PCORI Engagement Awards Program Offers New Meetings Funding Support

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) today launched a new funding opportunity through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards program to support research meetings and events that will expand patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER).

Eligible organizations may begin applying immediately for the awards. One-time meetings and event awards provide up to $50,000 for up to one year. Multi-year awards will provide up to $250,000 to support annual or biennial events over a maximum two-year period.

Eligible organizations include private and public institutions, such as nonprofits, universities, healthcare systems, product manufacturers, and governmental research agencies. 

"I'm pleased to announce this new opportunity through our Engagement Awards program to support the efforts of patients, caregivers, clinicians, policy makers and other stakeholders who wish to become more actively and meaningfully engaged in research," said Jean Slutsky, PA, MSPH, PCORI's Chief Engagement and Dissemination Officer. "Research meetings and events are an important means to develop and share knowledge that can foster better understanding and build trust and collaboration among a variety of interested stakeholders."

The new funding opportunity is the latest additions to the awards program, which launched in February with the aim of supporting a range of projects that encourage the active integration of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders as members of the research enterprise. PCORI has made seven Engagement Awards totaling more than $1 million to date.  They are:

• "PCOR Roadmap for State Policy Makers," awarded to the National Academy for State Health Policy to conduct surveys and focus groups and to develop a report on programs that state policy makers use to leverage patient-centered CER and a roadmap to guide them in the use of this research.
• "Engaging Patients and Providers in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Training (EPPiPCORT)," awarded to the North American Primary Care Research Group to provide patients, primary care providers, and researchers with the necessary knowledge and capacity to collaborate in PCOR and participate in review of applications for PCORI funding.
• "Enhancing Community Health Center PCORI Engagement," provided to the National Association of Community Health Centers to support the improvement and implementation of a curriculum designed to educate and engage health center teams -- including patients as well as clinical and administrative staffs -- in PCOR.
• "Engaging Medicaid Clinical Leaders," awarded to the National Association of Medicaid Directors to support the activities of the Medicaid Medical Directors Network, a group of physicians who advise state Medicaid directors on clinical policy and practice.
• "PCOR New Medical Products Project: Strengthening Patient Voices on Research Criteria," enabled the National Research Center for Women and Families to provide patients, caregivers, and their advocates with training and resources to increase their capacity and willingness to share their views about research safety and efficacy criteria with the Food and Drug Administration.
• "PhRMA Foundation Curricular Advances for Patient-Centered Comparative Effectiveness Research Education Conference," supported the PhRMA Foundation's efforts to hold a two-day conference at which representatives of academic centers, the life science industry, professional organizations, federal agencies, and health plans discussed the need for standardized competencies among those conducting patient-centered CER and the necessary training to achieve those abilities.
• "Core Outcomes Sets in Effectiveness Trials: A Multi-Stakeholder Training and Development Workshop," awarded to the Center for Medical Technology Policy to support a workshop that explored ways to promote development of Core Outcomes Sets and increase patients', practicing clinicians', and other key stakeholders' participation in this effort.

The Engagement Awards program is currently accepting and reviewing applications and several applications are in consideration. Interested applicants for any of PCORI's Engagement Awards can view details of the funding notices at the program's page on the PCORI website.

About PCORI
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, non-profit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions. PCORI is committed to continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work. More information is available at www.pcori.org.

SOURCE Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)