News Release

PCORI announces up to $34 million in new research funding opportunities

Emphasizes interest in proposals focused on cancer treatment, peripheral artery disease and suicide prevention
Published: Sept. 3, 2019

WASHINGTON, DC — The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) today began accepting applications for funds to support studies designed to improve care for people with a range of health conditions that impose high burdens on patients, caregivers and the healthcare system.  

PCORI has made up to $34 million in funding available under two PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs) aligned with its National Priorities for Research. One PFA covers four of those priorities: addressing disparities; improving healthcare systems; communications and dissemination research; and assessment of prevention, diagnosis and treatment options. Although this PFA seeks the research community’s best ideas for studies on any topic, PCORI is particularly interested in proposals focused on four clinical areas, each suggested by clinician groups:

  • Dosing of cancer treatment agents in adults
  • Genetic sequencing to guide cancer treatment
  • Peripheral artery disease
  • Suicide prevention

PCORI will award up to $29 million to cover the direct costs of approved studies under this PFA.

“We look forward to seeing what the research community will propose during our newest funding cycle, our 22nd research funding cycle since we first began seeking applications for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research in May 2012,” said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH.

“I’m pleased that even as dozens of the studies we’ve funded over the last seven years have produced important results that are informing real-world practice, we continue to seek the research community’s most promising proposals for projects that can help patients and those who care for them make better-informed healthcare decisions. I’m especially pleased that the clinician community has suggested the four topics that we emphasize in these latest announcements.”

The other PFA seeks proposals for improving methods for conducting patient-centered outcomes research. PCORI will make up to $5 million available through this PFA to cover the direct costs of approved studies. Although all proposals are welcome, PCORI has identified four specific areas of interest:

  • Methods related to ethical and human subjects protections Issues in patient-centered outcomes research/comparative clinical effectiveness research
  • Methods to improve study design
  • Methods to support data research networks
  • Methods to improve the use of natural language processing