Research Networks to Promote Multidisciplinary Mechanistic Studies on Music-Based Interventions for Pain or Alzheimers Disease and Alzheimers Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (U24 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA AT 23 008

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This NIH funding opportunity (RFA-AT-23-008) supports the creation of research networks focused on understanding how music-based interventions (MBIs) work at a mechanistic level for two major health areas: pain and Alzheimers disease and Alzheimers disease related dementias (AD/ADRD). Rather than simply testing whether music helps, the emphasis is on building coordinated, multidisciplinary teams that can explain why, how, and for whom different music approaches produce measurable effects. The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, meaning NIH expects to be actively involved as a scientific partner in shaping and coordinating network activities. Clinical trials are optional under this announcement, so applicants can propose mechanistic studies and pilot clinical work if it fits the network goals, but they are not required to run full clinical trials.

A core expectation is that each network will develop a strong, field-shaping research framework that can guide future clinical research on MBIs in pain or AD/ADRD. In practice, that means creating shared models and testable hypotheses about mechanisms (for example, effects on stress physiology, affect regulation, attention, reward circuitry, social connection, autonomic function, sleep, or caregiver-patient interaction), and then mapping those hypotheses to specific study designs and measurement strategies. The networks are also expected to tackle a longstanding barrier in music and health research: inconsistent language. Applicants should plan to adopt and promote consistent terminology and a clear taxonomy so that researchers can more easily compare studies, replicate findings, and combine evidence across labs and clinical settings.

Another major goal is to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and infrastructure. NIH is looking for networks that bring together expertise across relevant domains, such as neuroscience, psychology, geriatrics, neurology, pain medicine, rehabilitation, nursing, music therapy, audiology, biostatistics, digital health, implementation science, and biomarker development. The FOA explicitly encourages activities that make collaboration real and durable, not just aspirational. Examples of allowable and encouraged activities include organized meetings, workshops, and conferences; structured research collaborations; visiting scientist arrangements; and training opportunities that help investigators learn methods outside their home disciplines. The idea is to create an active community that can rapidly exchange ideas, align methods, and generate new mechanistic studies that would be difficult for a single lab to accomplish alone.

The networks are also expected to seed early-stage research through pilot projects. These pilots should be designed to test novel mechanistic hypotheses or fill clear research gaps identified through the network's discussions. The purpose of this pilot support is practical: to generate the preliminary data needed for music and health investigators to compete successfully for larger, later-stage NIH grants. In other words, NIH is investing in the coordination and early evidence-building that can mature the field from promising but fragmented findings into a more rigorous pipeline of mechanistic and clinical research.

Measurement development and selection is a central theme throughout the opportunity. Networks should identify and promote strong mechanistic measures, outcomes, and biomarkers relevant to pain or AD/ADRD, along with promising technologies and methodologies that can advance the science. Depending on the network focus, this could include neuroimaging, electrophysiology, wearable sensors, physiological stress measures, digital phenotyping, cognitive and behavioral assessments, and other biological or functional indicators that can clarify how an intervention affects the body and brain. The emphasis is on choosing measures that are mechanistically informative and feasible for future studies, so the field can move beyond broad symptom reports toward clearer causal pathways and objective indicators of change.

Dissemination is not treated as an afterthought. NIH expects networks to actively communicate and sustain their impact through concrete products and outreach. This includes publishing research frameworks, standard terminology resources, reviews, best-practice recommendations, and other outputs that help the broader community adopt shared methods and understand the state of the science. Networks should also use additional communication strategies to extend their reach, support uptake of recommendations, and keep the community connected beyond individual meetings or pilot awards.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health and falls under health-related assistance listings (CFDA 93.213 and 93.866). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement (U24). The source data lists an award ceiling of $300,000. The original closing date shown is 2022-12-20, which signals this specific posting was time-limited, although the summary describes the structure and expectations that characterized the FOA.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations: state, county, city, and special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities. The announcement also highlights inclusion of organizations such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISISs, faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply; however, foreign components as defined in NIH policy are allowed, which typically means certain collaborations or activities involving foreign partners may be permissible when justified and compliant with NIH rules.

Overall, this FOA is designed to accelerate the science of music-based interventions by funding the connective tissue of the field: shared frameworks, shared language, coordinated mechanistic studies, and pilot data generation. The networks funded under this mechanism are expected to make it easier for future researchers to design rigorous studies, select meaningful mechanistic endpoints, and ultimately build a stronger evidence base for how MBIs can be used in pain care and in AD/ADRD contexts.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research Networks to Promote Multidisciplinary Mechanistic Studies on Music-Based Interventions for Pain or Alzheimers Disease and Alzheimers Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) (U24 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-12-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-12-20. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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