HEAL Initiative: Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program Data Integration, Algorithm Development and Operations Management Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA AR 19 027

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AR 19 027

The HEAL Initiative: Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program Data Integration, Algorithm Development and Operations Management Center funding opportunity (RFA-AR-19-027) is an NIH cooperative agreement (U24) designed to support the data and program infrastructure behind BACPAC, a major HEAL Initiative effort focused on chronic back pain. The broader HEAL context is NIH's response to the opioid crisis, emphasizing faster, more durable solutions that reduce reliance on addictive medications. In practical terms, this opportunity targets the enabling work that makes a large, multi-site research consortium function well: bringing complex datasets together, developing and validating analytic algorithms, and running the day-to-day operational coordination needed to keep the consortium producing usable, high-quality outputs. As stated in the title, clinical trials are not allowed under this particular U24, meaning the award is intended for integration, analytics, and operations rather than testing interventions in trial designs.

The purpose of the center is to act as a hub for consortium-wide data integration and analysis support. BACPAC research inherently involves multiple studies and sites, which often collect different kinds of information (for example, clinical measures, imaging, patient-reported outcomes, functional assessments, and potentially biospecimen-derived or other high-dimensional data). A central Data Integration, Algorithm Development and Operations Management Center is meant to harmonize these inputs so they can be compared, combined, and analyzed in consistent ways. The "algorithm development" component points to building reproducible computational and statistical methods that can help identify patterns in chronic back pain, stratify patients, predict outcomes, or support standardized phenotyping across the consortium. The operations management component indicates responsibility for coordinating consortium processes, supporting governance, managing timelines and deliverables, facilitating communication across participating projects, and generally ensuring that data and analytic activities run smoothly and meet NIH expectations.

NIH positions this opportunity within a set of research priorities tied to urgent unmet needs across the lifespan, and it highlights two themes: improving understanding of the biological underpinnings of chronic pain and enabling the discovery and testing pipeline for new non-addictive pain treatments. Even though this specific award does not support clinical trials, it is foundational to those larger goals because high-quality, integrated data and validated algorithms are often what allow a field to move from fragmented observations to actionable insights. In a consortium setting, this kind of center typically supports common data elements, standardized definitions, data quality checks, secure data workflows, and shared analytic resources that help make results comparable and scalable across studies.

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which is important because it implies substantial NIH involvement compared to a standard research grant. Under a U24, NIH program staff generally have an active partnership role in steering priorities, ensuring coordination, and monitoring progress toward consortium goals. This structure is commonly used when NIH wants a coordinated national effort with shared infrastructure rather than independent, loosely connected projects. The opportunity category is discretionary, and the activity category is listed under Education, Health, Income Security and Social Services, reflecting its public health and research infrastructure focus.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based entities: 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; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories as specified); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. NIH also explicitly notes additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. On the foreign participation side, non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations may participate, and foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which means a U.S. applicant could include certain foreign collaborations or activities if they meet NIH policy requirements.

Administrative details in the source information include the original closing date of March 20, 2019, and a listed award ceiling of $3,600,000. The CFDA numbers associated with the opportunity span multiple NIH institutes and program areas (93.213, 93.242, 93.279, 93.286, 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, 93.846, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866), consistent with the cross-cutting nature of HEAL and pain research. The key takeaway is that this solicitation sought an organization capable of serving as the backbone of the BACPAC consortium's data and analytics ecosystem, with the operational capacity to coordinate multi-site activities and the technical expertise to build robust, shared algorithms and data resources that accelerate progress toward better understanding and treating chronic back pain without increasing dependence on opioids.

• 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 Data Integration, Algorithm Development and Operations Management Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" 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, 93.286, 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.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,600,000.00 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.

Apply for RFA AR 19 027

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