Rural Health Research Center Cooperative Agreement | Apply Online

Rural Health Research Center (RHRC) Cooperative Agreement (HRSA 16-054) - FAQs

What is the Rural Health Research Center (RHRC) Cooperative Agreement?

The RHRC Cooperative Agreement is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). It is designed to strengthen the supply of rigorous, unbiased, and policy-relevant research focused specifically on rural health.

What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?

The central aim is to help health care providers and public decision-makers at the federal, state, and local levels better understand the realities rural communities face. The research is intended to generate evidence that can directly inform policies meant to improve health care access and overall population health in rural areas.

What type of work is expected from awardees?

Awardees are expected to operate a rural health research center for a four-year period and conduct research within defined area(s) of research concentration. The program emphasizes health services research that is policy-focused and relevant to rural health needs.

How long is the project period?

The expected project period is four years, during which recipients would operate a rural health research center and carry out the proposed research agenda.

What kind of research does the RHRC program support?

The RHRC program supports rural health services research. In practical terms, supported research should examine topics such as how people in rural areas access care, what that care costs, how services are organized and delivered, and what outcomes patients experience.

Does this program fund clinical or biomedical research?

No. The opportunity explicitly states that it does not support clinical or biomedical studies. The focus is on health services research rather than clinical trials or laboratory-based biomedical work.

Can grant funds be used to provide direct services to patients or communities?

No. Grant funds cannot be used to provide direct services or pay for service delivery. The award is intended to support research and related dissemination products, not the provision of health care services.

Who is the intended audience for the research findings?

The program is oriented toward producing research that is useful to health care providers and public decision-makers at multiple levels, including federal, state, and local policymakers and leaders who shape rural health policy and systems.

Are awardees expected to share results beyond academic journals?

Yes. A key deliverable is communication that can travel beyond academic audiences. Recipients are expected to synthesize findings into publicly available policy briefs written for non-technical readers, emphasizing practical usefulness and timely translation of evidence.

What kinds of dissemination products are specifically mentioned?

The announcement highlights publicly available policy briefs written for non-technical readers. This signals an expectation for plain-language products that policymakers and community leaders can quickly understand and apply.

What is meant by "rigorous, unbiased, and policy-relevant" research in this opportunity?

Based on the description, the program is seeking high-quality rural health services research that is methodologically sound, not driven by advocacy or bias, and directly relevant to policy questions affecting rural health care access, delivery, costs, and outcomes.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) and CFDA number for this program?

The Funding Opportunity Number is HRSA 16-054, and the CFDA number is 93.155.

When was this opportunity posted and when were applications due?

The opportunity was posted on January 14, 2016. The application closing date was March 14, 2016.

How many awards were anticipated?

The announcement anticipated making about seven awards.

What does it mean that the listing shows an award ceiling of 0?

The published listing notes an award ceiling of 0, but the core intent described in the opportunity remains to support a small set of rural health research centers producing high-quality, policy-relevant health services research. The description emphasizes the purpose and expected outputs of the program even though the ceiling figure appears as 0 in the listing.

What kinds of rural health topics are most aligned with this opportunity?

Topics aligned with this opportunity include rural access to care, costs of care in rural settings, organization and delivery of rural health services, and patient outcomes in rural communities. The overall focus is on evidence that can inform policies to improve access and population health in rural areas.

Does the opportunity mention improving patient safety?

Yes. The description notes attention to reducing errors and improving patient safety as part of the broader health services research mission described by AHRQ, within the overall intent to improve how care is organized, managed, financed, and delivered.

Is this funding intended to support a single study or an ongoing research center?

It is intended to support an ongoing rural health research center for a four-year period, with defined research concentrations and an expectation of producing multiple policy-relevant outputs, including policy briefs.

What makes this a "cooperative agreement" in this listing?

The opportunity is titled as a Cooperative Agreement. Beyond that label, the provided description focuses on the purpose, expected center operations, and deliverables (including policy briefs) rather than detailing the operational differences between a cooperative agreement and other award mechanisms.