Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HS 12 001
Apply for RFA HS 12 001
- The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "AHRQ Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institutional Award (K12)" 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 Dec 1, 2011 and posted on Dec 1, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 30, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $2,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $600,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: County governments State governments Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education City or township governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).
- Other Eligible Applicants include the following Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government Faith based or Community based Organizations Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized).
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Opportunity Summary:
The AHRQ Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institutional Award (K12), released under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HS-12-001, is a discretionary grant program run by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to build institutional capacity for training and career development in comparative effectiveness research. The central aim is to support the career development of postdoctoral scholars by giving them structured, mentored opportunities to develop and apply rigorous research methods that compare different healthcare interventions, services, and approaches in ways that matter to patients and real-world decision-making. Rather than funding a single investigator in isolation, this K12 mechanism is designed as an institutional program: a grantee organization receives support to run a training and mentoring environment, and the program leadership at that institution selects and appoints the individual scholars who participate.
At a practical level, the award is meant to cultivate a pipeline of early-career researchers who can design, conduct, and interpret patient-centered outcomes and comparative effectiveness studies. These are the kinds of studies that help clinicians, health systems, payers, and patients understand what works best, for whom, and under what circumstances, often with attention to outcomes like quality of life, functioning, and other patient-relevant endpoints. The solicitation emphasizes methods development and applied skills, which typically implies training in study design, statistical and analytic approaches, data sources and measurement, and the translation of evidence into healthcare decisions. The K12 Program Director and the funded institution play a central role in shaping the program, overseeing mentorship, and formally appointing the postdoctoral scholars supported under the award.
This opportunity falls under the Health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA 93.226 (Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes), signaling AHRQ's focus on research that improves healthcare value, quality, outcomes, and the evidence base used in practice and policy. The grant does not require cost sharing or matching, which reduces the financial barrier for applicants and can make it more feasible for a broader range of institutions to compete.
Funding details in the announcement indicate an estimated total funding level of $2,000,000, with an award ceiling of $600,000. As with many federal opportunities, the ceiling is best interpreted as a maximum annual amount per award (or per project period segment) as specified in the full announcement, but the summary information provided highlights that awards were intended to be substantial enough to support an institutional program, including mentored scholar time and program infrastructure.
Eligibility is broad and includes public and private institutions of higher education (including public/state-controlled institutions), as well as state governments, county governments, and city or township governments. The solicitation also allows participation by Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments). Additional eligible applicants also include eligible federal agencies and faith-based or community-based organizations, reflecting AHRQ's interest in expanding training capacity across diverse organizational settings that can support comparative effectiveness research and patient-centered outcomes work.
Key dates show that the opportunity was posted and created on December 1, 2011, with an original and current closing date of January 30, 2012, and an archive date of March 1, 2012. In other words, this particular notice is historical and no longer open, but it provides a clear example of AHRQ's use of the K12 institutional career development mechanism to strengthen the national workforce in patient-centered outcomes research methods.
For official reference and full program requirements, the announcement points to the NIH Grants Guide posting (via the provided link). For access or technical issues related to the electronic announcement, the contact listed is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV, which is consistent with how these opportunities were distributed and supported electronically at the time.
FAQs: AHRQ Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institutional Award (K12) - RFA-HS-12-001
What is the AHRQ Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institutional Award (K12)?
It is a discretionary grant program from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) designed to build institutional capacity for training and career development in comparative effectiveness research and patient-centered outcomes research. It supports structured, mentored career development opportunities for postdoctoral scholars.
What is the purpose of this K12 award?
The central purpose is to develop a pipeline of early-career researchers who can design, conduct, and interpret patient-centered outcomes and comparative effectiveness studies. The intent is to strengthen real-world decision-making by producing evidence about what works best, for whom, and under what circumstances.
Is this award made to an individual researcher or to an institution?
This K12 mechanism is an institutional program award, not a single-investigator award. The grantee organization receives support to run the training and mentoring environment, and the institution's program leadership selects and appoints the individual postdoctoral scholars who participate.
Who selects and appoints the postdoctoral scholars?
The funded institution selects and appoints the postdoctoral scholars supported under the award. The K12 Program Director and the institution play central roles in overseeing mentorship and formal appointments.
Who is the award intended to support?
The award is intended to support the career development of postdoctoral scholars by providing structured, mentored opportunities to develop and apply rigorous research methods in comparative effectiveness research and patient-centered outcomes research.
What kinds of research does the program emphasize?
The solicitation emphasizes comparative effectiveness and patient-centered outcomes research that compares healthcare interventions, services, and approaches in ways that matter to patients and real-world decisions. It highlights methods development and applied skills aimed at producing actionable evidence for clinicians, health systems, payers, and patients.
What outcomes or endpoints are highlighted as important?
The opportunity highlights patient-relevant outcomes such as quality of life, functioning, and other endpoints that matter directly to patients and real-world healthcare decision-making.
What training components are implied by the announcement?
The summary suggests training in rigorous study design, statistical and analytic approaches, data sources and measurement, and translation of evidence into healthcare decisions, consistent with building both methods development and applied research skills.
What is the funding activity category for this opportunity?
The opportunity falls under the Health funding activity category.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity and what does it signal?
It is associated with CFDA 93.226 (Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes). This signals AHRQ's focus on improving healthcare value, quality, outcomes, and the evidence base used in practice and policy.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement indicates that cost sharing or matching is not required.
How much funding was anticipated under this announcement?
The estimated total funding level is $2,000,000, and the award ceiling is $600,000.
What does the award ceiling mean in practical terms?
Based on the summary provided, the ceiling represents the maximum amount per award (often interpreted as a maximum annual amount or per project period segment as specified in the full announcement). The summary indicates the awards were intended to be substantial enough to support an institutional program, including mentored scholar time and program infrastructure.
Which organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility includes public and private institutions of higher education (including public/state-controlled institutions), state governments, county governments, and city or township governments. It also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments). Additional eligible applicants include eligible federal agencies and faith-based or community-based organizations.
Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?
Yes. The solicitation indicates that faith-based or community-based organizations are included among eligible applicants.
Are Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are eligible, and Native American tribal organizations are also eligible, including those other than federally recognized tribal governments.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. The key dates show this notice is historical. It was posted/created on December 1, 2011, had a closing date of January 30, 2012 (original and current), and an archive date of March 1, 2012.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-HS-12-001.
Where is the official reference for full program requirements?
The announcement points to the NIH Grants Guide posting (via the provided link) for official reference and full program requirements.
Who should be contacted for access or technical issues related to the electronic announcement?
For access or technical issues, the contact listed is the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) Webmaster at FBOWebmaster@OD.NIH.GOV.
What role does the K12 Program Director play?
The K12 Program Director, along with the funded institution, shapes the training program, oversees mentorship, and supports the formal process for appointing postdoctoral scholars.
What is the core idea behind comparative effectiveness research in this context?
In this context, comparative effectiveness research focuses on comparing different healthcare interventions, services, and approaches to determine what works best, for whom, and under what circumstances, with attention to patient-centered outcomes and real-world decision needs.
Does the award focus only on methods development or also on applied research skills?
The summary emphasizes both methods development and applied skills, implying a blend of rigorous methodological training and practical experience conducting and interpreting studies that inform healthcare decisions.
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