Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-sponsored National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32) | PA 22 251

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-sponsored National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32). It is a discretionary grant program intended to support advanced research training for postdoctoral researchers in health services research.

2) What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA listing provided?

The funding opportunity number is PA 22-251, and the CFDA number provided is 93.225.

3) Who is the sponsoring agency?

The sponsoring agency is the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

4) What type of funding instrument is this?

The funding instrument type listed is a grant.

5) What is the activity category?

The activity category is health.

6) What is the central goal of the AHRQ F32 fellowship?

The central goal is to strengthen the fellow's career development through a mentored training experience. The emphasis is not only on completing a single research project, but on building skills, publications, and a research foundation that supports the transition to an independent, productive investigator in health services research.

7) Is this award mainly meant to fund a specific research project?

No. The description emphasizes that the aim is not simply to fund one project. Instead, the fellowship is designed to support a broader mentored training plan that develops the fellow's capabilities and readiness for future independent funding.

8) What kinds of research topics are expected to be responsive to this opportunity?

Projects are expected to align with AHRQ's mission and priorities in health services research. The provided description highlights topics that improve the quality, safety, effectiveness, and value of health care, and research on how health care is delivered, organized, financed, and measured.

9) Who is this fellowship intended to support?

This fellowship targets promising postdoctoral candidates who are positioned to become independent and productive investigators in health services research.

10) What role does mentorship play in this fellowship?

The opportunity emphasizes a structured training plan under the guidance of experienced mentors. The mentored training experience is described as the core of the fellowship model.

11) Are applicants allowed to lead an independent clinical trial as part of the fellowship?

No. Applicants are not permitted to propose leading an independent clinical trial as the primary driver of the fellowship.

12) Can a fellow participate in research training within a clinical trial environment?

Yes. The opportunity allows research training experiences that take place within a clinical trial environment, as long as the clinical trial itself is led by a sponsor or co-sponsor (meaning the fellow is not the person responsible for running the trial as the primary investigator for the trial).

13) What are examples of allowable clinical trial-related training activities under this fellowship?

The description indicates that a fellow may gain experience working with clinical trial data, trial operations, recruitment methods, outcomes assessment, or implementation questions, provided that the fellow is not leading the clinical trial.

14) What kinds of organizations are eligible to apply as the primary applicant?

The opportunity is open to eligible U.S.-based applicant organizations, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.

15) Are foreign institutions eligible to apply as the primary applicant?

No. Foreign institutions (non-U.S. entities) are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant.

16) Can a non-U.S. component of a U.S. organization serve as the primary applicant?

No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to serve in the primary applicant role.

17) Is any international involvement allowed at all?

Yes, limited international involvement may be possible through "foreign components" (as defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement), but only in a supporting capacity such as a consortium arrangement or subcontractor.

18) What does it mean that foreign components are allowed only in a supporting capacity?

Based on the description provided, the primary fellowship and training environment must remain anchored in the United States, while specialized collaboration can be included when justified and arranged as a supporting relationship (for example, via a consortium or subcontract).

19) What is the original closing date mentioned in the provided information?

The original closing date listed is August 8, 2025.

20) Does the provided excerpt specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards?

No. The excerpt explicitly states that an award ceiling and the expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source listing.

21) Where should applicants look for stipend levels, allowable costs, and budget rules?

The description indicates that applicants typically need to consult the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and associated NIH/AHRQ NRSA guidance to understand stipend levels, allowable costs, training-related expenses, and other common F32 budget rules.

22) How should applicants think about what reviewers are likely to emphasize?

Based on the summary provided, review focus is likely to weigh the applicant's potential, the quality of the mentorship and training environment, relevance to AHRQ priorities, and the strength and feasibility of the proposed research and career development plan, while maintaining the restriction against the applicant leading an independent clinical trial.

23) What is the overall positioning of this opportunity for a postdoctoral researcher?

It is positioned as a mentored postdoctoral training award for researchers committed to health services research, designed to build the fellow's trajectory toward independence rather than functioning solely as project funding.