National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

On this page:

Mission Statement

The NCCIH Mission is to determine, through rigorous scientific investigation, the fundamental science, usefulness, and safety of complementary and integrative health approaches and their roles in improving health and health care.

Interest Areas

General Topics

Geneal Research topics of interest include:

Whole Person Health

  • Examining how biological, behavioral, psychological, social, and environmental factors interact to influence health, resilience, and recovery.
  • Studying complementary and integrative health interventions including multicomponent interventions targeting multisystem outcomes for disease treatment and prevention, and for health restoration and promotion.
  • Using AI and multiscale modeling to understand whole person health dynamics.

Fundamental Science and Translational Research

  • Probing neural, biological, biomechanical, physiological and behavioral mechanisms underlying complementary and integrative health approaches.
  • Advancing translational research to inform intervention development and optimization.

Clinical Research and Implementation:

  • Supporting feasibility studies, rigorous explanatory clinical trials, pragmatic studies to evaluate effectiveness, safety, and real-world applicability,
  • Improving uptake of evidence-based integrative approaches into clinical care, public health, and self-care.

Pain & Pain Management

  • Advancing evidence on integrative, non-drug strategies (e.g., mind–body, manual therapies, movement-based approaches) for acute and chronic pain.

Mind & Body Connection

  • Studying mechanisms, effectiveness, and implementation of practices.
  • Refining mind and body interventions to treat and prevent disease and promote health. 

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention 

  • Studying integrative approaches and their mechanisms that support healthy behaviors, resilience, prevent disease, and promote well-being across the lifespan. 

Nutrition & Natural Products

  • Studying effects of natural products, phytochemicals, and probiotics on health and disease including inter-individual differences
  • Investigating the mechanisms and potential therapeutic effects of cannabis and minor cannabinoids.

Highlighted Topics

Title Lead ICO Participating ICOs Posted Date Expiration Date

Funding Opportunities and Notices

Search for NCCIH’s funding opportunities and notices

Additional Information by Funding Category

Administrative Supplements
In addition to our Administrative Supplements overview, consider the following NCCIH-specific information.
Administrative Supplement Interest Areas:

NCCIH has prioritized funding investigator-initiated grants at the highest possible level, so the number of successful administrative supplement applications will be low. Investigators are strongly encouraged to contact their NCCIH Program Officer before submission to confirm eligibility and ensure alignment with NCCIH scientific priorities.

Administrative Supplement Due Dates:

Requests are reviewed on a rolling basis. Investigators should apply well in advance of the desired start date. 

Administrative Supplement Contact:

Contact the program officer listed on the Notice of Award for the most recent parent award.

Direct general questions to: [email protected] 

Conferences and Meetings
In addition to our Conferences and Meetings overview, consider the following NCCIH-specific information.
Conferences and Meetings Interest Areas:

NCCIH Will Support Meetings or Conferences that:

  • Advance innovative, rigorous, and high-quality research on complementary and integrative health (CIH).
  • Focus on basic, mechanistic, translational, clinical, or implementation research relevant to NCCIH.
  • Identify research gaps, methodological challenges, and future directions for CIH research.
  • Foster interdisciplinary collaboration (e.g., biology, neuroscience, behavioral science, clinical research, research training, and capacity building) in CIH research.
  • Align with NCCIH strategic priorities (e.g., pain, symptom management, or whole person health).

NCCIH Generally Will Not Support Meetings or Conferences Workshops that:

  • Focus primarily on certification, professional training, or continuing education without a strong research component.
  • Promote or advocate commercial interest in specific therapies or products.
  • Center on non-research policy, lobbying, or business.
  • CIH research is peripheral rather than central to the agenda.
Conferences and Meetings Budget Considerations:
  • Up to $30K/year: support can vary depending on rationale, justification, and relevance of the conference to NCCIH’s mission and priorities.
  • Priority use: travel awards for trainees/early-career investigators and CIH researchers, mentoring activities, virtual access, modest support for wellness programming. 
  • Will not fund salaries, room rental, A/V equipment fees, publications, or speaker fees.
Conferences and Meetings Key Date Considerations:
Conferences and Meetings Project Period Considerations:
  • NCCIH may consider support for single scientific meetings under the R13/U13 mechanism.
  • Support for recurring meetings is considered only for major flagship conferences, with funding evaluated each year based on relevance to NCCIH priorities, scientific merit, and available funds.
Conferences and Meetings Contacts:

Response: 

Division of Extramural Research and Training
[email protected]             

Inna Belfer, M.D. Ph.D.
[email protected] 

Small Business
In addition to our Small Business overview, consider the following NCCIH-specific information.
Small Business Interest Areas:

The NCCIH will support applications on the development of technologies and therapies relevant to complementary and integrative approaches. Complementary health approaches include a broad range of practices and interventions that can be classified by their primary therapeutic input, including nutritional and natural products (e.g., special diets, dietary supplements, botanicals, probiotics, and microbial-based therapies), psychological (e.g., meditation, hypnosis, music-based interventions, relaxation therapies), physical (e.g., acupuncture, massage, chiropractic manipulation, other force-based manipulations, or devices related to these approaches), or a combination of psychological and physical (e.g., yoga, tai chi, or some forms of art therapies, such as music-based interventions) input. Additionally, NCCIH will support applications that explore the impact of complementary and integrative health approaches on health promotion, resilience, and whole person health. Overall, NCCIH will support applications that include complementary and integrative health approaches, including multicomponent interventions that combine two or more complementary and integrative health approaches, or one or more complementary approaches integrated with one or more conventional care interventions. 

Phase IIB & Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP):
NCCIH does not accept Phase IIB SBIR projects
NCCIH does not accept Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) projects
Clinical Trials:
NCCIH accepts clinical trials through the SBIR programs
NCCIH accepts clinical trials through the STTR programs
NCCIH does not accept clinical trials through the Phase IIB SBIR program
NCCIH does not accept clinical trials through the Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP)
Small Business Contact:

Name: NCCIH DER Funding Questions

Email: [email protected] 

See Also

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

For technical issues E-mail OER Webmaster