Funding Opportunities

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) intends to issue a Broad Pragmatic Studies (BPS) PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) on April 1, 2026, seeking to fund patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) projects. This preannouncement provides potential applicants additional time to identify collaborators; obtain patient and stakeholder input on potential studies; and develop responsive, high-quality applications. CER compares at least two available health treatments, services or care delivery strategies. PCORI seeks proposals that compare clinical interventions (e.g., pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments, screening and diagnostic approaches) and healthcare delivery system interventions (e.g., workforce, technologies, healthcare service delivery designs) to evaluate potential benefits and harms of different treatment and care delivery options, thus generating evidence that empowers patients, caregivers and the broader healthcare community with information to make informed choices that reflect their needs and preferences. For Cycle 2 2026, PCORI is particularly interested in submissions that address the following Special Areas of Emphasis (SAE) within the BPS funding opportunity. The purpose of identifying these SAEs is to encourage submissions to these areas, rather than limiting submissions to these topics. Applicants addressing one of the below SAEs should identify the area that is best associated with their research approach: • Addressing Obesity: PCORI is interested in supporting high-quality, patient-centered research to study the comparative clinical effectiveness of interventions that address obesity treatment and/or management, including intensive lifestyle interventions, anti-obesity medications, endoscopic procedures and bariatric surgery, as well as combination approaches, as appropriate. Research evaluating a clinically meaningful, objective and obesity-related primary outcome is highly encouraged. • Diabetes Prevention, Care and Treatment: PCORI seeks to fund high-quality, patient-centered CER studies on prevention, care and treatment options for people with diabetes and prediabetes. • Management of Urogynecological and Pelvic Pain: PCORI is interested in funding patient-, healthcare-provider- and/or systems-level CER comparing strategies aimed to improve prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and management of urogynecological and pelvic pain, including but not limited to urogynecological and pelvic pain experienced during pregnancy and postpartum. The inclusion of at least one validated primary outcome focused on pain is highly encouraged. • Pain Management for Individuals Living With Sickle Cell Disease: PCORI is interested in funding patient-, healthcare-provider- and/or systems-level CER comparing strategies aimed at improving screening, diagnosis, treatment and management of acute and chronic pain associated with sickle cell disease among children and adults. The inclusion of at least one validated primary outcome focused on pain is highly encouraged. Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose individual- or cluster-randomized controlled trials; however, well-specified natural experiments and well-designed observational studies will also be considered. Proposed studies should be powered with an overall sample size adequate for the precise estimation of hypothesized effect sizes and, where appropriate, for assessing heterogeneity of treatment effect. Applicants are encouraged to pay special attention to issues of intervention implementation to facilitate widespread uptake of findings after completion of the study by utilizing hybrid effectiveness-implementation approaches. However, strict implementation or dissemination studies will not be considered responsive, nor will studies focused on the development of research methods. Applicants should propose well-justified and validated outcomes that are clinically meaningful and considered important by patients, and that can be impacted by the proposed interventions within the study duration. In PCORI-funded research, patients and other research partners are expected to meaningfully contribute their lived experience or professional expertise to ensure studies are patient-centered, relevant and useful for healthcare decision making. Applicants must address PCORI’s Foundational Expectations for Partnerships in Research — an evidence-based framework supported by tools and resources to guide effective engagement strategies. Details on each of the Foundational Expectations can be found on PCORI’s website. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to consider the inclusion of a broad range of patient-centered burdens and economic outcomes. This funding announcement will accept applications with direct costs up to $12 million and up to five years in duration. For this funding announcement, applicants may request coverage of patient care costs (including medical products, procedures and care services) for potential funding by PCORI. These costs are included as part of the overall direct cost maximum. For additional information, please see the full announcement upon posting.