PCORI Funding

Cardiovascular Health

A PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) will open on September 6, 2023 to fund studies that compare the effectiveness of interventions that address key decisional dilemmas in the fields of cardiovascular disease prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and posttreatment recovery. They could also focus on interventions and care delivery strategies that improve cardiovascular health outcomes in populations experiencing disparities.

Those studies considered eligible focus on diseases or conditions of the heart or vascular system, or on risk factors associated with developing cardiovascular disease. This opportunity is not geared towards studies that focus exclusively on controlling hypertension through health system interventions.

The announcement is open to many comparative effectiveness questions, but the following areas are of particular interest to:

• Peripheral arterial disease
• Transitions in care/care coordination
• Increased use of guideline-directed care in women and underserved individuals

Trial Design

Individual, or cluster randomized, controlled trials. Well-specified natural experiments and well-designed observational studies will also be considered.

Population

Trials should include large and diverse populations with an overall sample size that will allow precision in the estimation of hypothesized effect sizes and, as appropriate, analysis of heterogeneity of treatment effect.

Outcomes

Well-justified cardiovascular-related outcomes that are clinically meaningful and considered important by patients, which can be impacted by the proposed intervention within the study duration.

Funding

• Total allocated for this PFA: Up to $75 million
• Total direct funding: Up to $12 million, although PCORI may consider studies over this allocation if permission is granted by PCORI prior to submission of the letter of intent.
• 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 costs.

Maximum project duration

Five years.

Important dates

September 6 – Applications open
September 11 – Town Hall
October 3 – Letters of Intent due
January 9, 2024 – Applications due
April 2024 2023 – Merit review
July 2024 – Awards announced
November 2024 – Earliest start date

For more information or to request a brief consultation, please contact Leslie MacGregor, PCORI Funding Specialist: Leslie_MacGregor@hms.harvard.edu