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PCORI Funding

Open Opportunities: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)

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Home > PCORI Funding > Improving Mental and Behavioral Health – Cycle 1 – 2025

Improving Mental and Behavioral Health

New Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) funding opportunity: Up to $12 million in direct costs for studies with a duration of up to five years.

Studies should:

  • Compare two or more approaches for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or care delivery related to mental and behavioral health conditions
  • Address a critical clinical or care delivery problem
  • Include evidence-based, impactful, patient-centered outcomes as indicated by patients, families, and caregivers (particularly those with lived experience) from the population of interest, as well as relevant members of the broader health and healthcare community
  • Examine 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

PCORI is particularly interested in submissions that address the following Special Areas of Emphasis (SAEs), although applicants are not limited to these areas:

  • Mental and behavioral health of children and youth
  • Suicide prevention and crisis response
  • Strategies to improve mental healthcare access and delivery

For this funding announcement, applicants may request coverage of patient care costs (including medical products, procedures, and care services) for potential funding.

Proposed comparators must have well-documented evidence of efficacy and/or widespread use, as demonstrated by prior research, systematic reviews, and/or clinical guidelines.

Highlights

  • Up to $100 million in total available funding
  • Up to $12 million direct costs available per application
  • Maximum project period: 5 years
  • Application opens: December 3, 2024
  • Town Hall: December 11, 2024
  • Letters of Intent due: January 14, 2025

How to Apply

To apply for this funding opportunity, there are four steps you must follow.

  1. Read the full funding announcement, available online on December 3, 2024.
  2. Follow the process outlined in the submission instructions.
  3. Submit a Letter of Intent using the template on the application page.
  4. Submit an application (if invited).

Important dates

December 3, 2024 – Application opens
December 11, 2024 – Town Hall
January 14, 2025 – Letters of Intent due
February 11, 2025 – Letter of intent status notification
May 6, 2025 – Applications due
July 2025 – Merit review
November 2025 – Awards announced
March 2026 – Earliest start date

PCORI consultation about proposed research

Contact PCORI (sciencequestions@pcori.org) to schedule a consultation about your proposed research.

Harvard Catalyst PCORI consultation

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