Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA AT 22 002
This funding opportunity, RFA-AT-22-002, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative agreement (U24) intended to continue support for the Health Care Systems (HCS) Research Collaboratory Coordinating Center. The overarching goal is to maintain and strengthen a central hub that provides national leadership, practical infrastructure, and shared expertise for research conducted in close partnership with real-world health care systems. It is explicitly a "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" announcement for the Coordinating Center itself, meaning the application is not meant to propose or run a clinical trial as the primary activity; instead, it focuses on coordination, methods, support, and dissemination functions that enable other projects and the broader field.
The Coordinating Center is expected to play several core roles that collectively improve how pragmatic research is designed and implemented inside health care delivery settings. First, it must further develop and promote technical and policy guidelines, along with best practices, that make it easier and more reliable to conduct research in partnership with health care systems. In practice, this typically includes creating or refining playbooks, templates, and recommended approaches around issues like data governance, privacy and security expectations, IRB and ethics considerations in pragmatic designs, stakeholder engagement, implementation logistics, and workflow integration so that studies can fit into routine care without disrupting it unnecessarily.
Second, the Center must work directly with each NIH-supported Demonstration Project team within the Collaboratory program and their partnering health care systems. The expectation is hands-on collaboration that helps projects move from proposal to execution: supporting study design choices common in pragmatic trials (for example, cluster randomization considerations, embedded recruitment, outcome capture using electronic health records, and balancing internal validity with feasibility), coordinating cross-project learning, and helping resolve operational barriers that arise when research meets day-to-day clinical practice. This coordinating role also implies providing shared technical expertise and consistent processes so that individual Demonstration Projects do not have to reinvent solutions for common challenges.
Third, a major emphasis is on learning and spreading effective strategies for engaging health care systems as true research partners, not just data sources or implementation sites. The FOA highlights a particular focus on health care systems that have historically participated less in research. That priority points to activities such as developing engagement models that account for limited research infrastructure, creating scalable onboarding approaches, offering practical support for governance and contracting, and documenting what works to build trust and sustained participation. The intent is to broaden the diversity of health care contexts represented in pragmatic research so results are more generalizable and useful across different types of systems and patient populations.
Fourth, the Center is charged with advancing the science and practice of conducting pragmatic clinical trials in health care systems. Even though the Coordinating Center is not itself running a clinical trial under this award, it is expected to improve the field's ability to conduct future pragmatic trials by generating, refining, and disseminating methods, lessons learned, and tools. This includes capturing cross-cutting insights from Demonstration Projects, identifying recurring methodological gaps, and sharing solutions that help the wider research community run pragmatic trials across a variety of real-world settings, where constraints like varying EHR platforms, differing care workflows, and operational priorities are the norm.
Beyond these four pillars, the Coordinating Center also functions as the central resource that connects and supports the overall NIH HCS Research Collaboratory. In effect, it becomes the program's backbone: organizing shared activities, enabling communication and collaboration among participating projects and partners, and ensuring that knowledge generated by the program is packaged and distributed in ways that are usable by researchers and health systems alike. Because the funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement, NIH is typically more involved than in standard grants, with substantial programmatic interaction and expectations for active collaboration and coordination.
In terms of eligibility and administrative constraints, foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed. The source data also lists small businesses among eligible applicants, indicating that certain non-traditional research organizations may be able to apply if they can credibly fulfill the coordinating and technical leadership responsibilities described. The opportunity falls under NIH and is categorized within education and health-related funding activity areas, with multiple CFDA numbers reflecting participation across NIH institutes and centers. The original closing date listed is December 15, 2021, and the FOA was created October 27, 2021; award ceiling and expected awards are not specified in the provided text.Apply for RFA AT 22 002
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Limited Competition: NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory - Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.213, 93.233, 93.307, 93.361, 93.399, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.855, 93.866.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2021-10-27.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-12-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Small businesses.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NIH RFA-AT-22-002 (U24)
What is RFA-AT-22-002?
RFA-AT-22-002 is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity announcement for a cooperative agreement (U24) to continue support for the Health Care Systems (HCS) Research Collaboratory Coordinating Center.
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The purpose is to maintain and strengthen a central coordinating hub that provides national leadership, practical infrastructure, and shared expertise to support research conducted in close partnership with real-world health care systems.
What type of award mechanism is this?
This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement mechanism (U24). A cooperative agreement generally involves substantial programmatic involvement from NIH compared to a standard grant, with expectations for active collaboration, coordination, and ongoing interaction.
Is proposing or running a clinical trial allowed under this announcement?
No. This is explicitly a "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" announcement for the Coordinating Center itself. The application is expected to focus on coordination, methods development, support functions, and dissemination that enable other projects and the broader field, rather than proposing or running a clinical trial as the primary activity.
If clinical trials are not allowed, what activities is the Coordinating Center expected to perform?
The Coordinating Center is expected to focus on coordination and enabling functions such as developing guidance and best practices, providing hands-on support to NIH-supported Demonstration Projects, facilitating cross-project learning, advancing pragmatic research methods, and disseminating tools and lessons learned.
What are the core roles or pillars described for the Coordinating Center?
The described roles include: (1) developing and promoting technical and policy guidelines and best practices for research partnerships with health care systems; (2) working directly with each NIH-supported Demonstration Project and partnering systems to support design and execution; (3) developing and spreading effective strategies for engaging health care systems as true research partners, with emphasis on systems that have historically participated less in research; and (4) advancing the science and practice of conducting pragmatic clinical trials in health care systems by generating and disseminating methods, lessons, and tools.
What kinds of guidelines or best practices might the Coordinating Center develop?
Based on the description, this can include playbooks, templates, and recommended approaches related to data governance, privacy and security expectations, IRB and ethics considerations in pragmatic designs, stakeholder engagement, implementation logistics, and workflow integration so research fits into routine care with minimal disruption.
How is the Coordinating Center expected to support Demonstration Projects?
The Center is expected to work hands-on with each NIH-supported Demonstration Project team and their partnering health care systems to help move projects from proposal to execution. This includes support for pragmatic-study design choices and addressing operational barriers that arise when research is implemented in day-to-day clinical practice.
What pragmatic trial design and operational topics are specifically mentioned?
The opportunity references support for design and execution topics common in pragmatic trials, such as cluster randomization considerations, embedded recruitment, outcome capture using electronic health records (EHRs), and balancing internal validity with feasibility in real-world settings.
Why is cross-project learning an emphasized function?
Cross-project learning is emphasized so that solutions to common challenges do not have to be reinvented by each Demonstration Project. The Coordinating Center is expected to coordinate learning and share technical expertise and consistent processes across projects.
What does it mean to engage health care systems as "true research partners"?
It means health care systems are expected to be engaged as active collaborators in the research process rather than being treated only as data sources or implementation sites. The Center is expected to develop and share strategies that support meaningful partnership and sustained participation.
Is there a particular focus on certain types of health care systems?
Yes. The opportunity highlights a focus on health care systems that have historically participated less in research, suggesting the Coordinating Center should help broaden participation and diversify the health care contexts represented in pragmatic research.
What kinds of activities could support health care systems with less research experience?
The description points to potential activities such as developing engagement models suited to limited research infrastructure, creating scalable onboarding approaches, offering practical support for governance and contracting, and documenting what works to build trust and sustained participation.
How does the Coordinating Center contribute to advancing pragmatic clinical trial methods if it cannot run a trial itself?
Even without running a clinical trial under this award, the Center is expected to improve the field by capturing cross-cutting insights from Demonstration Projects, identifying recurring methodological gaps, refining methods, and disseminating solutions and tools that help others conduct pragmatic trials in real-world health care settings.
What is meant by pragmatic research in "real-world" health care systems?
In the context provided, it refers to research designed to fit within routine care and typical operational constraints, including variation in EHR platforms, different clinical workflows, and competing operational priorities that affect how studies can be implemented.
What is the Coordinating Center's role in the broader NIH HCS Research Collaboratory?
The Coordinating Center functions as the backbone of the program by organizing shared activities, enabling communication and collaboration among participating projects and partners, and ensuring knowledge generated by the program is packaged and distributed in usable forms for researchers and health systems.
What does the FOA say about dissemination?
Dissemination is an expected function. The Center is described as responsible for packaging and distributing program knowledge, tools, and lessons learned in ways that are usable by both researchers and health systems.
Who is eligible to apply?
Based on the provided information, eligible applicants include U.S.-based organizations, and the source data lists small businesses among eligible applicants, suggesting some non-traditional research organizations may be able to apply if they can credibly fulfill the coordinating and technical leadership responsibilities.
Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.
Are non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations eligible?
No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.
Are foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) allowed?
No. Foreign components are not allowed under this opportunity, as stated in the provided information.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What funding activity areas are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is categorized within education and health-related funding activity areas, based on the provided description.
Are CFDA numbers mentioned?
Yes. The source information notes multiple CFDA numbers, reflecting participation across NIH institutes and centers.
When was the FOA created and what was the listed closing date?
The FOA was created on October 27, 2021, and the original closing date listed is December 15, 2021.
Does the provided information state an award ceiling or the expected number of awards?
No. The provided text indicates that the award ceiling and expected awards are not specified.
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