PCORI Funding Announcement: Addressing Substance Use (Cycle 3 2026)
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has announced a funding opportunity to support high-quality, patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) projects focusing on substance use, misuse, and substance use disorders (SUD). A total of $60 million is available across the cycle, with individual projects eligible for up to $12 million in direct costs over five years.
Scope
This initiative targets the vast public health burden of substance use disorders in the U.S. Applications must focus on psychoactive compounds (e.g., alcohol, opioids, nicotine, polysubstance) and aim to improve patient-centered outcomes. PCORI highlights four Special Areas of Emphasis (SAEs) for this cycle:
- Evidence-based strategies advancing the prevention and treatment of SUDs.
- Interventions for overdose prevention at the system, community, or individual level.
- Strategies to reduce nicotine and tobacco use (excluding the inclusion of e-cigarettes as a standard intervention comparator).
- Treatment strategies addressing the intersection of poor sleep and substance misuse.
Eligibility
- At least one primary outcome must focus strictly on substance use.
- Novel interventions or the development of new technologies (such as mobile apps) are considered nonresponsive.
- Adaptations of efficacious interventions must be minimal, clearly described, and justified a priori.
- Studies should ideally be individual- or cluster-randomized controlled trials, though well-specified natural experiments and strong observational studies are also considered responsive.
Partnership
Applicants must deeply integrate PCORI’s Foundational Expectations for Partnerships in Research. Patients and healthcare partners are expected to meaningfully contribute their lived experience and professional expertise from study design to execution. This ensures all studies remain highly patient-centered and directly relevant to actual healthcare decision-making.
Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline: September 9, 2026 (5:00 PM ET)
Application Deadline: January 12, 2027 (5:00 PM ET)
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