Broad Pragmatic Studies Funding Announcement -- 2023 Standing PFA (Cycle 1 2023)

This PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) invites applications for high-quality comparative clinical effectiveness research projects. The Broad Pragmatic Studies (BPS) PFA 2023 funding cycle year will retain familiar requirements from the 2022 standing BPS PFA with updates to reflect PCORI’s National Priorities for Health.

The BPS PFA was first issued in January 2022 and combined two longstanding funding opportunities known as the Broad PFA and Pragmatic Clinical Studies PFA. For the 2023 opportunities, PCORI’s National Priorities for Health and Board of Governors-approved Topic Themes have been incorporated.

All applications must align the proposed research with at least one of the four National Priorities for Health described within the PFA. New Topic Themes are also introduced in this funding opportunity. Applicants have the option to choose up to three Topic Themes, based on how their proposed research aligns with the themes. However, aligning with the indicated Topic Themes is not required. The National Priorities for Health and Topic Themes will assist PCORI in determining the optimal review pathway for the proposed research.

National Priorities for Health

Adopted by PCORI’s Board in 2021, PCORI’s National Priorities for Health are a comprehensive set of mutually reinforcing goals that focus on impact, guiding our research funding and other initiatives to improve patient care and health outcomes. The breadth of the goals allows for flexibility, agility, and responsiveness to both foreseen and unforeseen changes in the healthcare landscape. The National Priorities for Health were developed, revised, and finalized with extensive stakeholder input.

The National Priorities for Health build on PCORI’s historical funding framework of research approaches to improve patient-centered health with comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER). Applicants should be able to demonstrate clearly how their proposed CER may serve and align with one or more National Priorities for Health. For example, aligned with helping achieve health equity may propose to compare evidence-based systems-level approaches for health communications to address access to care for underserved or historically excluded populations. This example illustrates how a research study can have multiple connections to PCORI’s National Priorities for Health.

Topic Themes

In addition, this first cycle of the 2023 BPS PFA is the inaugural issuance of a funding opportunity that addresses PCORI’s Topic Themes. In Summer 2022, PCORI’s Board of Governors approved a set of broad Topic Themes that will inform PCORI’s funding opportunities over the next several cycles. The themes speak to everyday health issues facing large numbers of Americans, including children, youth, and older adults, and address timely topics such as violence and trauma, substance use, and mental and behavioral health. Cardiovascular health, sleep health, and pain management were also included. The Topic Themes were distilled from public input received from a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including formal public comments made during PCORI’s strategic planning effort.

Applicants to the Cycle 1 2023 BPS PFA may select up to three Topic Themes that best align with their proposed research. Applicants may also opt not to select from the PCORI Topic Themes and select “other” to indicate that their research aligns with other areas of important need for CER. In keeping with past cycles, the BPS PFA welcomes all investigator-initiated CER.

Additional Background: Broad Pragmatic Studies (BPS) PFA

PCORI will commit up to $162 million per cycle through this funding opportunity. As in past cycles, the BPS PFA will offer two funding categories based on award size, with targeted funding allotments for each to promote a balance of smaller and larger research projects within the funded portfolio. Category 1 will include research projects with direct costs up to and including $5 million. Category 2 will permit awards for funding of research projects requesting direct costs greater than $5 million and up to a maximum of $10 million. Applications for funding under Category 2 will be expected to justify the size and scope of the proposed research as well as why additional funds are necessary to support the scale, scope, and complexity of personnel and material resources needed to address the proposed research question.

The BPS PFA will continue to offer two pilot PCORI initiatives. First, all applicants submitting to this PFA may request coverage of patient care costs subject to meeting specified criteria that PCORI will use to determine which costs, if any, may be acceptable for potential funding. PCORI funding support for requested patient care costs is not assured. Second, all applicants to the BPS PFA will be able to defer application submissions for invited Letters of Intent (LOIs) for up to two subsequent funding cycles. Researchers who previously elected to defer their PCORI applications from the Cycle 2 2022 and Cycle 3 2022 BPS PFA will be considered eligible to submit to the Cycle 1 2023 BPS PFA.

Standing 2023 Broad Pragmatic Studies (BPS) PFA

Continuing the practice started with Cycle 1 2022, PCORI posts all submission materials for the BPS PFA and opens PCORI Online for the LOI phase of application submission at the start of the cycle year (i.e., cycles 1–3 of any given year). In addition to the PFA, the Submission Instructions, applicant templates and resources, and cycle deadlines will also be posted on PCORI’s website and available in PCORI Online. Applicants may submit an LOI for any of the available cycles up until the LOI deadline for that cycle. PCORI will strive to make only necessary administrative updates to the Submission Instructions and applicant templates throughout the cycle year.

To maintain responsiveness to health research needs and stakeholder interests, PCORI may revise the BPS PFA details, address policy changes, and add or remove a theme. Topic Themes aim to encourage applications on a particular health topic, not restrict applications to only the themes.

Announcements of any updates and any revised documents will be posted on PCORI’s website no later than four weeks before each cycle’s LOI deadline.

For questions regarding this funding announcement, please reach out to [email protected].