HEAL Initiative: Studies to Enable Analgesic Discovery (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for projects to expand, improve, or transform the utility of mammalian cancer and tumor models for translational research. With this NOFO, the NCI intends to encourage submission of projects devoted to demonstrating that mammalian models or their derivatives used for translational research are robust representations of human biology, are appropriate to test questions of clinical importance, and provide reliable information for patients' benefit. These practical goals contrast with the goals of many mechanistic, NCI-supported R01 projects that employ mammals, or develop and use mammalian cancer models, transplantation tumor models, or models derived from mammalian or human tissues or cells for hypothesis-testing, non-clinical research. Among many other possible endeavors, applicants in response to this FOA could propose demonstrations of how to overcome translational deficiencies of mammalian oncology models, define new uses of mammalian models or their genetics for unexplored translational challenges, advance standard practices for use of translational models, test approaches to validate and credential models, or challenge current practices for how models are used translationally

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to encourage individuals who have not had substantial biomedical research experience, or who have the potential to significantly benefit from additional biomedical research experience to pursue further studies or careers in research. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this NOFO will support educational activities with a primary focus on: (1) Research Experiences, (2) Curriculum or Methods Development and (3) Outreach. The NCI’s mission is to conduct and support research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs concerning cancer. This funding opportunity seeks to facilitate educational activities that encourage students to become knowledgeable about cancer and available to focus on cancer later in their careers. To promote broad interest in pursuing a career in biomedical research via early intervention strategies, the NCI Youth Enjoy Science (YES) Program will support efforts to create and maintain an institutional program to engage grades 6-12 and/or undergraduate students in cutting edge cancer research experiences. The proposed institutional programs may also provide research experiences for the grade 6-12 teachers and undergraduate faculty members. The goals are to inspire interest in biomedical sciences, help envision research as a career path, and strengthen practical research and career skills. In alignment with these goals, institutions may develop unique programs that capitalize on their research strengths and are responsive to their target populations.

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) intends to accelerate the adoption and validation of molecular/cellular/imaging markers (referred to as "markers" or "biomarkers") and assays for cancer detection, diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, and prediction of response or resistance to treatment, as well as markers for cancer prevention and control. This NOFO will also support the validation of pharmacodynamic markers and markers of toxicity. Applicants to this NOFO must have an assay(s) whose performance has been analytically validated in specimens similar to those for the intended clinical use of the marker(s) and assay(s). As chemotherapies and/or radiation therapies are increasingly combined with immunotherapies to enhance the durability of anti-cancer responses, assays for measuring multiple markers, including immune markers, can be developed and validated simultaneously. The UH3 mechanism will support the clinical validation of established assays for up to 3 years using specimens from retrospective or prospective clinical trials or studies. This NOFO may be used to validate existing assays for use in other trials, observational studies, or population studies. Efforts to harmonize clinical laboratory tests, including investigation into the performance and reproducibility of assays across multiple clinical laboratories, are also appropriate for this funding opportunity. Projects proposed for this NOFO will require multi-disciplinary interaction and collaboration among scientific investigators, oncologists, statisticians, and clinical laboratory scientists. This NOFO is not intended to support early-stage development of technology or the conduct of clinical trials but is intended for validation of assays to the point where they could be integrated into clinical trials/studies as investigational assays.

The purpose of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit applications for pilot projects to identify new druggable targets for pain within the understudied druggable proteome. Awards will support generation of preliminary data and/or tools around eligible understudied protein(s) listed in this NOFO. This NOFO is intended to jumpstart research on understudied proteins within the context of pain and pain management and provide applicants with sufficient funding to perform basic biochemical and/or biological work to further the characterization of understudied proteins to identify new druggable targets for pain. This NOFO is part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long Term (HEAL) initiative to accelerate the development of novel medications to treat all aspects of the opioid addiction cycle, including progression to chronic use, withdrawal symptoms, craving, relapse, and overdose.

The U.S. Department of State’s Embassy Bridgetown announces an open competition to implement a two-year EducationUSA Regional Advising Program based in Barbados to expand access to U.S. higher education opportunities across the Eastern Caribbean through comprehensive virtual and in-person advising services. The part-time adviser will deliver monthly webinar series targeting prospective students, virtual outreach programs providing individual and cohort advising for students and parents, and partnership development with at least 15 U.S. universities and regional institutions. The adviser will also assist in developing social media strategies on the Eastern Caribbean EducationUSA page and support key activities including college fairs and educational events. Project Goals and Objectives Expand access to U.S. higher education for Eastern Caribbean youth by establishing comprehensive, professional regional advising services that strengthen people-to-people ties and advance democratic values throughout the Caribbean. Objective 1: Deliver at least 24 monthly webinars over the two-year program period, reaching a minimum of 1,000 unique participants (prospective students, parents, and educators) with comprehensive information about U.S. higher education pathways, application processes, and financial aid opportunities, with at least 50% of participants reporting increased knowledge and confidence in navigating U.S. college applications. Objective 2: Provide individualized and cohort-based virtual advising services to at least 400 prospective students and their families over two years, resulting in at least 200 students submitting complete applications to U.S. universities and at least 100 students successfully enrolling in U.S. higher education institutions, representing measurable growth beyond the current regional baseline of 1,500 annual students. Objective 3: Establish formal partnerships with at least 15 U.S. universities and regional educational insti

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to solicit grant applications to support research on the discovery and development of interventions to prevent and/or treat substance use disorders (SUDs) and overdose, including medications and medical devices to treat co-morbid SUDs. This includes preclinical and clinical research studies that will have high impact and quickly yield the necessary results to advance candidate interventions closer to regulatory approval or clinical adoption. This NOFO will utilize the UG3/UH3 activity code.