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 23 006

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This NIH funding opportunity (RFA-AT-23-006) supports the creation of research networks focused on understanding how music-based interventions (MBIs) work at a mechanistic level in two major health areas: pain and Alzheimers disease/Alzheimers disease related dementias (AD/ADRD). The emphasis is not simply on showing that music interventions help, but on building coordinated, multidisciplinary teams that can explain why and how they help, using rigorous biological, psychological, neurological, and behavioral science approaches. The networks are meant to lay the groundwork for stronger, more consistent future clinical research by developing shared research frameworks, aligning the field around common language, and generating early evidence that can lead to larger NIH-funded studies.

The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, meaning NIH expects to be actively involved in the funded networks rather than functioning as a hands-off funder. The FOA is labeled "clinical trial optional," which signals that applicants may include clinical trial activity if it fits the network goals, but it is not required. In practice, the program is designed to build infrastructure and collaboration capacity while also enabling small, targeted pilot projects that test new mechanistic hypotheses. Those pilots are intended to produce preliminary data, demonstrate feasibility, and sharpen measurement approaches so investigators are better positioned to compete for larger, later-stage NIH grants.

A central expectation is that each network will create a compelling, widely useful research framework that guides how music-based intervention studies should be designed in the targeted conditions. That includes adopting consistent terminology and a shared taxonomy, which is important in a field where "music therapy," "music medicine," "music listening," "active music-making," and other formats can be defined differently across disciplines and studies. By standardizing definitions and intervention descriptions, the networks help make results easier to compare, synthesize, and replicate across sites and populations, which is critical for building a credible evidence base.

Another major goal is to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration. These networks are expected to bring together expertise that might otherwise remain siloed, such as neuroscientists, clinicians, music therapists, psychologists, pain researchers, dementia specialists, biostatisticians, bioengineers, and experts in digital health and wearable sensing. The FOA explicitly encourages activities that make collaboration real and sustained, including meetings, workshops, conferences, coordinated research collaborations, and structured exchanges of ideas such as visiting scientist arrangements and training opportunities. The overall intent is to create a durable community of practice that can collectively answer mechanistic questions that are too complex for single labs or single disciplines to tackle effectively.

The FOA also highlights the need to identify and advance strong mechanistic measures, outcomes, and biomarkers, along with novel technologies and methodologies that can move the field forward. For pain and AD/ADRD, this can include identifying which neural circuits, stress-related pathways, inflammatory markers, autonomic measures, cognitive endpoints, behavioral markers, or neuroimaging signatures best capture the mechanisms by which an MBI may influence symptoms, function, or disease-related outcomes. The networks are expected to help determine what to measure, how to measure it, and how to do so in a way that is feasible and meaningful in real-world clinical and community settings. This focus on measurement and methodology is meant to reduce inconsistency across studies and improve the interpretability of future trials.

Pilot projects are a key feature of the networks. Rather than funding only discussion and planning, the FOA anticipates that network-generated collaboration will lead to small, strategic pilots that address research gaps identified through network meetings and discussions. These pilots should test novel mechanistic hypotheses, refine intervention components, evaluate feasibility of measurement approaches, and generate preliminary data. The practical value is that pilot findings can de-risk future studies, clarify what outcomes and biomarkers are most informative, and provide the early evidence needed for competitive applications to larger NIH mechanisms.

Dissemination is not treated as an afterthought. The networks are expected to actively promote and sustain their scientific impact through publications and outreach, including research frameworks, common terminology documents, reviews, best-practice recommendations, and other communication strategies that help the broader field adopt what the network develops. The idea is that the network should produce field-shaping outputs that last beyond the award period, influencing how music-based intervention research is conducted, evaluated, and reported.

Eligibility is broad and includes many organization types across government, academia, nonprofit, and private sectors. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other categories. The FOA also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and certain tribal governments other than federally recognized. At the same time, non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined by NIH policy, are allowed, which can enable specific international collaborations when they are justified and structured within NIH rules.

Administratively, the sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, and the activity category is health. The CFDA numbers listed are 93.213 and 93.866. The opportunity was created on 2022-10-17 and had an original closing date of 2023-01-10. The listing shows an award ceiling of $300,000, indicating an upper limit on award size as presented in the provided source data. Overall, the program is best understood as NIH support for network-based infrastructure plus targeted pilots, with the explicit purpose of accelerating high-quality mechanistic science around music-based interventions for pain and AD/ADRD and creating shared standards that make future clinical research stronger, more comparable, and more likely to translate into practice.

• 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 2022-10-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-01-10. (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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