AHRQ and PCORI Learning Health System Embedded Scientist Training and Research Centers (P30) | RFA HS 23 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HS 23 001

The AHRQ and PCORI Learning Health System Embedded Scientist Training and Research Centers (P30), funding opportunity number RFA-HS-23-001 (CFDA 93.226), is a discretionary grant program run by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in partnership with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The core purpose is to fund institutions that can stand up dedicated centers, called LHS E-STaR Centers, that train and support scientists who are embedded in real-world health system settings and who can produce research that helps move the U.S. toward a more integrated learning health system. In practical terms, the opportunity is aimed at building the people, partnerships, and institutional infrastructure needed so that health systems can learn from routine care, generate evidence more quickly, and translate findings into operational improvements that patients and communities actually experience.

The centers supported under this program are expected to do several things at once, rather than focusing only on training or only on research. First, they must create or strengthen institutional models and infrastructure for learning health system work, with a strong emphasis on training in comparative effectiveness research (CER) and patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). That means preparing investigators to evaluate which interventions, workflows, or care strategies work best for which patients under real-world conditions, not just in controlled settings. Second, the program explicitly emphasizes workforce diversity, so the centers are expected to recruit, train, and advance scientists from backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in health research and in health system leadership. Third, the centers must deepen partnerships with community partners, health systems, and other stakeholders, reflecting the learning health system idea that evidence generation and implementation should be co-produced with the people and organizations affected by the results. Finally, the centers are expected to conduct patient-centered clinical comparative effectiveness research projects that directly target improvements in health system operations, care quality, and health outcomes, so the training environment is anchored in active, applied research rather than classroom learning alone.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations and government entities, reflecting the expectation that strong learning health system work often requires cross-sector collaboration. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education when applying under the nonprofit category). The announcement also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as faith-based or community-based organizations, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, there are clear restrictions related to foreign involvement: non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity was posted on December 22, 2022, with an original application closing date of March 31, 2023. The funding instrument is a grant and the activity category is health. The posted summary does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided fields, so applicants would typically need to consult the full funding announcement for budget limits, project period length, and other detailed requirements.

Overall, the LHS E-STaR Centers program is designed to accelerate learning health system progress by investing in embedded scientist career development and by requiring that training is inseparable from practical, stakeholder-driven CER and PCOR conducted inside functioning health systems. The intended outcome is a stronger, more diverse cadre of investigators who can work side-by-side with operational leaders, clinicians, patients, and communities to generate evidence that is immediately usable and that measurably improves care delivery and outcomes.

• The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "AHRQ and PCORI Learning Health System Embedded Scientist Training and Research Centers (P30)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.226.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-12-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-03-31. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for RFA HS 23 001

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