Applications in Support of Patient-Centered Research Proposals

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is making up to $304 million in funding available through six PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs) for new clinical effectiveness research (CER) and studies with potential to improve methods for conducting CER.

Two of these PFAs focus on topic areas — intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and maternal mortality — that reflect research priorities outlined in the legislation reauthorizing PCORI’s funding, which was signed into law in December 2019.

Through the first of these topic area announcements, PCORI seeks proposals for studies that will compare pharmacological, behavioral, and non-pharmacological interventions (or a combination of those interventions) to manage mental health conditions in people with IDD. PCORI is making up to $40 million available to fund such studies.

Through the second topic area announcement, PCORI offers up to $50 million to fund CER on improving postpartum outcomes during the first six weeks following childbirth. Study proposals should focus on American Indian/Alaska Native, Black and Hispanic populations and those living in rural areas, who are more often underserved or experience greater disparities in health outcomes.

A third PFA offers up to $40 million for studies comparing non-surgical approaches to urinary incontinence, a condition that affects 30 percent of older women. A PCORI-funded systematic review update showed there is good evidence to support the effectiveness of multiple nonsurgical interventions, but evidence gaps exist on comparative benefits and possible side effects.

A fourth PFA offers up to $90 million to fund new pragmatic clinical studies, which are large-scale CER studies that are conducted in typical healthcare settings rather than specialized research centers. They usually involve more diverse populations than typical clinical research and are intended to generate information that clinicians can more readily adopt in routine care. PCORI will accept proposals for studies on any topic, including IDD and maternal health. 

A fifth announcement through which $72 million will be awarded seeks the research community’s best ideas for patient-centered CER studies that evaluate healthcare options and ways to deliver care, with a special focus on IDD and maternal health.

The sixth PFA offers up to $12 million for studies designed to improve the methods for conducting patient-centered CER.

In addition to these research funding opportunities, PCORI also supports projects designed to promote awareness of findings from PCORI-funded research and to facilitate the uptake and use of research results in health care delivery.

To date, PCORI has invested $2.9 billion to fund patient-centered CER and to support other projects designed to enhance CER methods and the infrastructure necessary to conduct CER rigorously and efficiently.

Details of all six funding opportunities can be found on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute website.