Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HS 14 002

  • The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Addressing Methodological Challenges in Research for Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions (R21)" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.226 Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Jun 14, 2013 and posted on Jun 14, 2013.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 28, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • The funding agency has allocated a total of $900,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
  • Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $180,000.00 in funding.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
  • Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) City or township governments State governments County governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
  • Other Eligible Applicants include the following Faith based or Community based Organizations Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.
Apply for RFA HS 14 002

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Opportunity Summary:

The government grant opportunity titled "Addressing Methodological Challenges in Research for Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions (R21)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HS-14-002) was issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) as a discretionary grant program focused on health research. It invites Exploratory Research Grant (R21) applications that specifically aim to test, refine, and validate new research methods for studying patients who live with multiple chronic conditions (often shortened to MCC). The core purpose is methodological: the announcement is not simply asking for another clinical study of a disease or a care program, but for work that improves how researchers design, measure, analyze, and interpret studies involving complex patients who have more than one chronic illness at the same time.

This FOA recognizes that MCC populations present unique challenges that can make traditional research approaches less reliable or less informative. Patients with multiple conditions are more heterogeneous, often take multiple medications, and may experience interacting symptoms and outcomes that are difficult to attribute to a single diagnosis. Standard eligibility criteria in many studies can exclude such patients, which limits how well results apply to real-world care settings. As a result, AHRQ is seeking exploratory projects that can demonstrate better ways to handle common methodological problems in MCC research, such as selecting appropriate comparators, accounting for comorbidity burden, dealing with confounding and selection bias, measuring outcomes that matter across conditions, and analyzing complex longitudinal data from clinical practice. The emphasis on "test and validate" indicates that proposed methods should be tried in practical research contexts and assessed for performance, feasibility, and usefulness, rather than being purely theoretical.

The funding mechanism is an R21, which is typically used for early-stage, innovative, or high-impact exploratory work where preliminary data may be limited but the potential payoff is meaningful. The announcement anticipated making about 5 awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $900,000. The award ceiling listed is $180,000, and the opportunity explicitly states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants are not required to contribute non-federal funds to be eligible. The CFDA number associated with the program is 93.226, categorized under "Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes," which signals that the agency interest is strongly connected to improving evidence that can guide healthcare decision-making, quality improvement, and resource use for populations with complex care needs.

In terms of timing, the opportunity was posted and created on June 14, 2013, with an original and current closing date of August 28, 2013, and an archive date of September 28, 2013. This indicates it is a past opportunity that was open for a defined submission window in 2013, after which it was archived. The primary audience at the time would have been research organizations capable of developing and evaluating novel study designs or analytic approaches relevant to healthcare delivery and outcomes research among MCC patients.

Eligible applicants were broad and included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, as well as various governmental entities such as state governments, county governments, and city or township governments. Tribal eligibility was also included, covering federally recognized Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments. The eligibility section also clarifies that other eligible applicants include faith-based or community-based organizations, which can be important for methodological work that involves community-engaged research, pragmatic studies, or data collection in non-academic settings. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) were explicitly not eligible to apply, so the program was limited to domestic applicants and U.S.-based organizations.

For those seeking the full details that were available at the time, the FOA provided an additional information link hosted through the NIH grants guide: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HS-14-002.html. The contact information provided is administrative and technical rather than programmatic, directing applicants with access or linking issues to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted call to strengthen the research toolkit for studying people with multiple chronic conditions, with the downstream goal of producing evidence that is more applicable to the real patients seen in everyday healthcare systems and more informative for costs, quality, and outcomes.

FAQs: Addressing Methodological Challenges in Research for Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions (R21) (RFA-HS-14-002)

What is the title of this grant opportunity?

The opportunity is titled "Addressing Methodological Challenges in Research for Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions (R21)."

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-HS-14-002.

Which agency issued this funding opportunity?

The opportunity was issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

What type of program is this?

It is a discretionary grant program focused on health research.

What grant mechanism does this opportunity use?

This announcement invites applications under the Exploratory Research Grant (R21) mechanism.

What is the main purpose of this FOA?

The core purpose is methodological. It seeks projects that test, refine, and validate new research methods for studying patients who live with multiple chronic conditions (MCC), rather than simply funding another clinical study of a disease or a care program.

What does "multiple chronic conditions (MCC)" mean in this context?

In this context, MCC refers to patients who have more than one chronic illness at the same time. The FOA emphasizes that these patients often have complex, interacting health issues that are difficult to study with traditional research approaches.

Is this FOA looking for clinical trials or disease-specific intervention studies?

The information provided indicates the emphasis is not on running a standard clinical study of a single disease or care program, but on improving how researchers design, measure, analyze, and interpret studies involving patients with multiple chronic conditions.

Why does AHRQ consider MCC research methodologically challenging?

The FOA notes that MCC populations are more heterogeneous, often use multiple medications, and may have interacting symptoms and outcomes that are difficult to attribute to a single diagnosis. It also highlights that standard eligibility criteria often exclude these patients, limiting real-world applicability of research findings.

What kinds of methodological problems is AHRQ trying to address through this FOA?

The FOA specifically points to challenges such as selecting appropriate comparators, accounting for comorbidity burden, dealing with confounding and selection bias, measuring outcomes that matter across conditions, and analyzing complex longitudinal data from clinical practice.

Does the FOA require methods to be tested in real research settings?

Yes. The emphasis on "test and validate" indicates the methods should be tried in practical research contexts and assessed for performance, feasibility, and usefulness, rather than being purely theoretical.

How many awards were anticipated?

The announcement anticipated making about 5 awards.

What was the estimated total funding amount for this opportunity?

The estimated total funding amount was $900,000.

What is the award ceiling for this FOA?

The award ceiling listed is $180,000.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity explicitly states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

What is the CFDA number associated with this program?

The CFDA number is 93.226.

How is the CFDA program described?

It is categorized under "Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes."

What does the CFDA category suggest about AHRQ's focus?

Based on the description provided, it signals an agency interest in improving evidence to guide healthcare decision-making, quality improvement, and resource use for populations with complex care needs.

When was this opportunity posted?

It was posted (and created) on June 14, 2013.

What was the closing date for applications?

The original and current closing date listed was August 28, 2013.

What is the archive date and what does it imply?

The archive date was September 28, 2013. This indicates it was a past opportunity that was open for a defined submission window in 2013 and then archived after the close.

Is this grant opportunity currently open?

No. The information provided shows a 2013 closing date and an archive date, meaning it is not currently open.

Who was the intended applicant audience for this FOA?

The description indicates the primary audience would have been research organizations capable of developing and evaluating novel study designs or analytic approaches relevant to healthcare delivery and outcomes research among MCC patients.

Which U.S. educational institutions were eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education.

Which government entities were eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants included state governments, county governments, and city or township governments.

Were Tribal entities eligible to apply?

Yes. Eligibility included federally recognized Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments.

Could faith-based or community-based organizations apply?

Yes. The eligibility section clarifies that other eligible applicants include faith-based or community-based organizations.

Were foreign (non-U.S.) institutions eligible?

No. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) were explicitly not eligible to apply.

Where could applicants find the full FOA details?

The FOA provided an additional information link in the NIH grants guide: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HS-14-002.html

Who was listed as the contact for access or linking issues?

Applicants with access or linking issues were directed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.

What type of contact information was provided (programmatic vs. administrative/technical)?

The contact information provided was administrative and technical rather than programmatic, focusing on access or linking issues.

What is the overarching goal of funding methodological work for MCC research?

Based on the description, the downstream goal is to strengthen the research toolkit for studying people with multiple chronic conditions so that evidence is more applicable to real patients in everyday healthcare systems and more informative for costs, quality, and outcomes.

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