Grant Funding Opportunities
Michael Hagan
Economist Extramural Program Officer
Economist,
Saturday, June 26, 2010, 5:30 PMPM-6:30 PM
Hynes
H
V
Vet’ns
t’ M
Mem’l’l C
Conv’n
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Cntr
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#208
AHRQ’s
Q Mission
Improve the quality,
quality safety
safety, efficiency and
effectiveness of health care for all
Americans
How does AHRQ accomplish its
mission?
i i ?
 Make, buy, assist
 Make
M k it – intramural
i t
l research
h
 Buy it – contracts, task-orders
 Assist those who can help AHRQ achieve
mission – grants
g
 Most activities are a combination
AHRQ Authorization
 Healthcare Research and Quality Act of 1999
amended Title IX of the Public Health Service Act and
authorized AHRQ "to promote health care quality
p
. . . by
y ". . . supporting
pp
g ((1)) research .
improvement"
. . including (2) synthesis and dissemination of . . .
evidence and (3) initiatives to advance private and
public efforts."
AHRQ Authorization
 AHRQ can . . . "support research,
evaluations and training
evaluations,
training, demonstration
projects, research networks, and
multidisciplinary centers
centers,
 “. . . provide technical assistance, and
disseminate information on health care and on
systems for the delivery of such care . . ."
HCUP and grants
 As main data source in grantgrant-supported
research projects
 For metrics used in such research
 As part of data infrastructure

E g making linkages with other databases for use
E.g.,
in a research project
 AHRQ booth, AHRQ website for info
AHRQ – As a Science Partner
 Fund and conduct research on issues important to
decisionmakers
– Clinical
– Health System
– Policy
 Close the gap between evidence and practice/policy
 Nurture the next g
generation of health services
researchers
Implications of Mission
 Emphasis on production and use of evidence
 Increased emphasis on ‘value‘value-added’
approach to grant making
 Enhanced emphasis on problemproblem-solving, user
input, relevance
relevance to practice and policy
Mike’s Points
Points--of
of--view
 20 years, 200+ funded grants
 1000+
1000 grantt applications
li ti
 3000+ reviews
 Applicant, Grantee (DOL)
 Researcher (UI
(UI, NCHSR)
 Reviewer
 Data
D t Development
D
l
t – MEPS,
MEPS HCUP
AHRQ Grant Application Submission,
Review, and Award Process
Development, Receipt, and Assignment of Applications
Applicant
Investigator
develops and
submits grant
application to
NIH/CSR
CSR assigns
application to
NIH Institute or
AHRQ
CSR
Assignment
Office
Study Section Review for Scientific Merit
CSR sends
computerized notice
of assignment to
applicant
DSR Referral
Officer assigns to
appropriate AHRQ
Program
IRG reviews and
assigns
i
priority
i it
scores or designates
noncompetitive
IRG members
review and evaluate
AHRQ assigns
application to
Initial Review
Group
CSR
computes
percentile
ratings
SRAs
prepare
Summary
Statements
Site visit made if
necessary
CSR sends
computerized notice
of review results to
applicant
DSR informs
program that
summary statement
is available
Site visit report
PO mails
summary
statements to
investigators
NIH Councils
(
(Duals)
)
Public Affairs
notified
AHRQ Review for Program Relevance and Funding Determinations
Award Negotiation
g
and Issuance
PO reviews and
prepares/sends
recommendation
memo to DSR/GMS
DSR
schedules
funding
meeting
Applications
selected for
funding
Signed
“paylists”
received by
GMO
Final review
and
negotiations
Congressional
liaison notified
(30 ddays))
Award
issued
Award received
by institution
Investigator
begins work
PI and PO: Confluence of Agenda
g
 The goal: good – i.e. fundable -- applications
 A model
d l off grants processes
– Pre
Pre--application – FOA, RFA, PA, Tech Assist, Guidance
– Application – assignments,
assignments review
review, summary statements
– Funding Recommendations – addressing issues raised in
review,, decisions on funding,
g, initial awards
– Grant – progress reports, problems
– Post
Post--closeclose-out – publications, visibility
Current Initiatives at AHRQ


Program Announcements – AHRQ.gov
PA--09PA
09-070 (R01), PAPA-0909-071 (R18), and Small Grant
program
–
–
M i recentt opportunities
Main
t iti ffor economics
i and
d social
i l science
i
Main recent opportunities for nonnon-government directed
research
Research Opportunities
 R01: research grants
– Feb, June, Oct application receipt dates
– up to
t $500K/yr
$500K/
 R18: demonstration and dissemination
projects
– Jan, May, Sept application receipt dates
– up to $500K/yr
Some stats to provide context






533 AHRQ grants funded with FY2009 money
700+ applicants competing for grants
215 ‘competing’ projects awarded – ‘new starts’
59 new R01s
R01s, 26 new R18s
36 new R01s, 10 new R18s – from PA 070, 071
Mike’ss world: 74 competing applicants,19 new
Mike
starts, 30 ‘active’ projects
Recent Funding at AHRQ
 IT, CER, ARRA -- money
 AHRQ, NIH, OS – more money, more
opportunities for social science
Study Sections
 Four AHRQ study sections
 Health System Research is my main study
section
– Meet 3 times per year
y
 AHRQ thinking about reconfiguration, adding
– Broad? Specialized?
 Rosters on web, caveats on currency
Processes under discussion,
recentt changes
h
 Review criteria changes
 Use
U off a 9-point
9 i t scoring
i scale
l
 NO --New, Early Stage Investigators with
separate procedures,
 YES,, Revised application
pp
forms
 NO -- Revised application page limits
 Limit application resubmission to one
application, no limit timeframe
Application Preparation
Suggestions
 Read instructions carefully and follow
 Know the grant mechanism, know the
application
pp
form,, know the submission
procedures
 Be clear and organized
 Keep abreast of Agency mission and research
priorities
– AHRQ.gov,
AHRQ
Funding
F di Opportunities
O
t iti
 Communicate with Agency staff early
– Program Contact listed in every initiative
– First stop – after reading Announcement
Agency Award Criteria






Scientific and technical merit
Fits AHRQ research priorities
Fills a gap in AHRQ’s
AHRQ s research portfolio
Impact or implementation opportunities
Good value
Co--funding and/or strategic partnership
Co
opportunities
pp
Recent Budget Requests
For ‘other’
other category
 2008 $3
$3.7M
7M requested
requested, $5
$5.7M
7M appropriated
(>2% of total appropriation of $335M).
 2009 $3
$3.5M
5M requested,
t d $16
$16.1M
1M appropriated
i t d
(4% of total appropriation of $372M).
 2010 $8.4M requested, $23.6M appropriated
(6% of total appropriation of $397M).
 2011 $0 requested.
FY2011 Request






Total AHRQ request is for $611M -- 50% increase over FY2010
appropriation.
$340M -- i.e., 55% -- is for contracts.
$75M --12%
--12%--- is for continued funding for grants already funded. [About half
of $75M ---53%
53%--- is in the 'everything
everything else'
else crosscross-cutting category
category.]]
$123M -- i.e., only 20% -- is for new and competing grants.
Most (86%) of the $123M for new grants is for PatientPatient-Centered Health
Research,* the new name for Comparative Effective Research. Balance for
(1) Patient S
Safety
f
and (2) Health Information
f
Technology.
$0 is requested by the Agency for new grants in the 'everything else' crosscrosscutting grants. This is the category that funds research grants looking at
health system
y
issues,, including
g economics.
 THIS PROBABLY DOESN’T MATTER FOR DECIDING ON
SUBMISSION OF GRANTS.
FY2011 Request
 Why this probably doesn
doesn’tt matter for
decisions on developing and submitting
applications:
– Most grants are not funded in the year of
submission – resubmission, timing
– More than half of funded applications are
resubmissions
– Federal government may end up with a
C ti i Resolution
Continuing
R
l ti
– which
hi h would
ld mean
funding for cross-cutting category
Tips for economists submitting to study
sections
 HSR study sections are interdisciplinary
 Deep expertise may be needed in clinical,





institutional, data dimensions
Reviewed by at least 1 economist, but other
reviewers are not likely to be economists
Everyone votes
Application must speak to everyone
Cl
Clear,
compelling,
lli
complete
l t
It’s OK to ask program officers about this process
For potential applicants:
1. Go to AHRQ
Q WEBSITE
www.ahrq.gov
2 Look for and read FOA (Funding Opportunity Announcements)
2.
3. Make appropriate program contact
[E.g., Contact
C
on Research Priorities
Value Portfolio
g
Michael Hagan