National Institute on Drug Abuse Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative
Program Funding
Annual program obligations reported to SAM.gov.
Program Objective
Since its launch with the support of Congress in 2018, the NIH HEAL Initiative has made the nation’s largest ever investment in research to end the national overdose crisis.
Overdose fatalities account for tens of thousands of deaths annually and there are nearly 9 million Americans ages 12 and older who misused opioids in the past year, and an estimated 5.7 million with opioid use disorder (OUD), which is likely an undercount of how many people are actually affected. In parallel, chronic pain affects 50 million adults in the United States with nearly 20 million living daily with chronic pain that interferes with their lives and if improperly treated, puts them at risk for illicit opioid misuse alongside the risk of OUD and overdoses.
The NIH HEAL Initiative was launched through specific Congressional funding to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to address these challenges using a multifaceted evidence-based approach that brings together scientists, healthcare providers, patient advocates, community members, the private sector, and multiple levels of government – all sharply focused on developing and deploying scientific solutions with the ultimate goal of preventing all overdoses and developing safer, nonaddictive treatments for pain.
The NIDA HEAL Initiative strategic plan for OUD and overdoses includes two core research objectives around which NIDA will prioritize HEAL research investments:
(1) Advance research to prevent and treat OUD and overdoses including overdoses that result from the use of multiple substances simultaneously.
(2) Advance cross-cutting research to prevent and treat OUD and overdoses in the context of chronic pain and other mental health conditions that commonly occur in people who experience OUD.
These research objectives incorporate other cross-cutting goals, including enhancing women’s and children’s health; addressing public health challenges across the lifespan; promoting collaborative science; and leveraging data science for biomedical discovery.
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants
- Nonprofit Organization
- Other
- Small Business Person
- Not-for-Profit Organization
- For-Profit Organization
- U.S. State Government
- County Government
- Municipality/Township Government
- Federally Recognized Tribal Government
- Tribal Government (other)
- Local Government Consortium
- U.S. Federal Government
- U.S. Territory Government
- School District
- Public Housing Authority
- Tribally Designated Housing Authority
- Other Special District Government
Eligible organizations determined at the NOFO level
How to Apply
Award Procedure
Grants with which the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse has concurred with the recommendations of the Scientific Review Groups and approved by NIDA for payment are awarded directly by NIDA to the applicant institution.
Decision Timeline
- Approval: > 180 Days
From 240 to 270 days from submission of grant application. For AIDS applications the range will not exceed 180 days from cited receipt date
Program details & compliance
Description
The NIH HEAL Initiative seeks to speed scientific solutions to the overdose epidemic, including opioid and stimulant use disorders, and the crisis of chronic pain. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) each receive additional funding from Congress to lead the NIH HEAL Initiative based upon their robust investments in substance use and pain research. The NIH HEAL Initiative is a collaborative research effort that involves nearly all of the institutes, centers, and offices across NIH leveraging the rich knowledge and infrastructure each has developed to drive scientific advances around the overdose and pain health crises, engaging researchers across the country. NIDA specifically leads the portion of the HEAL Initiative focused on the prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder, stimulant use disorder, opioid and other drug-related overdoses, and research at the intersection of pain and opioid use disorder.
Many people living with opioid use disorder, chronic pain, or both have other chronic medical and mental health conditions; solutions are needed for personalized, coordinated, and effective care for people with complex and diverse conditions. HEAL funds research to address these complex, diverse conditions to rapidly adapt clinical practice to bring urgently needed relief to people experiencing these conditions. Specifically, HEAL supports studies that address research gaps that can be rapidly translated into clinical practice or health policy changes as opposed to basic, foundational research that is supported by NIDA institutional funds.
Mission Categories
Primary: Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
Other categories:
Prevention and Control (includes Suicide Prevention)BiologySocial SciencesResearch and Development
Required Documentation
See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for further guidance on the applicability of cost principals (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps/index.htm). 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program.
2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program.
Reporting & Compliance
Applicable 2 CFR 200 Subparts
- Subpart B — General Provisions
- Subpart C — Pre-Federal Award Requirements
- Subpart D — Post-Federal Award Requirements
- Subpart E — Cost Principles
- Subpart F — Audit Requirements