Mind and Body Interventions to Restore Whole Person Health via Emotional Well-Being Mechanisms
This grant funds research on how mind and body interventions like meditation, yoga, and acupuncture improve whole person health by enhancing emotional well-being, using rigorous, phased clinical trials.
Funder: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Due Dates: November 7, 2025 | February 9, 2026 | June 8, 2026 | October 7, 2026 | February 8, 2027 | June 8, 2027 | October 7, 2027 | February 8, 2028 | June 7, 2028
Funding Amounts: Up to $475,000/year in direct costs; max 5 years (R61: up to 2 years, R33: up to 4 years); approx. $2M total program funding per year, 3 awards anticipated.
Summary: Supports rigorous, innovative mechanistic clinical trials investigating how mind and body interventions affect emotional well-being mechanisms and their association with whole person health.
Key Information: Only mechanistic clinical trials are eligible; efficacy/effectiveness studies are not responsive.
Description
This opportunity, issued by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) at NIH, funds research on how mind and body interventions (such as mindfulness meditation, yoga, acupuncture, massage, and related practices) impact mechanisms of emotional well-being (EWB) and their association with whole person health (WPH). The focus is on rigorous, well-powered human mechanistic clinical trials with strong preliminary data, aiming to advance understanding of innovative EWB mechanisms as a pathway to health restoration.
Projects must use a two-phased R61/R33 award structure:
- R61 phase (1–2 years): Establishes feasibility, including recruitment, retention, and intervention adherence benchmarks.
- R33 phase (up to 4 years): Supports the full mechanistic trial, contingent on successful R61 benchmarks.
The primary outcome must be an innovative EWB mechanism; the Whole Person Health Index (WPHI) is a required secondary outcome. Efficacy or effectiveness studies are not eligible.
