NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research Competitive Revisions for Studies Focused on Neuropathic Pain or Neural Plasticity to Promote Collaborative Pain Research (R01) | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is PAR-10-204?

PAR-10-204 is an NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research funding opportunity titled "Competitive Revisions for Studies Focused on Neuropathic Pain or Neural Plasticity to Promote Collaborative Pain Research (R01)." It supports competitive revisions (also called competing supplements) to active NIH R01 grants to add a new collaborative component focused on neuropathic pain and/or maladaptive neural plasticity related to the transition from acute pain to chronic pain.

What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?

The main goal is to spark new, real collaborations between two research communities that do not always work together: (1) established pain researchers and (2) neuroscientists who study neural plasticity in other disease areas. NIH is aiming to bring expertise from outside traditional pain research into pain science, especially expertise in how biological systems shift from a healthy state to a chronic disease state.

What scientific topics does the FOA emphasize?

The scientific emphasis is on understanding maladaptive neuroplastic changes that contribute to chronic pain, including mechanisms relevant to neuropathic pain (persistent pain caused by injury or dysfunction in the nervous system). A key focus is the transition from acute pain to chronic pain and the mechanistic changes that drive that transition.

What is the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research?

The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is a cross-NIH initiative where 16 NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices coordinate investments to accelerate neuroscience discovery and reduce the burden of nervous system disorders. In practice, this FOA is designed to be collaborative and field-bridging, aligned with Blueprint goals like sharing methods, perspectives, and tools across traditional research boundaries.

Is this opportunity for new standalone projects?

No. This opportunity uses the Competitive Revision mechanism, meaning it funds add-on work to an existing, active NIH-supported R01 (the parent grant). It is not described as a mechanism to fund entirely new standalone projects.

What is a Competitive Revision in this context?

In this FOA, a Competitive Revision (also called a competing supplement) is a request to modify an active NIH R01 grant by adding a new, collaborative component. The add-on can be structured as either a one-year pilot study or a new specific aim.

What kinds of parent R01 grants can be used?

The parent grant must be an active NIH-supported R01. The FOA indicates the parent R01 can be either pain-focused or an R01 centered on neural plasticity outside the pain field. This is intentional to lower barriers for new partnerships between pain researchers and non-pain plasticity researchers.

How long is the added project expected to last?

The FOA describes the added component as either a one-year pilot study or a new specific aim added to an existing R01. The intent is short-duration, quick-start work that can generate early results.

What outcomes does NIH expect from funded revisions?

NIH anticipates that funded revisions will (1) create genuine working partnerships between pain scientists and non-pain neuroscientists and (2) generate pilot data and conceptual advances. These results are expected to position teams to submit later, highly innovative applications that are more ambitious and more interdisciplinary, particularly focused on acute-to-chronic pain mechanisms.

How much funding is available per award?

NIH projected an award ceiling of $75,000 per competitive revision award under this announcement.

How many awards did NIH expect to make?

NIH projected roughly 5 to 6 competitive revision awards in response to the FOA.

What was the overall funding commitment described?

The participating Blueprint Institutes indicated an intent to commit at least $375,000 in fiscal year 2011, with at least an additional $375,000 per year in 2012 and 2013. As with typical federal funding, awards depend on appropriations, availability of funds, and the quality and volume of applications received.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The FOA states that no cost sharing or matching is required, consistent with most NIH research funding.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and reflects typical NIH research grant eligibility. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and many government entities (state, county, city/township, and special districts). Tribal governments and tribal organizations are also eligible, and the FOA explicitly includes a variety of institution types such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and foreign (non-U.S.) entities.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?

Yes. The eligibility list explicitly includes foreign (non-U.S.) entities.

Does this opportunity focus on collaboration across fields?

Yes. A central purpose of PAR-10-204 is to bridge fields by pairing pain researchers with neuroscientists studying neural plasticity in other disease contexts, helping teams share approaches and quickly generate pilot results that can support future interdisciplinary applications.

What makes this FOA different from a typical R01 competition?

This FOA is structured specifically as a competitive revision to an existing R01, rather than a brand-new R01 application. It is positioned as a collaboration catalyst: small, strategic, short-duration add-on funding meant to quickly initiate interdisciplinary work and produce early data for later, larger applications.

When was this opportunity posted, and what were the closing dates?

The FOA was posted May 21, 2010. Both the original and current closing date are listed as September 28, 2012. The archive date is October 29, 2012.

Is this a discretionary grant program?

Yes. The FOA is described as a discretionary grant program under NIH.

What NIH program areas are associated with the FOA?

The FOA is associated with multiple CFDA program numbers spanning several NIH mission areas (examples mentioned include neuroscience, mental health, drug abuse, alcohol research, aging, child health, vision research, and nursing research). This reinforces the cross-NIH Blueprint intent to pull expertise from many areas of NIH-supported neuroscience.

What is neuropathic pain in the context of this FOA?

Within the description provided, neuropathic pain refers to persistent pain mechanisms where injury or dysfunction in the nervous system leads to ongoing pain. The FOA emphasizes studying mechanisms and maladaptive neuroplastic changes relevant to this type of chronic pain.

What does the FOA mean by maladaptive neuroplastic changes?

Based on the description, maladaptive neuroplastic changes are biological and mechanistic shifts in the nervous system that move from a healthy state toward a chronic disease state and may help drive the transition from acute pain to chronic pain.

What is the practical advantage of using the competitive revision pathway?

The FOA frames the advantage as speed and lowered barriers to collaboration: investigators can build on an active R01, add a focused one-year pilot or new aim, generate early data, and use that foundation to pursue more ambitious interdisciplinary pain research applications later.