Myths, Facts, and Suttons Law
Francis D. Chesley, Jr., M.D.
Director, Office of Extramural Research,
Education and Priority Populations
June 4, 2007
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
AHRQ assigns
application to
Initial Review
Group
DSR Referral
Officer assigns to
appropriate
AHRQ Program
IRG members
review and
evaluate
Site visit made if
necessary
Study Section Review for Scientific Merit
CSR sends
computerized
notice of
assignment to
applicant
IRG reviews and
assigns priority
scores or
designates
noncompetitive
Site visit report
CSR sends
computerized
notice of review
results to
applicant
CSR
computes
percentile
ratings
DSR informs
program that
summary
statement is
available
SRAs
prepare
Summary
Statements
PO mails
summary
statements to
investigators
NIH
Councils
(Duals)
Public Affairs
notified
AHRQ Review for Program Relevance and Funding Determinations
Award Negotiation 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 days)
Award
issued
Award
received by
institution
Investigator
begins work
Facts #1
 Research and program priorities matter
 Application process must be understood
– Electronic Grant Application has
arrived!
 Concept papers are an important option
 Peer review is a step away from funding
 Avoid common pitfalls
– Mentorship!
Applicant Responsibilities
 Know PHS Form 398 and 424 R&R
 Know the Funding Agency and Staff
 Know Agency Research Priorities
 Know the Grant Mechanisms
 Know the Grant Process and Key
Changes
 Understand Agency Research Budget
Top Myths
 AHRQ is not funding research
 AHRQ is not funding K award
 AHRQ does not fund investigator-
initiated grants
 An “unscored” application is the kiss of
death
Facts #2
 FY07 new research grant budget: $45
million
 K award success rate: 30%
– $1 million for new grants
– $5.7 million total
 What is an investigator-initiated grant?
Fact #3: Sutton’s Law






R01:
R03:
R13:
R36:
F31/F32:
K02/K08:
$2 million
$1.7 million
$1.4 million
$0.5 million
$0.5 million
$1 million
 Budget for targeted initiatives is approx.
$31 million
AHRQ E-grants Transition!
 Electronic Grant Application Receipt
 Use of the SF424 (R&R) Grant Application
AHRQ will require electronic submission of all
competing grant applications via Grants.gov
using the SF 424 Research and Related (R&R)
application.
________________________________________
Paper No More, Use 424 (R&R)
Electronic submission is here to stay!
AHRQ Transitions to Electronic
Grant Application Submission
 AHRQ transitioning to electronic grant
submission through Grants.gov
– Grants.gov - Web portal that serves as the
single access point for all Federal grant
programs.
– Grants.gov provides the interface for 26
agencies to announce $350 billion in annual
grant awards and for all grant applicants to find
and submit applications to those funding
announcements. www.grants.gov
 Transition complete for R01, R03, R13, R18,
R36
Getting Started
 One time registrations for Grants.gov
(http://grants.gov) and eRA Commons
(era.nih.gov/commons) systems must be
completed before application submission.
 For up to date general information on
electronic submission, the SF 424 (R&R),
and Grants.gov, visit the AHRQ Electronic
Submission of Grant Applications Web Site:
http://www.ahrq.gov/path/egrants.htm
 “Opportunity is missed by most
because it is dressed in overalls
and looks like work.”
Thomas Edison
Contact Information
AHRQ WEBSITE
www.ahrq.gov
Francis D. Chesley, Jr., M.D.
(301) 427-1521
Francis.Chesley@ahrq.hhs.gov
Questions
?