Notice Number: NOT-NS-16-038

Key Dates
Release Date: August 12, 2015
Response Date: September 18, 2015

Issued by
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Purpose

On behalf of HHS, and in response to provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the NIH established the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IRPCC) to coordinate all pain research efforts within HHS and across other Federal Agencies. The IPRCC is developing a strategic plan for pain research across federal agencies. A panel of experts will convene to provide recommendations in key pain research areas to move the field forward with the ultimate goal to relieve pain and improve pain care through evidence based studies by enhancing the federal research agenda. The key areas of prevention of acute and chronic pain, acute pain and acute pain management, the transition from acute to chronic pain, chronic pain and chronic pain management, and disparities in pain and pain care will provide a framework for development of the strategy upon which important cross-cutting elements will be addressed.

Background

More information on the IPRCC, its membership, and responsibilities and details of the planning process to develop the research strategy, themes for the working groups, and cross cutting elements to be addressed by each working group can be found at http://iprcc.nih.gov/.

Information Requested

This Request for Information (RFI) invites public comment and input on the development of the federal pain research strategy. In your comments on any or all of these specific areas, we ask that you consider broad research opportunities and needs that could have the greatest benefit for advancing pain research with the ultimate goal of relieving pain and improving pain care. Such broad research opportunities and needs include, but are not limited to:

• The major challenges and opportunities for revolutionizing how we understand, prevent, assess, diagnose and manage acute and chronic pain.
• Transformative areas of research where new discoveries in related areas of research could have the greatest benefit for advancing pain research.
• Transformative areas of research where new discoveries in related areas of research could have the greatest benefit for developing new therapies pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies and innovative approaches to pain management
• The scientific advances that could result in a quantum leap in the care of acute and chronic pain conditions.
• New technical capabilities or tools that can have a significant impact on pain research and clinical practice in the next ten years.
• The potential for collaborative efforts between relevant non-pain researchers and pain researchers.
• The potential for expansion of the pain research community.
• The potential for collaboration within and across federal agencies.
• The role and potential of federal agencies that support pain research in expanding and enhancing the pipeline for new basic, translational, and clinical researchers.
• Potential areas for Public-Private Partnerships partnerships that will allow federal agencies that support pain research to work collaboratively with both public and private entities to advance research and improve public health.

To inform development of the strategic plan, input is being sought on broad research opportunities, including those listed above as they relate to research priorities in each of the following specific thematic areas across the continuum of pain and for disparities in pain and pain care, which the task force will address:

• Prevention of acute and chronic pain
• Acute pain and acute pain management
• The transition from acute to chronic pain
• Chronic pain and chronic pain management
• Disparities in pain and pain care

How To Submit a Response

Click the following link to access the RFI form and submit your response:

http://iprcc.nih.gov/FPRS/RFI

To assure consideration, your responses must be received by Friday, September 18, 2015. Responses to this RFI are voluntary. Any personal identifiers will be removed when responses are compiled. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should not be included in your response. This RFI is for planning purposes only and is not a solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the United (U.S.) Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to it. Please note that the U.S. government will not pay for the preparation of any comment submitted or for its use of that comment.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Linda Porter, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Telephone: 301-451-4460
Email: porterl@ninds.nih.gov