AHRQ announces peer review process and application format changes

The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) announced that they will adopt many, but not all, of the NIH’s guidelines for enhancing peer review, evaluation, and proposal format changes starting with submissions on or after January 25th, 2010. Read the full notice here.

Basically, many of the same changes apply, except for one large difference: AHRQ will not implement the same page limit restrictions; they will maintain the page limits they currently use. Each AHRQ funding opportunity announcement will specify the page limit requirements for the Research Strategy section. Also of note, the AHRQ will not adopt the Early Stage Investigator designation on grant applications that the NIH currently uses.

The notice specifies outlines four main areas:

• Enhanced Peer Review
  • AHRQ will follow many of the changes that NIH implemented. See the Description of Updated Review Criteria in the notice.
• Resubmission (Amended) Applications
  • AHRQ will follow many of the changes that NIH implemented.
• Restructured Application Forms and Instructions
  • AHRQ will adopt the NIH paper and electronic PHS 398 application forms.
• Page Limits and Designation of Early Stage Investigator
  • AHRQ will keep the page limits currently in use and will not adopt the Early Stage Investigator Designation as a component of enhancing peer review.