Research Training Programs

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides an array of intramural and extramural predoctoral and postdoctoral educational, research infrastructure and career development grants and opportunities in health services research. In addition, the Agency supports the development of health services research infrastructure in emerging centers of excellence and works with Federal and academic partners to develop innovative curricula and educational models. The following is a list of training programs and support mechanisms with a brief description of each and further resources where available.

Health Services Research Dissertation Awards (R36)

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for AHRQ Grants for Health Services Research Dissertation (R36) can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-12-256.html. The announcement will also take the applicant directly to the application and instructions at Grants.gov.

Applicants are encouraged to make sure that their institutions are registered with both the eRA Commons and Grants.gov. Also, the principal investigators (PIs-in this case, the potential dissertation applicants) need to work with their institutions to make sure they are registered in the NIH Commons. The institution and the individual should allow up to two to four weeks for the registration processes to be completed and verified.

Application receipt dates are February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1 annually.

Applications must be submitted electronically to Grants.gov by 5 P.M. local institute time on the submission date.

A listing of recipients with their institutional affiliations and titles of their dissertation is provided in Recently-Funded Dissertations.

Institutional Training Awards (T32)

AHRQ awards National Research Service Award (NRSA) institutional training grants to academic institutions to develop health services research training opportunities across the Nation. The purpose of the NRSA program is to help ensure that adequate numbers of highly trained individuals are available to carry out the Nation's health services research agenda in order to improve quality of health care, assure value for health dollars spent, and enhance access to services.

There is no open solicitation for institutional training awards..

A goal is to equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and experiences to conduct future research which will meet the needs of patients, providers, health care plans, purchasers, and/or policymakers. NRSA institutional training grants assist these programmatically diverse domestic institutions in supporting predoctoral and postdoctoral academic training by providing support for student stipends and tuition. Approximately 160 students receive support for their research educational development under this program annually.

Academic programs that have received NRSA Institutional Training awards are listed individually in AHRQ Institutional Training Programs. Persons interested in pursuing careers in health services research are encouraged to review the list to obtain more detailed information on program contacts and Web links to specific training programs. Individuals should apply directly to the institutions and programs of specific interest to them.

Awards allow selected trainees to gain 1 or more years of training and experience in applying research methods to the evaluation of health services. AHRQ does not support short-term training through this mechanism. Relevant administration and program issues for the T32 program (which are of interest both to individual training programs as well as prospective trainees) are provided in the National Institutes of Health's NRSA Guidelines.

Tools and Resources provides information useful in the administration of T32 grants, including application information for noncompeting continuations of grants and important forms and notices pertaining to financial status reports, trainee appointments and terminations, and current stipend levels.

Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Awards (K08)

AHRQ sponsors the Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award in health services research. Support is provided for the development of outstanding clinician research scientists who are committed to a career in health services research, with a focus on development as an independent scientist.

The candidate must have a clinical doctoral degree, must identify a mentor with extensive research experience, and must be willing to spend a minimum of 75 percent of full-time professional effort conducting research and developing a research career during the award period. The applicant may opt to reduce planned time on the grant during the last two years, as long as a minimum of 50 percent time is devoted to the grant. The grant may provide 3 to 5 years of funding.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity for AHRQ Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08) can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-13-039.html.

Effective January 1, 2007, application receipt dates are February 12, June 12, and October 12, annually.

Select for Tools and Resources for new and continuing application materials.

A listing of recipients with their institutional affiliations and titles of their grants is provided in AHRQ Recently Funded Career Development Award Grants.