NCCIH Research Blog

We are excited to announce that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has an upcoming receipt date for a funding opportunity announcement (FOA), RFA-AT-22-001: NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory – Pragmatic and Implementation Trials of Embedded Interventions (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trials Optional), to solicit phased cooperative research applications to conduct efficient large-scale pragmatic or implementation trials embedded within health care systems. A technical assistance webinar for potential applicants will be held on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, from 2 to 3 p.m. ET. 

This funding opportunity comes from the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory, formerly known as the NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory. The FOA uses the old name because it was published before the name change. 

The overall goal of this initiative is to support the “real world” assessment of health care strategies and clinical practices and procedures in health care systems that lead to improved care for populations in a variety of health care contexts, with a strong focus on populations with health disparities. 

The receipt date for applications is June 17, 2022. This is the final receipt date for this FOA.

Key Features of RFA-AT-22-001

• This FOA encourages UG3/UH3 phased cooperative research applications to conduct efficient, large-scale pragmatic or implementation trials to improve health and care delivery, with a particular emphasis on health care systems with less historical involvement in research studies focused on improving health outcomes for U.S. patient populations. 
• Awards made under this FOA will initially support a 1-year milestone-driven planning phase (UG3), with possible transition to a trial conduct phase (UH3). UG3 projects that have met their scientific milestones and feasibility requirements may transition to the UH3 phase. 
• The UG3/UH3 application must be submitted as a single application, following the instructions in the FOA.
• This FOA requires that the intervention under study be embedded into “real world” settings in health care delivery systems. Studies can propose to integrate multicomponent or multiple interventions that have demonstrated efficacy into health care systems or implement health care system changes to improve adherence to evidence-based guidelines. 
• Trials should be conducted across three or more health care systems that provide care to patient populations and will become part of and work with the Collaboratory. The Collaboratory program has established a Collaboratory Coordinating Center (CCC) that provides national leadership and technical expertise in all aspects of research with health care systems. Awarded applicants will work with the CCC (rethinkingclinicaltrials.org) to facilitate further planning and refinement of the proposed study.
• If your research interests don’t align with those of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), please review the interests of the other participating Institutes and Centers, as described in the FOA. We encourage you to contact scientific program staff at NCCIH or the other participating Institutes and Centers to share your research aims and determine whether you have a good match before developing your application.

Technical Assistance Webinar on April 5, 2022

We hope you can join us for the technical assistance webinar to be held on April 5, 2022 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET. During the webinar, we will explain Collaboratory funding opportunities and review requirements, as well as the details of this FOA. All participating Institutes and Centers will present their priorities for the FOA. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions during the latter portion of the webinar. Registration is required.

NOTE: Attendance at the webinar is optional and not a requirement of potential applicants. 

Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions: NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory—Pragmatic and Implementation Trials of Embedded Interventions (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trials Optional)

Health Care Systems Research: New Funding for Large-Scale Pragmatic and Implementation Trials—October 28, 2021

Pragmatic Trials Deepen Real-World Understanding of Health Interventions