Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AR 19 026
The HEAL Initiative: Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program: Mechanistic Research Centers funding opportunity (RFA AR 19 026) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement intended to support large, integrated research centers focused on understanding the biological and clinical mechanisms that drive acute and chronic back pain. Managed through NIAMS (the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) under the broader NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative, the opportunity is geared toward accelerating high-impact, mechanistic back pain research that can move beyond descriptive studies and toward a clearer, testable understanding of why back pain starts, persists, and differs from person to person. The centers supported under this program are expected to use novel, interdisciplinary approaches and modern analytics to uncover disease mechanisms, refine how patients are characterized, and ultimately identify new intervention targets.
A central emphasis of the program is deep patient phenotyping, meaning applicants are encouraged to collect and integrate rich, multi-dimensional data that can capture meaningful subtypes of back pain and the pathways that underlie them. In practice, this could include combining clinical assessments with imaging, biomechanical measures, sensory testing, functional outcomes, biomarkers, omics data, behavioral or psychosocial measures, and other modalities that help explain heterogeneity in symptoms and trajectories. The goal is not simply to gather more data, but to use integrated study designs and advanced analytics to reveal features and mechanisms that distinguish patients, predict outcomes, and point to actionable targets for prevention or treatment. The FOA also highlights the need for inter- and multidisciplinary collaboration, reflecting an expectation that successful teams will span multiple fields (for example, musculoskeletal biology, neuroscience, pain research, rehabilitation science, radiology, data science, epidemiology, and behavioral health) and will coordinate their work in a cohesive, center-based structure rather than as loosely connected projects.
The award mechanism is a U19 cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial NIH involvement in how the program is carried out compared with a standard research grant. Cooperative agreements are designed for complex, collaborative efforts where NIH may help guide coordination, alignment with consortium goals, and integration across sites or components. The listing is marked as “Clinical Trial Optional,” meaning applicants may propose clinical trials if they are scientifically justified, but a trial is not required. This flexibility supports a range of mechanistic work, from observational cohort studies and experimental human research to clinical studies that may test hypotheses about mechanisms or stratification strategies, as long as the work aligns with the program’s core purpose of mechanistic discovery and improved patient characterization.
In terms of eligibility, the opportunity is broadly open across many organization types, reflecting an intent to attract strong scientific teams from academic, nonprofit, private, governmental, and community-linked settings. Eligible applicants include state, county, and 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/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility footprint supports the program’s interdisciplinary and potentially multi-site nature and recognizes that meaningful back pain research may involve partnerships across clinical systems, communities, and diverse populations.
Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the cooperative agreement instrument. The CFDA assistance listing numbers associated with the opportunity include 93.213, 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, 93.846, 93.853, 93.865, and 93.866. The original posting indicates a creation date of 2018-12-10 and an original closing date of 2019-03-20. While the excerpt does not provide an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, the overall structure and U19 mechanism signal a center-scale program intended to support substantial, coordinated research efforts.
Overall, this BACPAC Mechanistic Research Centers opportunity is aimed at building rigorous, collaborative research hubs that can explain the mechanisms of back pain and translate that understanding into better ways to classify patients and identify new intervention targets. The focus on novel analytics and integrated approaches suggests that applicants are expected to go beyond traditional single-discipline models, leveraging modern data integration and interdisciplinary study designs to produce insights that can reshape how acute and chronic back pain are studied and treated.Apply for RFA AR 19 026
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HEAL Initiative: Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program: Mechanistic Research Centers (U19 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, 93.846, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2018-12-10.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-03-20. (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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|---|
| HEAL Initiative: Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program Data Integration, Algorithm Development and Operations Management Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Apply for RFA AR 19 027 Funding Number: RFA AR 19 027 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: $3,600,000 |
| HEAL Initiative: Clinical Devices to Treat Pain (UH3 Clinical Trial Optional) Apply for RFA NS 19 018 Funding Number: RFA NS 19 018 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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| Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) Apply for PA 19 127 Funding Number: PA 19 127 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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