The Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ) https://www.ahrq.gov within HHS, released a “Notice of Intent March 26, 2020” for a new funding opportunity notice that will seek “Revision Supplements to Existing AHRQ Grants and Cooperative Agreements to Address Health System Responsiveness to COVID-19.” (NOT-HS-20-007).
This Notice is being provided at this time to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop responsive applications. The “Funding Opportunity Notice” is expected to be published early May 2020 with submissions due June 2020.
AHRQ expects to invest up to $5 million in FY 2020 funds to support the initiative and potentially with more pending supplemental funding. The funding will be used to support research to help health system leaders, providers, policymakers, and others find the best way to treat patients anallocate critical resources for COVID-19.
AHRQ requests that the health system research community should prepare applications to fund research focused on evaluating topics such as innovation and challenges encountered in the rapid expansion of telemedicine in response to COVID-19.
AHRQ is particularly interested in understanding how digital health innovations have contributed to health systems and healthcare professional innovations along with the challenges and solutions resulting in the rapidly expanding telehealth response to COVID-19.
The funding will be used to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on quality, safety, and the value of health systems and the response to the virus, together with the role of primary care practices and professionals during the pandemic.
The funds will be used to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on quality, safety, and what is needed to meet the needs of older adults, people with multiple chronic conditions, rural communities, and the uninsured and underinsured populations.
Also, a related Notice of Intent Announcement also released March 26, 2020, is titled “Support Novel, High-Impact Studies Evaluating Health System and Healthcare Professional Responsiveness to COVID-19” (NOT-HS-20-008).
This related Notice of Intent Announcement will seek competitive revision supplement requests that will enable the expertise of grant personnel and the institutional environment to expand on-going research with information on the high impact and new knowledge on COVID-19.
For this related supplement announcement, AHRQ expects to make at least $2.5 million available to fund revision supplements in FY 2020. AHRQ plans to release the supplement announcement April 2020 with an opening date in mid-May.
For more information on Notice Number NOT-HS-20-008, go to https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-20-008.html
For more information on Notice Number NOT-HS-20-007, go to https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-20-007.html
Please direct all inquiries to Lisa Scott-Morring, Director, Division for Policy, Coordination and Analysis, Office of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations at AHRQ, or email Grant_Queries@ahrq.hhs.gov.