RFA-TR-26-002
Limited Competition: HEAL Initiative Resource Centers for the Pain Management Effectiveness Network (ERN) (Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Summary
HEAL Pain Management Effectiveness Research Network Resource Centers
This opportunity supports Resource Centers (RCs) within the HEAL Pain Management Effectiveness Research Network, a multi-institute initiative led by NCATS in partnership with NINDS, NIA, NIDCR, NCCIH, NCI, NIAMS, NHLBI, NICHD, and the NIH HEAL Initiative. The RCs will provide essential operational infrastructure for large-scale, rigorous multisite clinical trials (CTs) designed to expand the evidence base for pain management interventions. Research targets the full spectrum of acute and chronic pain across diverse disease contexts and conditions, seeking to identify and validate effective therapeutic strategies and management approaches. The RCs themselves do not conduct primary research but instead furnish critical trial support: clinical coordination and safety monitoring, biostatistical analysis and data management, patient recruitment and retention expertise, and access to distributed clinical sites within CTSA hub networks. This translational research infrastructure is essential for moving promising pain management approaches from development into rigorous clinical testing.
- Who can apply: Limited competition; only pre-identified or pre-approved organizations eligible. Applicants must be able to work within CTSA hubs and coordinate across multiple clinical sites at different institutions—a required structural component.
- Funding & project length: Not stated.
- Award / mechanism: Resource Center grant (renewal).
- Key dates: Not stated.
- Best fit for: Clinical research networks, translational medicine programs, and biostatistical/clinical operations teams with existing multisite trial infrastructure and pain management research focus.
Insights (5)
Limited competition restricts applicant pool to pre-identified CTSA hub institutions
This is explicitly a limited competition, meaning only pre-approved organizations—specifically NCATS CTSA hub institutions—may apply. This is not an open competition; applicants must already be embedded within or formally affiliated with an existing CTSA hub network. Researchers at institutions outside CTSA hubs or without formal hub designation should verify eligibility before investing application effort.
Multisite coordination across CTSA hubs is mandatory, not optional
RCs must operate within the CTSA consortium structure and coordinate clinical trials across multiple sites at different institutions. This is a structural requirement, not a competitive advantage—applicants must have or establish formal partnerships across their hub's clinical sites and demonstrate capacity for complex multisite governance, data harmonization, and safety monitoring. Solo or single-site research teams cannot succeed in this mechanism.
Pain management research with multisite trial infrastructure is core competitive strength
The RN explicitly prioritizes operational expertise in large-scale multisite clinical trials, clinical coordination, biostatistical analysis, and patient recruitment/retention for pain management studies. Applicants with demonstrated success managing complex, multi-institutional pain trials—particularly those bridging acute-to-chronic pain continua—will be significantly more competitive than those with single-site or non-pain-focused trial experience.
Resource Center leadership requires established trial management and institutional credibility
RC positions demand senior-level operational and scientific leadership capable of coordinating across multiple institutions and managing substantial clinical infrastructure. This is not a mechanism for early-stage investigators or those building trial management capacity; it favors established pain researchers with proven track records in multisite trial coordination and institutional standing within their CTSA hub.
Multi-institute co-funding suggests moderate award count but high bar for merit
Nine NIH institutes and the HEAL Initiative are co-funding this renewal, indicating sustained commitment but likely a limited number of awards (typically 3–8 RCs nationally). Peer review will be rigorous; applications must demonstrate not only pain management expertise but also operational excellence in multisite trial management, safety monitoring, and biostatistical rigor.
Key Facts
Deadline
—
Posted
Mon, September 29, 2025
Keywords
Research Areas
Gotchas (2)
This is explicitly a limited competition, meaning only pre-identified or pre-approved organizations may be eligible to apply, not all institutions.
95%
Source Text
“This is a forecast for a limited competition Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that will invite application(s) from eligible organizations to apply.”
The RCs must work within CTSA hubs and coordinate with multiple clinical sites at different institutions, which is a required structural/collaboration component that may not be feasible for all applic
90%
Source Text
“RCs work within the broad consortium of NCATS Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) hubs that each may contain multiple clinical sites at different institutions, to implement studies.”