Request For Applications

We are pleased to announce the NIH U24 Music Networks Pilot Research Program Request for Applications (RFA), designed to support innovative 1-year pilot studies focused on the mechanisms through which music may impact acute and chronic pain.

This opportunity is supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), in partnership with the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). It is managed by the three NIH-funded music research networks: Music4Pain, AudioAnalgesiA, and ENSEMBLE.

Overview
The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to elicit proposals for 1-year pilot studies that will generate necessary preliminary data to strengthen future NIH applications for later-stage studies aimed at better understanding the mechanisms through which music may have a positive impact on pain. A successful pilot study would also facilitate multidisciplinary collaborations among neuroscientists, music therapists, musicians, and biomedical, behavioral, or social scientists. 

Only mechanistic studies, including mechanistic clinical trials, are eligible for this RFA. Studies that are designed to test the safety or demonstrate the efficacy/effectiveness of an intervention are expressly not eligible and should be submitted under the appropriate NCCIH Clinical Trial FOA. Please see NCCIH’s Clinical Trials Funding Opportunity Announcements web page for further information.

Scientific Scope

The scientific scope of the pilot projects is limited to the following high-priority research areas:

1. Exploration of innovative mechanistic hypotheses of the neural systems involved in the therapeutic effect of music (e.g., sensory, motor, cognitive, emotional/affective, reward, interoceptive systems) in acute pain or chronic pain.
2. Examination of non-neural physiological systems and novel measures (e.g., impact on related non-neural organs, biochemical and molecular signals, epigenetic modifications) relevant to advancing mechanistic understanding of music or MBIs for acute or chronic pain.
3. Investigation of psychological, behavioral, and social predictors, moderators, or mediators of the effects of music or MBIs on acute or chronic pain.
4. Discovery of predictive biomarkers or signatures/profiles for music or MBIs in the context of acute or chronic pain.
5. Development and/or testing of innovative animal models to study mechanisms and biomarkers of music or MBIs in the context of acute or chronic pain.
6. Development and/or testing of novel technologies to measure how music or MBIs impact the brain or body, or to monitor health-related responses relevant to acute or chronic pain.  
7. Development of large de-identified dataset(s) of music-based interventions deployed within medical centers to address mechanistic understanding of MBIs influence on acute pain.

Eligibility

• Research scholar affiliated with an accredited University or medical center with the capacity to submit NIH grants. All key personnel must be located in the United States. Foreign consultants are allowed but subawards with foreign entities are not permitted.
• Early-stage investigators are encouraged to apply. Postdoctoral scholars can serve as the PI, but they must include a letter of support from a faculty mentor. PhD candidates are eligible to serve as a PI after confirmation they have passed their dissertation defense and if they have an established investigator as a MPI.
• Pilot applications must include multidisciplinary teams. This includes, at a minimum, two investigators who represent different scientific disciplines. Teams with more than two disciplines are strongly encouraged. 
• Applicants are encouraged to register as a member of the network by the time of submission (if they haven’t already done so). 

Funding

Each pilot project may request funding up to $50,000 in modular increments of $25,000. Projects requiring over $50,000 must obtain prior approval. Institutional indirect costs and publication costs are not allowable.

Key Dates

Posted date: June 26, 2025

How to Apply

This funding opportunity does not include a direct application portal.
Instead, interested applicants must first email a Letter of Intent (LOI) to Arlyne Gutierrez at arlyneg@hs.uci.edu. After submitting the LOI, you will receive a personalized submission link and passcode to upload your full application materials. Please see the application instructions document for required LOI elements.

Questions?

For more information, contact the appropriate network:

• Music4Pain Research Network – music4pain@drexel.edu | music4pain.org
• AudioAnalgesiA Network – audioanalgesia@memphis.edu | audioanalgesia.org
• ENSEMBLE Network – arlyneg@hs.uci.edu | ssihi.uci.edu/research/areas-of-exploration/ensemble-network

We encourage eligible investigators to apply and contribute to advancing the science of music-based interventions for pain.

Past Pilot Awardees

Grant Title: Investigating the Effects and Mechanisms of Group Drumming on Pain Sensitivity in Dementia: A Pilot Study Using Neuroendocrine and Psychophysical Biomarkers – Awarded to Dr. AZA Allsop

Grant Title: An Investigation of the Intersection of Affect and Meaning in Music-Based Pain Modulation – Awarded to Finan Lab ( Dr. Claudia Denoue, MD)