PCORI Pilot Projects Funding Opportunity

On September 30, PCORI announced its first major funding opportunity, a $26 million pilot projects grants program. These Pilot Projects will strengthen our understanding of how to meaningfully engage patients in the research process and lay a strong foundation for future research, whether funded by PCORI or others. We are excited by a remarkable show in interest in this announcement. During the first week, more than 500 individuals have registered for one of first two scheduled webinars on October 18 and 19.

Please note that we have also scheduled a webinar specifically for non-traditional research partners and those new to research grants on October 18 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. ET. PCORI is committed to including patient and stakeholder perspectives throughout the research process and we are hoping to fund many collaborative efforts that bring together experienced researchers with individuals or organizations that represent patients, caregivers and the broader healthcare community.

We are also inviting patients and other stakeholders who are not usually represented in scientific review groups to serve as reviewers of the pilot projects grants applications. Working side-by-side with scientific reviewers on review committees (or study sections), these individuals will add insights that help ensure the research we fund reflects the interests and views of patients, while remaining scientifically rigorous. You can apply to be a stakeholder reviewer by completing this form by Wednesday, October 26, at noon ET. PCORI is also seeking scientific reviewers, who can apply here.

Elsewhere on our website, you will see that PCORI has announced the appointment of Dr. Anne Beal as PCORI’s Chief Operating Officer.  Dr. Beal is a recognized national leader in health and healthcare quality and in strategic grant-making.  Her arrival at PCORI in early November marks an important next step in PCORI’s growth and development. I have known and respected Dr. Beal’s work for some time and look forward to building PCORI with her.

I also want to share with you a perspective article authored by Dr. Eugene Washington and Steve Lipstein, PCORI's Board chair and vice chair, respectively. Published online by the New England Journal of Medicine on September 30, it is the first publication in a major journal that is entirely devoted to describing PCORI and its progress. Titled "The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute - Promoting Better Information, Decisions, and Health," it describes the efforts by our Board and Methodology Committee to build a new and different patient-centered research institute from scratch.

Since being empanelled one year ago on September 23, 2010, our Board has worked tireless to advance PCORI’s mission, to ensure transparency, credibility and public access across PCORI's work through open meetings and a variety of engagement activities, including engaging patients and other stakeholders in addressing foundational topics, like the definition of "patient-centered outcomes research" and our “areas of interest” in the Pilot Projects funding announcement. Additionally, the Board has strengthened PCORI's governance and is now engaged in a process that will develop PCORI’s National Priorities for Research and its Research Agenda. This process, which will take place between now and year’s end, will involve a wide range of engagement activities.

Please watch this website for ways that you can contribute to the discussion of PCORI’s National Priorities for research. Opportunities will be appearing within the next two weeks.

I want to echo the closing line of Gene's and Steve's perspective: PCORI "is poised to lead a national movement that meaningfully involves patients and incorporates their voices in producing trusted, evidence-based information, promoting better decisions and ultimately better health for all."

We are excited by prospects of continuing to work with you to advance the quality and availability of evidence-based healthcare information at the point where patients and their providers make critical decisions.