NIH-DoD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory ? Pragmatic and/or Implementation Science Demonstration Projects ((UG3/UH3) Clinical Trial Required) | RFA AT 24 004

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AT 24 004

The NIH-DoD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory (PMC) funding opportunity (RFA AT 24 004) supports phased UG3/UH3 cooperative agreement projects that test real-world, nonpharmacologic approaches to pain management for U.S. veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families, often in the context of other common co-occurring conditions. The central aim is to run efficient, large-scale pragmatic clinical trials and/or implementation science demonstration projects embedded in health care systems, meaning studies are expected to reflect routine care settings and practical constraints rather than tightly controlled laboratory-style conditions. A clinical trial is required under this announcement, and the focus is specifically on demonstrating how non-drug pain care strategies work in real clinical environments and how they can be adopted, delivered, and sustained at scale.

The UG3/UH3 structure is a two-phase, milestone-driven model. The UG3 phase typically functions as a planning and startup period where investigators finalize protocols, build site readiness, complete key regulatory and operational steps, and demonstrate feasibility benchmarks. If the UG3 milestones are met, the project transitions to the UH3 phase, which is the larger implementation and execution period where the pragmatic trial and/or implementation study is carried out across health system settings. Because this is a cooperative agreement, NIH expects substantial scientific and programmatic involvement during the life of the award, which commonly includes coordinated oversight, collaboration on common methods and standards, and active engagement with the broader collaboratory infrastructure.

A defining feature of this opportunity is that projects must operate within the infrastructure of the NIH-DoD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory. The PMC includes a Coordinating Center designed to provide national leadership and hands-on technical expertise for health care system-focused research. In practical terms, awardees can expect support and coordination around issues that commonly make pragmatic trials difficult: working across multiple health care sites, aligning workflows with clinical operations, dealing with real-world data sources (like electronic health records), standardizing outcomes where appropriate, and managing implementation challenges such as clinician uptake, fidelity, adaptation, and sustainability. The intent is to reduce duplication of effort and increase the odds that results are actionable for large health systems like the VA and DoD.

The scientific scope emphasizes nonpharmacologic pain management and related comorbidities. While the notice summary does not list specific interventions, the framing signals interest in evidence-based, non-drug approaches that can be delivered in routine practice and evaluated at scale. The mention of “other comorbid conditions” reflects how pain in veteran and military populations often intersects with behavioral health, sleep problems, physical function limitations, and other chronic conditions, and it leaves room for projects that either address pain alongside these issues or evaluate integrated care models that better fit patient complexity.

Eligibility is broad and intentionally inclusive of many organization types that can conduct large pragmatic research in health care settings. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The opportunity 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), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, tribal governments other than federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it restricts foreign participation at the applicant level: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. However, “foreign components” are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means a U.S. applicant may include certain elements of the project occurring outside the U.S. if they meet NIH’s definition and are justified, even though a foreign organization cannot be the applicant.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NIH opportunity using the cooperative agreement funding instrument. The activity category is listed under education and health, and the CFDA/assistance listing numbers provided are 93.213 and 93.361. The original closing date shown in the source data is 2023-09-13. The award ceiling shown is $500,000, indicating an upper bound for the budget level under the announcement as presented in the source excerpt. The announcement is positioned around “expected awards,” but the provided text does not specify a numeric count, suggesting prospective applicants would need to consult the full NOFO for details such as the number of awards, project period limits, UG3 versus UH3 budget expectations, and required milestones and review criteria.

Overall, this NOFO is designed for teams that can partner effectively with large health care systems serving military and veteran communities and that are prepared to run pragmatic, implementation-aware clinical trials of nonpharmacologic pain care. The PMC framework and Coordinating Center are central to the model, with the goal of producing findings that are not only scientifically sound but also operationally realistic and directly useful for policy and practice across the VA, DoD, and related health care environments.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIH-DoD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory ? Pragmatic and/or Implementation Science Demonstration Projects ((UG3/UH3) Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.361.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-07-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-09-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• 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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