The healthcare research process traditionally includes only scientists and other research-related professionals. PCORI believes that engagement of nontraditional stakeholders—from topic selection through design and conduct of research to dissemination of results—can influence research to be more patient centered, useful, and trustworthy, and ultimately lead to greater use of research results by patients and the broader healthcare community.
The Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award program, named in honor of the first chair of PCORI’s Board of Governors, is intended to bring more patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders into the research process. The goal is to support projects that will build a community better able to participate in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and serve as channels to disseminate study results. This is central to our mission to fund useful CER that will help patients and those who care for them make better-informed healthcare decisions.
The Engagement Award program supports PCORI’s Engagement Imperative—defined in our Strategic Plan—and provides a platform to increase engagement in research, that is, the meaningful involvement of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders throughout the research process.
Engagement Awards – April 2021 Cycle
These Engagement Award PCORI Funding Announcements opened on Tuesday, February 1, 2021. Letters of Intent for this Engagement Award funding opportunity were due April 1, 2021 by 5:00pm ET. Full proposals, which are by invitation only, are due July 12, 2021 by 5:00pm ET.
Engagement Award: Capacity Building
This award category funds projects that build communities prepared to participate in PCOR/CER. These projects support organizations with strong ties to patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other stakeholders who have a connection to a research focus area, with the awards existing as a bridge to better equip the stakeholders to engage as partners in research.
Within this announcement, we express a special area of interest in maternal morbidity and mortality. Please review the information available on the Engagement Awards Special Area of Interest: Maternal Morbidity and Mortality webpage for more information. PCORI reminds prospective applicants that special areas of interest exist to encourage submissions on a topic, not to limit submissions to that topic only. PCORI accepts and welcomes LOIs on all topics related to capacity building for PCOR/CER that fall within the guidelines of the Capacity Building program.
Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative
This award category funds projects —not conferences—to allow organizations and communities to plan for or bring relevant PCORI-funded research findings to people who can use these findings to make better-informed healthcare decisions. To meet this goal, projects promote findings in a way that will command the attention and interest of end users.
There are two tracks with this award, Building Capacity for Dissemination, for projects to lay the groundwork for disseminating and implementing PCORI-funded evidence through organizations with strong ties to end-user audiences, and Active Dissemination for projects to spread awareness and increase knowledge of PCORI-funded evidence, targeted directly to end-user audiences such as patients, clinicians, communities, and others who can use this information to inform healthcare decisions. The emphasis should be on active dissemination strategies, rather than on passive dissemination or material/partnership development for future dissemination.
For explanation of distinctions between the Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative and Dissemination Projects awarded through the D&I program, please visit PCORI’s Dissemination Related Funding Opportunities web page.
Engagement Award: Stakeholder Convening Support
This award category provides support to organizations and community groups to hold convenings, meetings, and conferences that include a variety of stakeholder groups. Convenings should be designed with the active involvement of patient and community groups and organizations to bring diverse stakeholders together around a central focus or theme, such as geographic location, health condition, or population. The stakeholders will explore issues related to PCOR/CER or communicate PCORI-funded research results to targeted end-user audiences.
Within this announcement, we express a special area of interest in maternal morbidity and mortality. Please review the information available on the Engagement Awards Special Area of Interest: Maternal Morbidity and Mortality webpage for more information. PCORI reminds prospective applicants that special areas of interest exist to encourage submissions on a topic, not to limit submissions to that topic only. PCORI accepts and welcomes LOIs on all topics related to bringing together diverse stakeholders to explore issues related to PCOR/CER, or communicate PCORI-funded research results to targeted end-user audiences that fall within the guidelines of the Stakeholder Convening Support program.
Engagement Award – Special Cycle 2021
These Engagement Award PCORI Funding Announcements opened on Monday, March 1, 2021. The submission deadline for applications was Monday, May 24 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Engagement Award Special Cycle: Building Capacity for PCOR/CER for Topics Related to COVID-19
This award category provides support to organizations and communities to build their capacity and skills to participate across all phases of the PCOR/CER process on topics that address health outcomes related to COVID-19. Projects will also provide an understanding of the impact of stakeholder engagement strategies within different settings and stakeholder groups focused on this special area of interest.
Engagement Award Special Cycle: Building Capacity for PCOR/CER in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
This award category provides support to organizations and communities to build their capacity and skills to participate across all phases of the PCOR/CER process on topics that address health outcomes related to intellectual and developmental disabilities. Projects will also provide an understanding of the impact of stakeholder engagement strategies within different settings and stakeholder groups focused on this special area of interest.
Awardee Share and Tell Video Series
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, many awardees from the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program have been pivoting from in-person engagement events to virtual settings. Some of these awardees have created videos to share valuable lessons and insight with the greater PCORI awardee community about successful ways to shift to or implement a virtual PCOR/CER engagement event.
Engagement Awards Program Review and Analysis
Insight Policy Research reviewed, extracted, and analyzed data from Engagement awardees’ interim and final progress reports, which indicate accomplishments, challenges, and successes during the award period. The synthesis of findings, which was conducted between 2017-2020, is outlined in the poster.
Questions?
For questions about Engagement Award application processes, the online application system, application deadlines, potential fit of a project idea, or related issues, please contact us at [email protected] or (202) 370-9312. We will respond within three business days.
Posted: October 15, 2013; Updated: April 9, 2021