Current Research Funding Opportunities for Primary Care Research at AHRQ

AHRQ Announces Interest in Career Development for Primary Care Researchers

October 2021

AHRQ has issued a 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.

Funding Announcement: Supporting Primary Care to Advance Cardiovascular Health in States With High Prevalence of Preventable CVD Events (U18)

On February 21, 2020, AHRQ launched a new EvidenceNOW grant initiative for "Supporting Primary Care to Advance Cardiovascular Health in States With High Prevalence of Preventable CVD Events (U18)" to ensure primary care clinicians get the best evidence on heart health to improve patient health. The program will support development of State-based quality improvement capacity to support primary care practices as they work to address their patients' risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as blood pressure control and smoking cessation, in States with the highest burdens of CVD.

Special Emphasis Notice

Primary care research is critical to AHRQ's mission to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable. It cuts across all of AHRQ's Centers and priorities. AHRQ has numerous opportunities to support primary care research through funding opportunities related to health information technology, patient-reported outcomes, addressing multiple chronic conditions, and many more topics integral to primary care. AHRQ has described its specific interest in primary care research in a Special Emphasis Notice:​

• Innovative Research in Primary Care (R03; R01; R18)
• Notice of Intent to Publish Funding Opportunity Announcement to Develop State-level Capacity for Dissemination and Implementation of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research into Primary Care
  Notice Number: NOT-HS-19-019

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.