AHRQ Health Services Research Projects (R01)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, leads efforts to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare in the United States. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), titled “AHRQ Health Services Research Projects (R01),” invites applications for large-scale research projects that align with AHRQ’s mission to advance excellence in health services. This opportunity supports investigator-initiated research that addresses AHRQ’s priority areas, including healthcare quality and patient safety, healthcare delivery and practice improvement, and whole-person care. Eligible research may take place across all healthcare settings—hospitals, long-term care, ambulatory care, home healthcare, pharmacies, and transitions between settings. AHRQ is particularly interested in projects that partner with stakeholders such as patients, families, clinicians, healthcare staff, policymakers, payers, and local, state, and federal entities. The ultimate aim is to generate actionable knowledge that informs both healthcare practice and policy. Applications may request up to $400,000 in total costs per year for up to five years. Budgets must reflect the actual needs of the proposed research within this ceiling and should comply with all applicable cost principles under 45 CFR Part 75. Allowable expenses include those directly tied to executing the proposed study, but not those outside the project scope. No cost sharing or matching funds are required, though institutional support is welcomed and may strengthen the application. The application process does not require a letter of intent. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis according to the standard due dates set by AHRQ, with the next deadline on June 5, 2024. Applicants may submit proposals through Grants.gov using ASSIST, institutional systems-to-systems solutions, or Grants.gov Workspace. All applications must adhere strictly to the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and AHRQ-specific instructions, including the submission of a data management plan and compliance with AHRQ’s policy on the inclusion of priority populations such as minorities, low-income groups, individuals with disabilities, and rural residents. Applications undergo peer review approximately four months after submission and are assessed on criteria including significance, innovation, approach, investigator expertise, and environment. Successful applications are typically awarded within four months following review. AHRQ strongly emphasizes inclusion of underserved and priority populations and requires applicants to explicitly describe their approach to inclusion. Contact for programmatic questions should be directed to the relevant AHRQ staff listed by program area, accessible via AHRQ’s website. Financial and submission inquiries may be directed to Kathryn Woolridge at [email protected]. While this NOFO remains open until March 10, 2026, applicants are encouraged to check the AHRQ site regularly for updates and changes to deadlines or policies.