Our online system opened today to accept Letters of Intent (LOIs) for proposals under new Broad PCORI Funding Announcements (PFA) that offer up to $64 million in research support. We are looking for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research projects that align with our priority areas for research, which include assessment of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment options; improving healthcare systems; communication and dissemination research; and addressing disparities.

The legislation reauthorizing our funding outlined two new topics for funded research: intellectual and developmental disabilities and maternal mortality. In response to this additional direction, we are inviting investigators to submit LOIs for studies that look at ways to maximize function and quality of life for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families and caregivers, and projects that will study ways to reduce maternal mortality.

For this cycle, we’re also especially interested in proposals for studies on genetic sequencing to guide cancer treatment, peripheral artery disease, and suicide prevention, topics that have been suggested by the clinician and payer groups that are among the stakeholders we serve.

We are open to considering all strong proposals in this funding cycle and are not limiting applications to these priority topics.

A second PFA seeks to fund projects that address gaps in the methods used to conduct patient-centered outcomes research and comparative clinical effectiveness research studies. The PFA offers up to $12 million in support. Our four research areas of interest for this opportunity are methods related to ethical and human subjects protections issues as well as methods to enhance study design, support data research networks, and improve the use of natural language processing.

We’ll accept LOIs for these opportunities until February 4.

In addition, we are seeking LOIs for implementation of PCORI-funded research. Those letters are due January 28.

You can find more information about all these funding announcements here.