FEDERAL AGENCY:

AGENCY FOR HEALTHCARE RESEARCH AND QUALITY, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

AUTHORIZATION:

Public Health Service Act, as amended, Public Law 99-158, 42 U.S.C. 288.

OBJECTIVES:

To provide predoctoral and postdoctoral training opportunities in health services research. Individual fellowships will be awarded directly to applicants for postdoctoral research training and to under represented minorities for predoctoral training. Domestic institutions will also be awarded grants to enhance predoctoral and post doctoral training programs and provide support to trainees selected by them. The purpose of these awards is to provide fellows and trainees with both academic training and actual experience in the application of research methods to the systematic analysis and evaluation of the organization, financing, utilization, and delivery of health care services.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:

Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

Individual fellowships are awarded both to applicants seeking postdoctoral support and to under represented minority applicants seeking predoctoral support for full-time health services research training. An institutional allowance is provided, upon request, to the sponsoring institution for each fellow. Also, research training grants are awarded to institutions to provide support to trainees selected by the training program director at the grantee institution. This support is available for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees. Tuition and fees are allowable for trainees, and an amount for institutional expenses will be provided. Facilities and administrative costs may be requested at 8 percent of allowable direct costs, or the negotiated facilities and administrative cost rate, whichever is less. Postdoctoral fellows and trainees in the first 12 months of postdoctoral NRSA support incur one month of payback obligation for each month of support. The thirteenth and subsequent months of postdoctoral NRSA support are considered payback service for prior postdoctoral support. Predoctoral fellows and trainees do not incur a service payback obligation. Discretionary funds are available.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   Domestic public or private nonprofit organizations or institutions may apply for training grants. The applicant institutions must have or expand training programs designed to develop competent investigators in the methods and techniques of conducting health services research. State or local governments and U.S. Territories are eligible. Profit-making organizations are not eligible. Individual applicants for postdoctoral fellowships must have received a doctoral degree. Individual applicants for predoctoral fellowships must be from ethnic/racial groups that have been determined to be underrepresented in biomedical or behavioral research. All persons supported as fellows or trainees must be citizens or noncitizen nationals of the United States, or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   Individuals and public or private nonprofit organizations or institutions, including State or local governments and U.S. Territories, are the beneficiaries of this program.

Credentials/Documentation:   An individual applicant for a postdoctoral fellowship must document receipt of a doctoral degree and acceptance by an appropriate institutional sponsor. An individual applicant for a predoctoral fellowship must have completed their bachelor's degree and document their acceptance in a research doctoral degree granting program by an appropriate institutional sponsor. Institutional applicants for training grants must document their research and training experiences, staff, curriculum, facilities, and other resources available. Costs will be determined in accordance with HHS Regulations 45 CFR, Part 74.

Pre-application Coordination:   While there is no program requirement for preapplication, informal preapplication consultation to prospective applicants is available upon request to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and is recommended. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:   Application forms and information about health services research areas being supported are available from AHRQ. Individual fellowship applicants should submit Form PHS 416-1, (Rev. August 1995). Institutions should submit Form PHS 398 (Rev. 4/98). For State agencies, no State Plan is required. For State and local governments, the standard forms, as furnished by PHS and required by 45 CFR, Part 92, may be used. This program is subject to the provisions of 45 CFR, Part 92 for State and local governments and OMB Circular No. A-110 for nonprofit organizations.

Award Procedure:   Applications are reviewed for scientific merit by a committee including nonfederal consultants who are selected from appropriate scientific fields. All institutional training grant applications may be reviewed by the National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality. AHRQ considers the recommendations of the review committee, the Council, program interest, and the availability of funds in the final selection of grantees. When such decisions are made, applicants are notified and a Notice of Grant Award is issued. Before receiving support, all individual fellows and institutional postdoctoral trainees must submit required forms, including a payback agreement.

Deadlines:   Contact Headquarters Office for deadline dates for Institutional Training Grants. Individual applications for postdoctoral Fellowships are due: April 5, August 5, and December 5. Individual applications for predoctoral fellowships to underrepresented minority students are due: May 1 and November 15.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   From 5 to 6 months from receipt of application.

Appeals:   None.

Renewals:   If additional support is desired to continue a grant beyond the approved project period, an application for competing continuation must be submitted for review in the same manner as a new application. No individual may receive more than 3 years of aggregate National Research Service Award support at the postdoctoral level, or 5 years at the predoctoral level, including any combination of support from institutional and individual awards.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   This program has no statutory formula or matching requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   Individual fellowship support at the postdoctoral level is limited to 3 years and at the predoctoral level to 5 years. Institutional training grants may be awarded for project periods up to 5 years. Awards are made on an annual basis and it is expected that obligations will be made within the budget period awarded. After awards are issued, funds are released in accordance with the payment procedure established by the grantee with DHHS, which may be an Electronic Transfer System or a Monthly Cash Request system.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Annual and final progress reports are required. For Institutional Training Grants, a final progress report is due at the close of the project period. Annual Financial Status Reports are also required for Institutional National Research Service Awards. These Financial Status Reports must be submitted within 90 days after the close of each budget period. Annual reports of activities for tracking payback provisions are required of all fellows and trainees upon termination of support.

Audits:   In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. In addition, grants records are subject to audit and inspection by Federal auditors.

Records:   Records must be retained for at least three years; records shall be retained beyond the three year period if audit findings have not been resolved. Records relating to individual payback obligations are retained for one year after the individual has fulfilled or has been excused from fulfilling the payback obligation.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   75-1700-0-1-552.

Obligations:   (Grants) FY 01 $6,530,269; FY 02 est $6,500,000; and FY 03 est $6,900,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  
(Individual Fellowships) $52,130 to $68,406; $63,009 average. (Institutions) $129,750 to $579,439; $392,267 average. These figures are total costs.

In fiscal year 2001, 5 new and 4 continuing individual fellowships were funded and 24 continuing institutional training grants were funded. It is estimated that 10 individual fellowships and 24 institutional training grants will be awarded in fiscal year 2002. In fiscal year 2003, it is estimated that the same number of fellowships and training grants will be awarded in fiscal year 2003.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

Title 42 CFR Part 66; PHS Grants Policy Statement, DHHS Publication No. (OASH) 94-50,000, (Rev.) April 1, 1994.

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:   Shelley Benjamin 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857 Phone: 301-427-1528

Web Site Address:  
http://www.ahrq.gov

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

Support is provided for training in the following areas: health services research, research methods (including qualitative research), epidemiology, biostatistics, geriatrics, health administration and public health, medical information sciences, health policy and management, organizational behavior, clinical outcomes and effectiveness, primary care, health care quality, health economics and financing, child health, and vulnerable populations.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

For Individual fellowship applications, the following review criteria will be used: (1) The applicant's past academic and research accomplishments; (2) research goals; (3) research training proposed; (4) qualifications of the sponsor; (5) appropriateness of training environment; and (6) reference reports. For Institutional training grant applications, the following review criteria will be used: (1) goals of the proposed training and probability of achievement; (2) substantive content, including courses offered; (3) qualifications and responsibilities of program director and faculty; (4) ability to recruit trainees; (5) extent of institutional participation through provision of necessary space, curriculum time, financial support, and appropriate facilities; (6) documented cooperation of related agencies in providing research experience; (7) proposed number of students; (8) methods for monitoring and evaluating trainees; and (9) reasonableness of budget. In all cases, AHRQ will consider the recommendations of the review committee, the Council program interests, and availability of funds in making the final selection of grantees.