Addressing Sensory Health Needs Across the Lifespan Grant Program

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute is a nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to fund patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research that helps patients, caregivers and healthcare stakeholders make informed decisions. PCORI emphasizes research that compares the benefits and harms of different healthcare options while actively engaging patients and stakeholders throughout the research process. This funding announcement is part of PCORI’s broader research agenda aimed at addressing national health priorities through high-impact, evidence-generating studies. This funding opportunity invites proposals focused on advancing care and outcomes for individuals with sensory health conditions across the lifespan. Sensory health includes conditions affecting systems such as vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch and related processing systems. These conditions can occur at any stage of life and often lead to significant impacts on quality of life, mental health, mobility, communication and overall health outcomes. The program prioritizes research that addresses disparities in access to care, variations in treatment effectiveness and the need for improved coordination across healthcare systems. Applicants are expected to propose patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research studies that evaluate at least two interventions, care models or strategies. The funding supports studies that address key areas including screening and early detection, treatment and care coordination and support services that improve mental health and reduce stigma. Projects must generate meaningful outcomes that are relevant to patients, families and care partners, and must be designed to inform real-world healthcare decision making. Research designs may include randomized controlled trials, observational studies or hybrid effectiveness-implementation approaches, provided they meet rigorous methodological standards. The funding allows for direct costs up to twelve million dollars per project with a maximum project period of five years. PCORI intends to commit approximately sixty million dollars in total funding across this opportunity. Applicants may include patient care costs within their budgets as part of the direct cost cap, and these must be justified. Projects are expected to be appropriately powered, include validated outcomes and consider patient-centered burdens and economic impacts as secondary measures where relevant. Eligibility is broad and includes academic institutions, nonprofit and for-profit research organizations, government entities and other organizations capable of conducting research. However, individuals are not permitted to apply. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to meet PCORI’s requirements related to transparency, data sharing, patient engagement and ethical research conduct. Applications must include strong engagement plans showing how patients and stakeholders will contribute meaningfully throughout the research lifecycle. The application process follows a two-stage submission model beginning with a required Letter of Intent. Only applicants invited after LOI review may submit a full application. The Letter of Intent deadline is April 28, 2026, and the full application deadline is September 1, 2026. Applications undergo merit review based on criteria such as scientific rigor, potential impact, patient-centeredness and stakeholder engagement. Awards are expected to be announced in April 2027 with project start dates beginning as early as August 2027. PCORI evaluates applications based on their ability to fill critical evidence gaps, improve clinical practice and produce meaningful patient-centered outcomes. Projects must demonstrate strong methodological design, feasibility and stakeholder engagement. The program emphasizes research that can be widely adopted and sustained in healthcare settings, with a focus on improving access, quality of care and health outcomes for individuals with sensory health conditions across diverse populations in the United States.

Ensure strong patient-centered outcomes and stakeholder engagement; Align research with identified evidence gaps; Use rigorous comparative study design; Clearly justify methodology and outcomes