HEAL INITIATIVE: INTERACT Data Coordination and Integration Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has issued a funding opportunity titled HEAL Initiative: INTERACT Data Coordination and Integration Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed). This opportunity is administered through multiple NIH institutes, including the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. It is part of the broader Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, a federal effort to accelerate scientific solutions to the opioid crisis and improve pain management strategies. The initiative builds on existing NIH research infrastructure and aims to integrate complex datasets related to chronic pain and musculoskeletal conditions. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to establish a Data Coordination and Integration Center (DCIC) for the HEAL INTERACT program. The DCIC will be responsible for coordinating, harmonizing, and integrating diverse data types generated through the INTERACT Consortium and related HEAL initiatives. These datasets include clinical, biological, imaging, and patient-reported data. The center will also develop and maintain a web-accessible system for data sharing, enabling researchers to access curated datasets for hypothesis generation and secondary analyses. The ultimate goal is to enhance understanding of chronic musculoskeletal pain and improve diagnostic and treatment approaches through integrated data science. Funding will support a single award with a total anticipated commitment of up to 4 million dollars. The project period may extend up to five years, and budgets must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project without a predefined cap. Funds may be used for activities such as data curation, development of analytic tools, data standardization, training, and coordination across multiple research programs. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, meaning NIH staff will have substantial involvement in project oversight and collaboration, including participation in steering committees and milestone tracking. Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and includes higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, for-profit entities including small businesses, and various levels of government such as state, local, and tribal governments. However, foreign organizations and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. Applicants must complete several federal registrations, including SAM, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons, and ensure that all principal investigators are registered and linked to ORCID identifiers. There is no cost-sharing requirement for this opportunity. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using systems such as ASSIST or Workspace. Applicants are required to follow the NIH Research Instructions and include detailed components such as a research strategy, data management and sharing plan, timeline with milestones, management plan, and letters of support. The Data Management and Sharing Plan is mandatory and must adhere to HEAL Initiative requirements for data accessibility and interoperability. Applications that do not comply with submission guidelines may be rejected without review. The application process opens on September 1, 2026, with a submission deadline of October 1, 2026. Applications will undergo peer review in March 2027, followed by advisory council review in May 2027, with the earliest project start date anticipated in July 2027. The program does not accept late submissions, and applicants are encouraged to submit early to allow time for corrections. This funding opportunity does not allow clinical trials but permits research involving human subjects that does not meet the definition of a clinical trial. Evaluation criteria include significance, investigator qualifications, innovation, approach, and environment. Reviewers will assess the ability of the proposed center to integrate complex datasets, support collaboration, and contribute to the HEAL data ecosystem. Additional considerations include data sharing plans, management capabilities, and alignment with NIH priorities. Contact information is provided for scientific, peer review, and grants management inquiries through designated NIH institute email addresses.

Emphasize data integration capability, interoperability standards, and collaboration with HEAL ecosystem; demonstrate experience managing large datasets and multi-institution coordination