Advancing Research on Mechanisms and Management of Pain for Diseases and Conditions within NIDDK Mission Areas (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DK 23 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 23 006

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), issued a discretionary grant opportunity titled "Advancing Research on Mechanisms and Management of Pain for Diseases and Conditions within NIDDK Mission Areas (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" under funding opportunity number RFA-DK-23-006. This announcement uses the R01 research project grant mechanism and allows, but does not require, clinical trials, meaning applicants can propose basic science, translational, or clinical research projects depending on what best fits their aims. The overall focus is pain as it relates to diseases and conditions that fall within NIDDK's mission areas, with the agency emphasizing that pain can dramatically reduce quality of life for affected patients and that significant gaps remain in both scientific understanding and clinical management.

The core purpose of the opportunity is to stimulate investigator-initiated projects that generate new knowledge about why pain occurs, how it is maintained, and how it presents clinically in NIDDK-relevant disorders. NIDDK highlights that, even with prior research, the biological and clinical contributors of pain are still not well understood. In practical terms, the announcement is looking for studies that can clarify underlying mechanisms (for example, physiological, neurological, inflammatory, metabolic, or other disease-linked processes that drive pain), identify meaningful clinical features and contributors that shape patient experience, and connect these insights to improved ways of measuring, predicting, and treating pain. The intention is not only to improve scientific understanding of pain pathophysiology but also to translate that knowledge into better patient care.

A major theme is the need for new and improved pain management strategies. The announcement calls out the urgency of approaches that move beyond or improve upon existing interventions, explicitly referencing opioids as an example of current treatments that have limitations and risks. Applicants are encouraged to develop and test new approaches to assess pain (such as better measurement tools or methods to characterize pain more precisely), predict pain outcomes (including identifying factors that might indicate who is at risk for severe, persistent, or treatment-resistant pain), and target pain with safer or more effective interventions. Successful projects are expected to produce actionable insights that can foster improved treatment and pain management strategies for patients living with NIDDK-mission conditions.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also explicitly notes additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

On the foreign eligibility side, the announcement draws a clear line: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-U.S. foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant organization. However, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are eligible, and foreign components are allowed as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement. In other words, while a foreign institution cannot serve as the main applicant, an otherwise eligible U.S. applicant may include certain foreign components when they are justified and compliant with NIH policy.

Administratively, this opportunity falls under the Health and related research category (listed under Food and Nutrition, Health) with CFDA number 93.847. The opportunity was created on February 10, 2023, and the original closing date was May 4, 2023. The notice does not provide an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided source information, so applicants would typically rely on the full FOA text and NIH budget guidance for details on project period expectations, allowable costs, and any institute-specific budget preferences. Overall, the announcement is designed to push the field toward a more precise, mechanism-informed understanding of pain in NIDDK-relevant diseases and toward practical, improved methods to measure and manage pain that can ultimately translate into better patient outcomes.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advancing Research on Mechanisms and Management of Pain for Diseases and Conditions within NIDDK Mission Areas (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-02-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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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