UPDATED AHRQ POLICY ON MINORITY SUPPLEMENTAL AWARDS TO GRANTS
RELEASE DATE: September 11, 2003
NOTICE: NOT-HS-04-025 -
Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
(http://www.ahrq.gov)
BACKGROUND
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is updating its policy
on minority supplement awards. A minority supplement is a type of program
expansion supplement in which the program aims are to increase the number of
minority health services researchers and to expand research on topics
relevant to minority health. AHRQ funded grantees can submit requests for
minority supplement funds as described below. This policy update complies
with the fundamental principle underlying the distribution of all Federal
research grant funding, which is to ensure that competition for grant funds
is as open as possible.
POLICY
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has recently updated its
guidance on two types of supplemental awards to research grants, program
expansion supplements and administrative supplements. (See AHRQ new policy
guidance at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-04-022.html).
Program expansion supplement funds are an add-on to the parent
grant to cover costs that expand the level, type, or quality of effort. A
minority supplement is a type of program expansion supplement that aims to
either increase the number of minority health services researchers or to
expand research on topics relevant to minority health.
The Principal Investigator or AHRQ may initiate requests for minority
supplements. Funding requests for large research grant (e.g., R01, R18)
supplements are limited by AHRQ to 20 percent of the approved Federal direct
costs for the project period or $250,000, whichever is less. Small research
grant (R03) supplement requests are limited by AHRQ to 10 percent of the
approved direct costs for the project. For small grants, total cumulative
funds awarded by AHRQ may not exceed $100,000. All minority supplement
requests will undergo an independent, objective review for merit. Reviewed
grants will then compete for available funds.
The updated AHRQ policy on minority supplements will take effect with the
publication of this notice. Generally, the Agency provides funding each
fiscal year to support supplemental awards. The amount of the set-aside is
dependent upon the availability of funds. Minority supplements may be for
one or more years as justified and appropriate. All minority supplement
awards will be made consistent with the Agency's mission and research
priority areas. Grantees should not request funds to support activities
performed prior to the funding decision nor for activities to be performed
beyond the approved project period end date.
The Agency will supplement the parent grant to achieve one of two goals: (1)
to increase the number of minority health services researchers, and (2) to
expand research on topics relevant to minority health.
Goal 1- Increase the number of minority health services researchers
Health services research studies the quality and safety, effectiveness, and
cost-effectiveness of health care, as well as access to health care for all
Americans and improvements in health care systems. Racial and ethnic
minorities are not adequately represented throughout health services
research. Their inclusion in prominent and significant roles is critical to
a better understanding of the nature and context of problems encountered in
delivering and ensuring health care in minority populations, addressing
health care disparities associated with race and ethnicity, and translating
research into practice. Minority researchers can contribute to the technical
expertise in the conduct of research grants and add to the cultural
competence, appropriateness, and credibility of such research. Within this
context, one of the goals of minority supplement funding is to provide
support for the research and career development of minority professionals who
are committed to a career of research excellence and who have the potential
to develop into independent research scientists.
Goal 2 - Increase emphasis on minority health issues
Principal investigators may request support to (1) augment work in progress
to study aspects that directly affect or are relevant to minority
populations; (2) increase substantially the competence and focus of health
services research team in order to enhance the effect of their research on
the health of minority populations; and, (3) disseminate and translate
research findings to minority communities, including the publication of
research in minority professional journals.
Goal 2 may be achieved without the recruitment or training set forth in Goal
1. However, the Agency encourages investigators to involve minority groups
in the proposed design so as to increase the relevance, appropriateness, and
translation of research to practice.
The Agency encourages grantees to study racial and ethnic disparities in
priority populations. Priority populations include low-income groups; inner-
city areas and rural groups (including frontier areas); children; women;
minority groups; the elderly; and those with special health care needs;
including individuals with disabilities and individuals who need chronic care
or end-of-life health care.
The Agency also seeks to develop and broaden the national infrastructure for
conducting health services research on minority health issues in the
following priority areas of focus:
o Translating Research Into Practice (TRIP): Supplemental requests are
encouraged in the conduct of innovative and rigorous research and evaluation
projects related to the translation of research findings into measurable
improvements in quality, patient safety, healthcare outcomes and cost, use,
and access. This includes particular attention to research that can bridge
the chasm between promising prototypes and generalizable knowledge that can
be applied in multiple settings.
o Patient Safety: One of the important elements in the AHRQ mission is to
support the development of multidisciplinary research teams in building the
knowledge base on the scope and impact of medical errors - particularly for
diverse care settings and priority populations, identify the root causes of
threats to patient safety and effective system approaches to prevent the
occurrence of errors, study the effectiveness of various interventions to
capture information on medical errors; and disseminate and evaluate the
outcomes of promising interventions in a variety of health care settings and
across a variety of health care professionals.
o Bioterrorism: AHRQ is interested in research that investigates and
evaluates promising practices and strategies being developed and implemented
at the State, local, and health system level to promote health system
readiness in response to bioterrorism. Also of interest is the application
of available methods and tools that can be of assistance in developing
systems capacity and enhancing readiness in rural as well as urban areas.
Applicants are encouraged to review, Building the Evidence to Promote
Bioterrorism and Other Public Health Emergency Preparedness in Health Care
Systems" at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-03-130.html.
o Prevention: AHRQ is interested in research related to the Public Health
Service's health promotion and disease prevention objectives as outlined in
"Healthy People 2010". (http://www.health.gov/healthypeople). Of particular
interest would be those research projects investigating the appropriate use
of clinical preventive services, such as screening tests, immunizations, and
counseling, which are based on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
(USPSTF, see http://www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm)
DEFINITION OF MINORITY INVESTIGATOR:
Minority investigators are investigators who belong to an ethnic or racial
group that is under represented in health services research. Such groups
include African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Asian
Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. To participate, minority
investigators must be citizens or resident aliens of the United States.
REVIEW PROCESS
Grantee institutions applying for minority supplement funds should submit the
request using the face page, pages 4 and 5 (budget and budget justification)
from the Application for Public Health Service Grant (PHS 398, revised May
2001, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html). The request
should include appropriate specification of the period in which supplemental
funds will be expended. In addition, the application should discuss the
following:
o how the supplemental funds will be used to build upon the scope of the
current project, including details of the expanded study methodology
o revised project timeline if applicable (Note: if the timeline is
revised, it may not exceed the approved project period end date)
o how the supplemental funds will enhance and expand study results and
outcomes related to AHRQ's priority populations and minority health issues
o significance and importance of the supplemental funds to the project's
research goals
o how funds will be used to enhance the skills of minority investigators,
including career development and research activities designed to contribute
to a career in health services research
o relevance to AHRQ's research mission and goals
The narrative portion of the minority supplement request may not exceed 10
pages in length. The request must be signed by the principal investigator
and the authorized institutional official.
The scientific and technical review for merit of minority supplement requests
will consist of two types of processes, depending on the minority supplement
budget request. Requests for minority supplement funds that are less than
$50,000 in direct costs will be evaluated internally by AHRQ staff along with
the AHRQ Grants Management Officer. Requests for minority supplement funds
that are greater than $50,000 in direct costs will undergo external peer
review. The AHRQ Grants Management Officer will also evaluate the request.
General Review Criteria
For all minority supplement requests, the review criteria are as follows:
o appropriateness/fit of the supplement request to the original scope of
the project;
o consistency with the AHRQ mission and research priorities;
o alignment to minority supplement program goals;
o significance and originality from a scientific or technical viewpoint;
o adequacy of the proposed methods;
o availability of data or adequacy of the plan to collect required data;
o adequacy and appropriateness of plans for organizing and carrying out the
project;
o qualifications and experience of the investigators;
o reasonableness of budget and the time frame relative to the proposed
work;
o ability of the grantee to complete the additional work within the
approved project period;
o adequacy of the facilities and resources available;
o adequacy of mentorship and career development for minority investigators;
o representation of women and AHRQ priority populations (as appropriate);
and,
o adequacy of the proposed means for protecting human subjects.
The project officer for the parent grant will make a recommendation regarding
funding based on the results of the review process.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION PROCEDURES:
Please submit requests to:
Ms. Mable Lam
Grants Management Officer
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
540 Gaither Road, Room 4216
Rockville, MD 20850
Telephone: 301-427-1448
E-mail: mlam@ahrq.gov
For minority supplement requests, investigators should submit the original
and five copies.
WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES:
AHRQ welcomes the opportunity to clarify issues or discuss questions from
investigators about minority supplement awards. It is strongly recommended
that investigators consult with their AHRQ grant project officer prior to
submission of any request.
General questions about the minority supplement program can be directed to:
Kaytura Felix Aaron, M.D
Senior Advisor, Minority Health
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
540 Gaither Road, Room 2214
Rockville, MD 20850
Telephone: (301) 427-1395
E-mail: kfaaron@ahrq.gov
General questions about AHRQ extramural grants policies and procedures can be
directed to:
Debbie Rothstein, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor, Extramural Research
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
540 Gaither Road, Room 2030
Rockville, MD 20850
Telephone: (301) 427-1525
Email: drothste@ahrq.gov
Please contact the AHRQ project officer on the parent grant to discuss
specific questions related to parent grant.
Inquiries regarding fiscal and eligibility matters can be directed to:
Ms. Joan Metcalfe
Division of Grants Management
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
540 Gaither Road, Room 4214
Rockville, MD 20850
Telephone: (301) 427-1450
E-mail: jmetcalf@ahrq.gov
AWARD CRITERIA
Requests for grant supplements will compete for available funds with other
similar requests for AHRQ support. The following will be considered in
making funding decisions: assessment of technical merit, focus of the
proposed supplemental work relative to the goals of the minority supplement
program, potential significance of the work, fit with AHRQ priorities and
overall program balance, contribution to the field of health services
research, and the availability of funds.
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
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