HEAL Initiative: Program to Reveal and Evaluate Cells-to-gene Information that Specify Intricacies, Origins and the Nature of (PRECISION) Human Pain Network

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through its National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), is planning a new funding opportunity as part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative. This effort will be formalized under the funding opportunity titled "Program to Reveal and Evaluate Cells-to-gene Information that Specify Intricacies, Origins and the Nature of (PRECISION) Human Pain Network." The goal of this initiative is to generate and disseminate comprehensive 'omics and physiology datasets from primary human tissue relevant to the pain neuraxis. This forecasted Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) signals NIH’s intent to publish a solicitation in July 2026, with applications expected to be due by October 12, 2026. The PRECISION Human Pain Network will focus on the large-scale, high-throughput generation and analysis of human multi-omic datasets. These include gene expression, epigenomic profiles, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and detailed phenotyping of both neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Data collection will occur at both single-cell and tissue levels, using primary pain-associated human tissues. The NOFO builds upon previous HEAL-funded initiatives and seeks to expand the coverage of pain conditions, incorporate emerging technologies, and promote integration across multimodal outputs. This effort aims to significantly deepen the understanding of human pain biology and contribute to the development of new pain treatments. Awardees under this NOFO will operate under a milestone-driven cooperative agreement structure. This structure will encourage awarded research centers to work collaboratively across a network. Centers will be required to optimize methodologies, develop standardized protocols, and engage in cross-validation of findings. The collective outputs will be integrated into a digital knowledge base accessible to the broader scientific and therapeutics development communities. The NIH program staff will actively participate in project coordination to ensure alignment with the overarching goals of the HEAL Initiative and its data-sharing framework. At this time, the NOFO is not yet open for applications. The forecast is being issued to allow potential applicants ample time to build multi-disciplinary collaborations and prepare proposals that address the complex research objectives outlined. NIH encourages applications from experts in 'omics data generation, human pain biology, neurobiology, clinical pain research, and bioinformatics, as well as from multidisciplinary teams including statisticians, engineers, and other relevant fields. Eligible applicants include a wide spectrum of organizations, such as state and local governments, tribal organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, non-profits (both with and without IRS 501(c)(3) status), small businesses, for-profit entities, and international (non-U.S.) institutions. Faith-based and community-based organizations, regional entities, and federal agencies including NIH intramural programs are also eligible. This inclusive eligibility framework is designed to foster collaborative research efforts across a range of organizational types and expertise. According to the current forecast, the official application window is anticipated to open on July 1, 2026, and close on October 12, 2026. Awards will be announced in July 2027, with funded projects starting on August 1, 2027. As of now, there are no details on specific award amounts or the total available funding. Additionally, NIH has indicated that this opportunity is not expected to require matching funds. Interested parties are advised to monitor the NIH and Grants.gov websites for the formal release of the NOFO and related documents. For further information, inquiries can be directed via email to the HEAL Precision Pain contact listed in the announcement.