PCORI’s third funding cycle of the year opens September 7, seeking projects that answer questions about the most effective treatments for a variety of high-priority topics, study the best ways to conduct patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER), and aim to implement findings from PCORI-funded research into practice.

These PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs) will include calls for research projects focused on:

• Using telehealth to optimize management of multiple chronic conditions in primary care, especially among vulnerable populations
• Optimizing physical and mental functioning of community-dwelling older adults and their caregivers across the aging continuum
• Comparing multimodal treatments to prevent fractures in people with osteoporosis
• Addressing critical decisions faced by patients, caregivers, clinicians, and stakeholders across the health and healthcare community
• Supporting innovative, high-impact studies that cover four priority areas, including special areas of emphasis
• Improving methods for conducting patient-centered outcomes research

Also opening are three PFAs focused on implementing the results of PCORI-funded research projects.

Read on to learn more about these opportunities.

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Telehealth, Multiple Chronic Conditions

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a rapid expansion of telehealth to treat patients remotely.

In response to this surge, a Targeted PFA seeks studies that will compare the clinical effectiveness of different approaches to accessing and using telehealth to optimize management of multiple chronic conditions in primary care, especially among vulnerable populations such as those who are elderly, have low income, or are part of a racial/ethnic minority group.

To learn more about this PFA, register to attend an Applicant Town Hall on September 15.

Healthy Aging

PCORI is reissuing a Targeted PFA seeking projects focused on optimizing physical and mental functioning for older adults and their caregivers. The number of Americans over 65 is projected to reach around 95 million by 2060, making this group almost a quarter of the US population.

This PFA solicits applications for research studies that focus on different phases of the aging continuum and aim to achieve one or more of the following four goals:

• Maintaining function and independence
• Facilitating chronic disease management
• Supporting individuals with significant functional impairment
• Reducing caregiving burden and improving quality of life

For more information on this PFA, register to attend an Applicant Town Hall on September 20.

Preventing Osteoporotic Fractures

Fracture is a significant consequence of osteoporosis, with an estimated 2 million people experiencing an osteoporotic fracture each year. Osteoporosis treatment is multimodal, but broad evidence gaps exist around multimodal interventions to prevent second fractures.

A reissued Targeted PFA will solicit projects seeking to determine the comparative effectiveness of multimodal treatment interventions on patient-centered outcomes in people with osteoporosis and a history of fractures.

To learn more about this PFA, register to attend an Applicant Town Hall on September 14.

Phased Large Awards for CER

This PFA invites applications for CER projects that will address critical decisions faced by patients, caregivers, clinicians, and stakeholders across the health and healthcare community and for which there is insufficient evidence. This funding announcement anticipates that proposed research projects will require two phases of funding.

Funds and Project Period

• See PFA for funds available, total direct costs, and maximum project period.

For more information on this PFA, register to attend an Applicant Town Hall on September 12.

Broad Pragmatic Studies

Under this standing PFA, PCORI has identified four Special Areas of Emphasis to support innovative, high-impact studies that fit within our mission of advancing patient-engaged and patient-centered CER:

• Addressing Racism, Discrimination, and Bias in Healthcare Systems and Care Delivery
• Caregiver-Delivered Interventions for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• Optimizing Prevention and Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage
• Visual Impairment in Older Adults

Improving Methods for Conducting Patient-Centered Outcomes Research

Through this standing PFA, PCORI aims to fund studies that address high-priority methodological gaps in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and CER and lead to improvements in the strength and quality of evidence generated by PCOR/CER studies. This PFA’s programmatic priorities include methods to:

• Improve use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in clinical research
• Improve study design
• Support data research networks
• Address ethical and human subjects protections issues in CER

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PCORI is also accepting Letters of Intent for three implementation PFAs. Funded projects will focus on moving results from previous PCORI-funded studies into practice.

Open Competition PFA: Implementation of Findings from PCORI's Research Investments

Open to applicants without any previous PCORI association or funding, this PFA will fund implementation projects promoting the uptake of specific findings generated from studies across the institute’s research portfolio.

For this funding cycle, PCORI has identified four focus areas:

• Obesity treatment
• Urinary incontinence
• Posttraumatic stress disorder
• Antibiotic use

Limited Competition PFA: Implementation Awards

Under this limited competition PFA, applicants can propose standard or phased implementation projects or dissemination projects.

This PFA supports previous recipients of PCORI funding in moving evidence their teams developed with PCORI research funding toward practical use in improving health care and health outcomes in real-world settings.

In selected cases, projects focus on disseminating key findings from these studies to raise awareness and understanding among targeted audiences.

Effective Shared Decision Making Approaches in Practice Settings

This PFA targets the implementation and uptake of shared decision making (SDM) approaches in healthcare settings. The PFA supports two types of projects.

First, it supports projects that promote the uptake of SDM approaches found effective in PCORI-funded research studies.  Second, it supports projects that integrate research findings from PCORI-funded CER into existing, tested SDM strategies and then work to integrate these updated strategies into practice.

All funded projects will address barriers and obstacles to the uptake and maintenance of SDM strategies, so that these interventions are effectively and sustainably integrated into practice.

Letters of Intent for all research and implementation PFAs are due October 4.