Upcoming PCORI Funding Opportunities Offer Support for Research Using PCORnet®

Researchers planning studies using PCORnet® can prepare for two PCORI funding opportunities opening Nov. 17, 2026. The opportunities will support patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and methods to strengthen how that research is conducted.

Broad Pragmatic Studies: Funding for PCORnet® Studies

PCORI’s Broad Pragmatic Studies (BPS) PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) will offer up to $12 million in direct costs through Category 3 to support PCORnet® Studies.

PCORnet® Studies must:

• Include two or more PCORnet® Clinical Research Networks (CRNs)
• Share study progress and performance metrics
• Exchange best practices with the network to promote continuous learning and improvement
• Leverage the PCORnet® Common Data Model as appropriate

PCORI has identified four specific areas of emphasis for this PFA:

• Optimizing treatment and symptom management to reduce toxicities and improve patient-centered outcomes in cancer patients
• Serious mental illness preventions, care and treatment
• Improving mental health and substance use outcomes for pregnant and postpartum populations
• Enhancing support services to improve mental health and address stigma experienced by individuals with sensory health conditions, their families and care partners

Letters of Intent (LOIs) are due January 6, 2027, by 5 pm (ET).  

Prepare Using 3 Steps:

1. Contact the PCORnet® Front Door .  All applicants to the BPS Category 3 PFA are required to contact the PCORnet® Front Door prior to submitting their LOI. The PCORnet® Front Door team can advise on study feasibility and costs associated with using PCORnet, provide data to inform study design, offer best practices for stakeholder engagement, and more.
2. Register for the December 9 PCORI Applicant Town Hall to learn more about this PFA and how to submit a responsive LOI .
3. Watch the PCORnet overview webinar to explore PCORnet and the specific requirements for the Category 3: PCORnet® Studies option in the BPS PFA. 

Opportunities to Strengthen Research Methods

PCORI will also release a PFA on Improving Methods for Conducting Patient-Centered Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research.

This PFA seeks to fund studies that address high-priority methodological gaps in patient-centered CER that could further strengthen the quality of evidence generated by CER . Potential applicants are encouraged to collaborate with PCORnet® Network Partners.

Researchers can use the preannouncement period to identify collaborators, obtain patient and partner input and develop their proposals.

For the Cycle 1 2027 Methods PFA, PCORI has identified four program priorities:

• Methods To Support the Use of Patient-Centered Measurement in Patient-Centered CER
• Methods To Support the Use of Real-World Data (RWD) in Multi-Site Patient-Centered CER
• Methods To Improve the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in Patient-Centered CER
• Methods To Improve Study Design in Patient-Centered CER

Register for the December 3 PCORI Applicant Town Hall to learn more about the Methods PFA.

Contact the PCORnet® Front Door to learn how the PCORnet infrastructure can support your patient-centered research.