image: The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions. PCORI is committed to continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work. view more
Credit: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
WASHINGTON, DC – The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) today began inviting proposals for new studies and implementation projects through 11 funding opportunities, including the first focused specifically on PCORI Topic Themes. These PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs) include up to $610 million for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) studies that compare health care options to generate evidence that helps patients and those who care for them make better-informed choices.
The first Topical PFAs advance PCORI’s funding on two of the 12 Topic Themes approved by its Board of Governors to guide the organization’s funding for several funding cycles. The Topic Themes, informed by extensive input from patients and other stakeholders, are expansive, intersectional research areas addressing common health issues. One of the new Topical PFAs concentrates on sleep health with emphasis on high-need or underserved populations such as shift workers and individuals with multiple chronic conditions. The other encompasses an array of clinical questions on cardiovascular disease involving prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and post-treatment interventions with special attention to populations experiencing disparities.
“We are very pleased to issue these first funding announcements focused specifically on two of PCORI’s Topic Themes as the organization continues to advance progress on its National Priorities for Health,” said PCORI Executive Director Nakela L. Cook, M.D., MPH. “The Topic Themes entail challenges ripe for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research and creativity in study designs.”
Additional research PFAs offer research teams the opportunity to submit applications that align with any of PCORI’s Topic Themes or other topics that address one or more of PCORI’s National Priorities for Health, a comprehensive set of mutually reinforcing goals to address the health and health care challenges facing the nation.
These additional funding opportunities include the Phased Large Awards for Comparative Effectiveness Research (PLACER) PFA, which seeks proposals for ambitious, large-scale, two-phased trials on important decisional dilemmas, and the Broad Pragmatic Studies (BPS) PFA. Although research teams may propose research on any topic through the BPS PFA, PCORI encourages submissions for studies on Long COVID and on social determinants of health and studies using PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network funded by PCORI, to support more efficient, large-scale studies. PCORI offers up to $200 million through the PLACER PFA and up to $160 million through the BPS PFA.
In addition, PCORI reissued two PFAs focusing on additional areas of need. One offers up to $50 million to fund projects examining telehealth use in primary care to manage multiple chronic conditions. The other, also offering up to $50 million, targets optimizing physical and mental functioning among community-dwelling older adults and their caregivers.
Additional PFAs focus on evidence uptake, engagement and research methods
PCORI also supports initiatives to accelerate the uptake of useful CER evidence into clinical practice to improve health care and health outcomes. Three PFAs seek proposals for projects to implement results of PCORI-funded research and advance approaches to effective shared decision making in practice settings.
Another PFA, offering up to $4.5 million, seeks proposals for studies focused on strengthening and enhancing the science of engagement in health research. This groundbreaking initiative supports strategic approaches to promoting robust engagement in health research.
An additional PFA, offering up to $12 million, seeks proposals for studies on improving methods to conduct patient-centered CER and enhance scientific rigor across this field of research.
“Enhancing and advancing the knowledge, means and resources to conduct rigorous patient-centered CER with meaningful engagement by patients and other stakeholders ensures that important findings are accessible and taken up in clinical practice. These funding activities are essential to PCORI’s success in fulfilling its mission to improve decision making and patient outcomes,” said Harv Feldman, M.D., MSCE, PCORI’s deputy executive director for patient-centered research programs.
To date, PCORI has invested more than $4 billion to fund patient-centered CER and other research-related projects. Details about the most recent funding announcements are on PCORI’s website.
About PCORI
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions. PCORI is committed to continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work.