Federal Pain Research Strategy

The NIH Office of Pain Policy is pleased to announce the release of the Federal Pain Research Strategy.

 The Federal Pain Research Strategy (FPRS) is an effort of the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC) and the National Institutes of Health, Office of Pain Policy to oversee development of a long-term strategic plan to advance the federal pain research agenda. The strategy is relevant to the missions of all federal agencies and departments that support pain research.  The research priorities of the FPRS are intended to guide strategic research planning and to support funding decisions that will fill crucial gaps in the federal pain research portfolio. 

 The strategy fulfills the IPRCC mandates to identify critical gaps in basic and clinical research on the symptoms and causes of pain and to make recommendations to ensure that the activities of the National Institutes of Health and other Federal agencies are free of unnecessary duplication of effort.  The FPRS completes the National Pain Strategy (NPS) section on pain research in that it includes an agenda for developing physiological, clinical, behavioral, psychological, outcomes, and health services research and appropriate links across these domains that align with the NPS.

The IPRCC and NIH thank the scientific experts, patient advocates, and federal representatives who developed and prioritized the research recommendations of the FPRS for their time, expertise, and commitment to this important effort.