159) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Symptom Management in HIV-Infected Individuals with Comorbid Conditions (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 161 Funding Number: PA 18 161 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Health Promotion Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Males (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 162 Funding Number: PA 18 162 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Use of Technology to Enhance Patient Outcomes and Prevent Illness (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 145 Funding Number: PA 18 145 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Self-Management Interventions and Technologies to Sustain Health and Optimize Functional Capabilities (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 146 Funding Number: PA 18 146 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Symptom Management in HIV-Infected Individuals with Comorbid Conditions (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 143 Funding Number: PA 18 143 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Altered neuronal circuits, receptors and networks in HIV-induced Central Nervous System (CNS) dysfunction (R21- Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA MH 18 611 Funding Number: RFA MH 18 611 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Palliative Care Needs of Individuals with Advanced Rare Diseases and Their Family Caregivers (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 149 Funding Number: PA 18 149 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Innovative Questions in Symptom Science and Genomics (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 157 Funding Number: PA 18 157 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Self-Management Interventions and Technologies to Sustain Health and Optimize Functional Capabilities (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 164 Funding Number: PA 18 164 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Palliative Care Needs of Individuals with Rare Advanced Diseases and Their Family Caregivers (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 167 Funding Number: PA 18 167 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Improving Individual and Family Outcomes through Continuity and Coordination of Care in Hospice (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 166 Funding Number: PA 18 166 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Short-term Mentored Career Enhancement Awards for Mid-Career Investigators to Integrate Basic Behavioral and Social Sciences (K18 - No Independent Clinical Trials) Apply for PAR 18 349 Funding Number: PAR 18 349 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Altered neuronal circuits, receptors and networks in HIV-induced Central Nervous System (CNS) dysfunction (R01)-Clinical Trial Not Allowed Apply for RFA MH 18 610 Funding Number: RFA MH 18 610 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Linking the Provider Recommendation to Adolescent HPV Vaccine Uptake (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 008 Funding Number: PAR 18 008 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Linking the Provider Recommendation to Adolescent HPV Vaccine Uptake (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PAR 18 019 Funding Number: PAR 18 019 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Promoting Caregiver Health Using Self-Management (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 150 Funding Number: PA 18 150 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Chronic Condition Self-Management in Children and Adolescents (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 151 Funding Number: PA 18 151 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Reducing Health Disparities Among Minority and Underserved Children (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 152 Funding Number: PA 18 152 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Chronic Condition Self-Management in Children and Adolescents (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 168 Funding Number: PA 18 168 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Reducing Health Disparities Among Minority and Underserved Children (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for PA 18 169 Funding Number: PA 18 169 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
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