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)/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 are for research support projects. This funding is not a research opportunity.
Letter of Intent (LOI) deadlines: April 4, 2024; Sep. 26, 2024
Engagement Award: Capacity Building (Fall 2024 Cycle)
The Capacity Building opportunity funds projects that build communities prepared to participate in patient-centered CER. These awards support organizations with strong ties to patients, caregivers, clinicians and other stakeholders who have a connection to a research focus area and seek to better equip stakeholders to engage as partners in patient-centered CER. These projects will focus on building the knowledge, competencies and abilities of their community to be meaningful partners with researchers throughout the research process.
Engagement Award: Dissemination Initiative (Fall 2024 Cycle)
The Dissemination Initiative funding opportunity aims to support projects that help organizations and communities actively communicate pertinent PCORI-funded research findings to their specific audiences, including patients, clinicians, communities and others, in ways that will command their attention and interest and encourage use of this information in their healthcare decision making.
Engagement Award: Stakeholder Convening Support (Fall 2024 Cycle)
The Stakeholder Convening Support funding opportunity provides support to organizations and communities to hold multi-stakeholder convenings, meetings and conferences that include a combination of patients, caregivers, researchers, clinicians, purchasers, payers, health system leaders and/or other stakeholders. These convenings must have a focus on, and commitment to, supporting collaboration around patient-centered CER. Convenings should be designed with the active collaboration and partnership of patients, community groups and/or other stakeholder organizations. Projects should bring together diverse stakeholders around a central focus or shared priority that unifies stakeholders (e.g., geography, health condition, population) to explore issues related to patient-centered CER or communicate PCORI-funded research findings to targeted end-user audiences.
The Building Capacity for Small Organizations to Engage in Patient-Centered CER funding opportunity will support two-year projects that help small organizations and their communities build capacity and skills to take part in the patient-centered CER process. The projects will leverage each awardee organization’s unique perspectives and experiences to build the knowledge, competencies and abilities of the organization and its community to be meaningful partners with researchers throughout all phases of the patient-centered CER process.
Applications may be submitted by any private or public-sector organization, including any non-profit or for-profit organization or any unit of local, state, or federal government. All US applicant organizations must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. Non-domestic components of organizations based in the United States and foreign organizations may apply, as long as there is demonstrable benefit to the US healthcare system, and US efforts in the area of patient-centered research can be clearly shown. Organizations may submit multiple applications for funding. Individuals are not permitted to apply.