NIH HEAL Initiative

NIH HEAL Initiative is NIH's trans-institute umbrella for work on the opioid overdose crisis and improved pain management. It is not a single institute program; it coordinates funding across NINDS, NIDA, NIAAA, NCATS, NIAMS, NCI, and other NIH components under one HEAL banner. The active slate spans preclinical discovery, data infrastructure, clinical translation, and substance-use research. The 2026-2028 portfolio includes R03, UG3/UH3, U24, R15, R61/R33, R34, R01, and R21 mechanisms, with deadlines running from mid-2026 through late 2028. HEAL also carries parent-routed opportunities such as K awards, R03, R21, R01, and administrative supplements. Applicants range from universities and nonprofits to for-profits and research organizations, with U.S. eligibility and English-language submission. HEAL is best for teams that can tie a focused project to one of the initiative's pain or substance-use priorities and meet the expectations of the administering institute. Success usually depends on matching the right mechanism to the work, showing a credible path to translation or impact, and watching the institute-specific review rules that sit underneath the shared HEAL label. The initiative is broad, but the strongest applications stay narrow in scope and explicit about the problem they solve.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.