The PCORI Challenge Initiative

PCORI is exploring the “open innovation” approach to problem-solving with our first “challenge” initiative – tapping into the expertise of the healthcare and developer communities to help us advance “research done differently.” Our inaugural challenge – developing a patient/research “matching” system that will effectively connect potential partners interested in seeking funding from us for rigorous patient-centered outcomes research. The solution could be a well-articulated conceptual model, adaptation of an existing matching protocol reimagined for the purpose outlined in this challenge, a prototype for an entirely new web-based service or app, some combination of these approaches, or something else entirely.

This challenge, which opened December 15, 2012 and closed at midnight ET on April 15, 2013, was designed to offer an opportunity for innovators to help PCORI more effectively bring the voice of patients, caregivers and other stakeholders to the research process. We believe this means having patients and caregivers serve as collaborators with researchers in such critical activities as formulating research questions, developing research materials, determining research protocols, and helping to review and disseminate study results.

A panel of reviewers, including researchers, technologists, patients and other stakeholders, will assess the entries. The review panel will judge entries, whether conceptual models or prototypes, based on how well they address a number of criteria including technical capacity, usability, scalability and sustainability across diverse populations, the maximization of “patient-centeredness,” and the particular challenges of serving “hard-to-reach” audiences, including, but not limited to, ethnic and racial minorities, rural populations, the elderly, the disabled/physically challenged and those for whom English is a second language.

Winners will receive cash prizes and their work may be considered for additional PCORI support, depending on the outcome of the review process.

We’ll be announcing our panel of judges soon and listing their names and biographies here. Judging are expected to select winners by mid-May.

 

Posted October 8, 2012; updated December 15, 2012 and April 16, 2013