Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology | NAP AX 22 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for NAP AX 22 001

The Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology funding opportunity (Opportunity Number NAP AX 22 001) is a discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), administered by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). It is offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means ONC expects to be actively involved with awardees during the project period through collaboration, shared direction, and ongoing coordination rather than operating as a hands-off funder. The overall purpose of LEAP is to push forward practical, high-impact advances in health information technology that can help modernize healthcare delivery and make better use of electronic health record (EHR) data at scale.

The core problem ONC is trying to address is that, even as the agency works to implement provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act, persistent gaps remain in two major areas: first, using EHR data effectively for population-level analysis and services (things like public health reporting, quality measurement, care management, and broader analytics across patient groups), and second, bringing clinical knowledge and new evidence into day-to-day care in a way that fits naturally into clinician workflows. ONC notes that these gaps are not caused by a single issue; they stem from a mix of challenges including inconsistent or insufficient data standards, limited interoperability, and the difficulty of digitizing new evidence and integrating it into clinical systems in ways that are safe, genuinely useful, and usable in real-world settings. In practice, this points to the reality that simply having digital records is not enough; systems also need consistent meaning, reliable exchange, and workflow-friendly presentation so information can drive better decisions rather than add friction.

LEAP is designed to support innovative, breakthrough solutions that can remove barriers and accelerate progress toward nationwide interoperability and seamless electronic exchange of health data. The opportunity explicitly emphasizes work that starts by identifying the fundamental questions that must be answered to pinpoint the most important obstacles to interoperability. In other words, applicants are encouraged not only to build tools or pilot solutions, but also to clarify what is truly blocking data sharing and reuse at a national level, then develop approaches that can overcome those barriers. A major theme is active engagement with the health IT industry and academic researchers to jointly identify and develop solutions, recognizing that durable interoperability and workflow integration require coordination between research, product development, implementation realities, and the operational constraints of healthcare organizations.

Another central expectation is dissemination and collaboration. LEAP is not framed as isolated R&D; ONC highlights the need to share findings from the work and to foster broader collaboration so that lessons learned and successful approaches can be advanced and implemented beyond the initial awardees. The idea is to create momentum in the field by translating project results into knowledge and practices that vendors, providers, researchers, and other stakeholders can use, thereby increasing the likelihood that breakthroughs lead to adoption and measurable improvements.

In terms of basic award details, the program lists an award ceiling of $1,000,000 per award and anticipates making 2 awards. The funding is associated with CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) number 93.345. Eligible applicants are broad and include state governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that nonprofit category), along with other entities as described in the full eligibility clarification. The opportunity was created on June 14, 2022, with an original closing date of August 15, 2022.

Overall, LEAP in Health IT is aimed at accelerating the next stage of health IT maturity: moving from basic digitization and partial exchange toward true interoperability and high-value reuse of health data, while also improving how clinical knowledge is translated into everyday care. The program focuses on identifying root barriers, building and testing innovative solutions with industry and academia, and making sure results are shared in ways that help the broader health IT ecosystem implement what works.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator in the health, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.345.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 14, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 15, 2022 No Explanation. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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