HEAL INITIATIVE: INTERACT Data Coordination and Integration Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the purpose of this NIH funding opportunity?

This opportunity supports creation and operation of a Data Coordination and Integration Center (DCIC) for the HEAL Initiative, specifically to support the HEAL INTERACT program. The intent is to build an infrastructure and coordination hub that helps projects share, harmonize, integrate, and disseminate complex pain-associated datasets so they become more usable, comparable across studies, and accessible to the broader research community.

Is this a research grant or an infrastructure/coordination award?

It is framed as an infrastructure and coordination award rather than a hypothesis-driven research project. The DCIC is expected to function as a service-oriented center that supports the INTERACT Consortium and, over time, a wider ecosystem of related musculoskeletal and pain-relevant efforts.

What program is this DCIC intended to support?

The DCIC is intended to support the HEAL INTERACT program under the HEAL Initiative. It is expected to coordinate data workflows across the INTERACT program and progressively expand to integrate additional musculoskeletal datasets and programs as the center matures.

What does DCIC stand for, and what does it do?

DCIC stands for Data Coordination and Integration Center. The DCIC is expected to serve as a central hub for coordinating data workflows and enabling data sharing, harmonization, integration, curation, storage, and dissemination across the INTERACT Consortium and related efforts.

What types of data are in scope for coordination and integration?

The NOFO emphasizes "complex pain-associated data types," which typically implies heterogeneous, multi-modal, and multi-scale datasets. Examples described include clinical phenotypes, imaging, biomechanical measures, omics or molecular profiles, sensor and digital health streams, and patient-reported outcomes, among other data types that become more valuable when linked and analyzed together.

What specific data workflow responsibilities are expected of the DCIC?

The DCIC is expected to coordinate how data are collected, described, standardized, validated, transferred, curated, stored, and ultimately shared across the INTERACT program, with an emphasis on making data more comparable and reusable.

Is building an online platform required?

Yes. A key deliverable is a web-accessible information system. The DCIC is expected to provide an online platform where researchers can discover what data exist, understand how the data were generated, and access datasets in ways that support reuse.

What does "web-accessible information system" mean in this context?

In practical terms, it refers to an online system that supports data discovery and access and is backed by strong documentation. The description highlights needs such as metadata, data dictionaries, common data elements where appropriate, and clear governance around data access so researchers can understand and reuse the datasets.

Is the DCIC expected to just store data, or also to share it?

The DCIC is expected to do more than store data. The NOFO highlights dissemination and anticipates that the center will actively release well-documented datasets and related resources for broad use throughout the research community, including by investigators who are not part of INTERACT.

Is the DCIC expected to integrate data beyond the INTERACT Consortium?

Yes. While the DCIC is specifically in support of the HEAL INTERACT program, it is also described as progressively expanding integration across additional musculoskeletal datasets and programs as the center matures. This implies the infrastructure should be scalable and extensible.

What does the funding mechanism "U24 cooperative agreement" imply?

This opportunity uses a U24 cooperative agreement mechanism, which generally implies substantial programmatic involvement from NIH staff compared to a standard grant. NIH typically participates in steering, coordination, and oversight activities, and the awardee is expected to operate as a service-oriented partner to a consortium rather than pursue an independent research agenda.

Are clinical trials allowed under this opportunity?

No. The NOFO states "Clinical Trial Not Allowed." The proposed work should not involve initiating or conducting a clinical trial and should remain focused on data coordination, integration, curation, platform development, and consortium support functions.

How many awards does NIH anticipate making?

NIH anticipates making one award, indicating a single center model rather than multiple competing hubs.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based entities, including state, county, and local 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 and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible domestic organizations.

Are foreign organizations or foreign components allowed to apply or participate?

No. Non-U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. Foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed. Applicants must be able to propose a fully domestic organizational and operational structure for the DCIC.

What is the official title of the opportunity?

The opportunity is titled "HEAL INITIATIVE: INTERACT Data Coordination and Integration Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)."

What is the opportunity number?

The opportunity number is RFA-AR-27-002.

Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?

The agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What category does this funding opportunity fall under?

It is categorized under Health.

What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA numbers 93.121, 93.273, 93.846, and 93.866.

What is the application closing date listed?

The original closing date listed is 2026-10-01.

When was the opportunity posted (created)?

The posting (creation) date is 2026-05-19.

Is the award ceiling (maximum budget) provided in the excerpt?

No. The award ceiling is not specified in the provided excerpt. The full NOFO would need to be consulted for budget parameters, period of performance, and any constraints tied to the scope of work.

What is the long-term goal of establishing this DCIC?

The stated goal is to build a durable, community-facing data backbone for HEAL INTERACT and related musculoskeletal and pain research by making complex datasets more usable and comparable and by enabling broad access. The integrated resources are intended to accelerate discovery and enable new hypothesis generation.

What kinds of organizational capabilities are implied as important for applicants?

The description indicates the ideal applicant would have experience in consortium-scale data coordination; data standards and harmonization; secure, compliant data infrastructure; user-centered web platforms for data discovery and access; and the operational maturity to support many independent projects while meeting NIH expectations for broad data dissemination and long-term utility.