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Upcoming Funding and Training Opportunities!

Implementation strategies are crucial for supporting VA’s efforts to achieve core features common to Learning Health Care Systems and High-Reliability Health Care Organizations. QUERI works to accelerate evidence into practice through supporting over 40 VA centers across the U.S. that focus on enhancing the uptake of effective practices and three resource centers devoted to the:

• Identification of effective practices (Evidence-based Synthesis Program: ESP),
• Selection of implementation strategies to promote the uptake of effective practices across different settings (Center for Evaluation and Implementation Resources: CEIR), and
• Rigorous evaluation of VHA national programs and policies to sustain effective practices (Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center: PEPReC).

By promoting state-of-the-art methods that align organizational priorities with frontline provider engagement, QUERI drives adoption of effective practices that achieve the best possible outcomes within a sustainable cost. The VHA Performance Plan (Intranet only, copy and paste to your browser: http://vaww.car.rtp.med.va.gov/default.aspx) benchmarks VISN and facility leaders on scale-up and spread of effective practices, and QUERI has an unprecedented opportunity to support these goals, notably because VISNs and facilities receive higher performance ratings if they implement practices derived from QUERI projects. QUERI can also help VISNs and facilities scale up best practices by providing training in the use of implementation strategies that allow for scale-up and spread as well as local tailoring.

QUERI Global Merit Review Award for Winter 2019

QUERI primarily funds rigorous, time-sensitive implementation and evaluation initiatives that are supported by VISNs or national operations partners to accelerate adoption of evidence-based practices in real-world health care settings.

This QUERI Global Request for Applications (Intranet only, copy and paste to your browser: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/docs/HX-19-007-QUERI-Global.pdf) announces QUERI funding opportunities to help achieve QUERI’s Strategic Plan goals of:

• Rapidly implementing best practices into routine care
• Conducting rigorous evaluations to inform policies in partnership with clinical/system operations

• Promoting the application of implementation science to real-world practice.

QUERI’s Winter 2019 Request for Funding Applications (RFAs) includes funding opportunities for I) Partnered Evaluation Initiative (PEI), II) QUERI-VISN Partnered Implementation Initiative, and the III) QUERI Implementation Strategy Learning Network Hub Sites.

Service Directed QUERI PEIs focused on the MISSION Act (Intranet only, copy and paste to your browser: https://vaww.vashare.vha.va.gov/sites/LIT/MISSION_Act/SitePages/Homepage.aspx) or one of the five Diffusion of Excellence Gold Status Practices (Best Practices that won the VA Shark Tank competition in the last few rounds) will receive high priority consideration. For more information, see the QUERI Supplemental Document for Service Directed PEIs(Intranet only, copy and paste to your browser: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/docs/QUERI-RFA-Supplemental.pdf).

HSR&D RFAs for Winter 2019

Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) funds investigator-initiated research that examines the organization, delivery, and financing of healthcare, from the perspectives of patients, caregivers, providers, and managers to improve the quality and economy of care. Thus, HSR&D researchers focus on hypothesis-driven research that informs development and implementation of effective practices and lead to accessible, high quality, cost-effective care for Veterans and the nation. HSR&D evaluation-focused RFAs for Winter 2019 include:

• HSR&D Parent Learning Healthcare Initiative Randomized Program Evaluation  (Intranet only, copy and paste into browswer: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/docs/HX-19-006-LHI.pdf)
  • Evaluations of impacts and/or implementation of new programs or policies addressing VA priorities.
  • Full proposal budget cap remains at $1.1 million
• HSR&D Time-Sensitive Projects on Implementation and Evaluation of the MISSION Act  (New) (Intranet only, copy and paste into browswer: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/docs/HX-19-008-Mission.pdf)
  • Support planning for a national program of research to address the long-term impacts of selected sections of the MISSION Act.

While QUERI focuses on time-sensitive, impactful partner-driven implementation and evaluation efforts, HSR&D evaluations support collaborative partner-aligned hypothesis-driven research questions.

HSR&D has updated priorities (Intrnet only, copy and paste into browswer: https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/funding/PriorityDomains2019.pdf) as reflected in several new and revised RFAs for Winter 2019, including:

• HSR&D Merit Review Award (Updated) (Intranet only, copy and paste into browswer: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/docs/HX-19-001-Parent.pdf)
  • Consolidation of former Learning Health Care System Provider Behavior and Measurement Science RFAs into Parent IIR RFA
  • Updated HSR&D priorities including an emphasis on proposals that address one or more of the following: conditions affecting Veterans, emerging health services research methods, and/or alignment with national legislative priorities.
  • Greater Emphasis on designing for Implementation/Dissemination – note that VA’s Cooperative Studies Program is now requiring an implementation plan for new trials as well.
  • Budget cap increase from previous limit of $1.1 million to $1.2 million
• HSR&D Targeted Solicitation for Health Services Research on Veteran Suicide Prevention (Updated) (Intranet only, copy and paste into browswer: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/docs/HX-19-004-Gen-Suicide.pdf)
  • Studies that address the prevention of suicide or treatment of suicidality, particularly among Veterans at high risk.
  • Budget cap increase from previous limit of $1.1 million to $1.2 million
• HSR&D Targeted Solicitation for Service Directed Research on Veteran Suicide Prevention During the First Year Following Discharge from Military Status  (New) (Intranet only, copy and paste into browswer: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/docs/HX-19-005-SDR-Suicide.pdf)
  • Includes five primary objectives, such as characterizing military transitioning to civilian status on medical, psychological, social, and economic levels – and identifying specific risk factors or special populations at risk for suicide.
  • Budget cap of $1.2 million
• HSR&D Innovation Initiative Program (Planning/Start Up Funds)  (New) (Intranet only, copy and paste into browswer: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/docs/HX-18-020-Innovation.pdf)
  • Supports innovative high-impact research that challenges or seeks to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by using novel theoretical concepts, new methodologies, new data sets, or innovative interventions.

  RFA Deadlines

  Please note the following key HSR&D/QUERI RFA deadlines:

  • Intent-to-Submit Window via ART: October 15 – November 1, 2018
  • First Day to Submit Applications to grants.gov: November 15
  • Down to the Wire Submission Deadline to grants.gov: December 10
  • Last Possible Submission Date to grants.gov: December 12
  • Verification Deadline in eRA: December 15
  • Scientific Merit Review: March 2019
  • Earliest Project Start Date: April 2019

  For more information or any questions about QUERI RFAs, please contact Melissa Braganza at Melissa.Braganza@va.gov.

  For more information or any questions about HSR&D RFAs, please contact the Special Project Manager for the relevant review panel.