Dozens of researchers funded by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality received notices last week that they would not receive future installments of funding for their ongoing research grants. While frustrating, the development was largely not a surprise to these researchers, many of whom had been waiting months for renewed funding or been unable to get explanations as to why the funding spigots had run dry from staffers at the agency.
The notices punctuated nearly a year of uncertainty for health services researchers funded by AHRQ and left those who lost funding concerned about the future of their field. AcademyHealth, a professional organization representing health services researchers, has confirmed at least 78 grants worth $200 million have been affected. In all, those grants had $109.2 million in funding remaining, it estimated.
Grant recipients were told in a letter of “non-award” that “AHRQ is adjusting its discretionary health services research award portfolio in order to better prioritize agency resources towards the above-mentioned priorities to best serve the interests of the Federal Government,” according to one such letter reviewed by STAT. The letter states the agency is prioritizing research on patient safety, antibiotic resistance, AI, long Covid, nutrition, and understanding autism, among others.
