Research Funding Opportunities for Primary Care Research at AHRQ

In addition to primary care-specific funding opportunities, AHRQ supports primary care research through funding opportunities related to digital healthcare, patient safety, multiple chronic conditions, and many more topics integral to primary care. AHRQ funds researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including clinician researchers (nurses, physicians, and other clinicians), health services researchers, social scientists, health economists, etc., and encourages applications from interdisciplinary research teams. AHRQ announces these opportunities through Notices of Funding Opportunities and Special Emphasis Notices.

Notices of Funding Opportunities

Funding Opportunity for Research to Advance the Science of Primary Care

March 2024

A new Notice of Funding Opportunity (R01) invites proposals to build evidence about the characteristics and value of primary care that influence patient outcomes and advance health equity, such as care coordination, continuity of care, and comprehensiveness of care, person-centered, whole healthcare, and trust, and how these can be improved and effectively delivered to strengthen primary healthcare. The first application due date will be June 5, 2024.

Funding Available for Incidence and Contributing Factors to Understanding and Improving Diagnostic Safety in Ambulatory Care

September 2023

A new Notice of Funding Opportunity (RO1) invites proposals focused on understanding and improving diagnostic safety in the heterogenous ambulatory care environment. AHRQ is interested in learning about the incidence and contributory factors of diagnostic error within and across the array of ambulatory care services. All applications are due by February 5, 2024.

Funding Available for Strategies and Interventions to Improve Diagnostic Safety in Ambulatory Care

August 2023

A new Notice of Funding Opportunity (R18) invites proposals focused on developing strategies and interventions to improve diagnostic safety in the heterogenous ambulatory care environment. AHRQ is interested in providing support designed to develop, test, and evaluate ambulatory care activities that will improve diagnostic safety and quality. Applications are due by January 25, 2024.

Funding Support Available for Projects Designed to Advance the Science of Primary Care

January 2023

This Small Research Grant (R03) NOFO will support discrete primary care-focused health services research projects designed to advance the science of primary care. The research strategy proposed by applicants must be related to the mission and research interests of AHRQ and its National Center for Excellence in Primary Care Research (NCEPCR). This NOFO aims to support small research projects that advance the understanding of the role and capacity of primary care to increase the value and quality of care and improve patient outcomes and population health by delivering person-centered care.

All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Special Emphasis Notices

• Released May 13, 2024; active until May 15, 2027: NOT-HS-24-013: AHRQ Announces Interest in Health Services Research to Improve Care Delivery, Access, Quality, Equity, and Health Outcomes for Older Adults.
• Released May 8, 2023; standing: NOT-HHS-23-013:AHRQ Announces Interest in Health Services Research to Advance Health and Health Equity (nih.gov).
• Released January 2023; standing: NOT-HS-23-006: AHRQ Announces Interest in Research on Climate Change and Healthcare (nih.gov).
• Released March 2022; active until February 2025: NOT-HS-22-011: AHRQ Announces Interest in Primary Care Research (nih.gov).
• Released February 2022; active until February 2025: NOT-HS-22-010: AHRQ Announces Interest in Health Services Research on Health System and Healthcare Professional Responsiveness to COVID-19 (nih.gov).

AHRQ also strongly encourages applications that focus on primary care in response to its standing Program Announcements for small and large research grants, demonstration grants, and conference grants. You can read more about different types of grants and steps for applying for grant funding.

Career Development Opportunities

In October 2021, AHRQ issued a standing Special Emphasis Notice in support of career development of primary care researchers.

AHRQ is interested in career development applications that will provide the opportunity for qualified promising primary care research scientists to develop into independent primary care researchers. Meritorious proposals will detail and describe:

• Plans for mentorship with an established primary care researcher.
• Sufficient infrastructure to support practice-based research.

Further Guidance

AHRQ sponsors several career development awards intended to foster the career development of promising new investigators. These programs provide salary and research support for a sustained period of time for early career clinicians and research scientists.

AHRQ will use standing program announcements for the K08 and K01 funding mechanisms to support this research.

Please direct all inquiries to: Tamara Willis, Ph.D., M.P.H. Tamara.Willis@ahrq.hhs.gov.

Research Fellows

NCEPCR also participates in AHRQ’s Junior Staff Service Fellow Program to support the development of new and early career health services and primary care researchers. A few of our fellows describe their experiences with this program here.