Advancing the Science of Engagement in Research PCORI Funding Announcement -- Cycle 2 2026
PCORI funds research to develop and validate measures and methods for engaging research partners, aiming to fill evidence gaps and improve the science of partner engagement in research.
Funder: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Due Dates: April 28, 2026 (Letter of Intent) | September 1, 2026 (Full application)
Funding Amounts: Up to $1M direct costs (measure development, 2 yrs) or $1.5M direct costs (engagement methods, 3 yrs); total program up to ~$36M.
Summary: Supports research to develop/validate measures and methods for effective engagement of partners in research, addressing evidence gaps in engagement science.
Key Information: Projects focused on patient engagement in clinical/self-care are not eligible; only engagement of partners in research is responsive.
Description
This funding opportunity from PCORI is designed to advance the science of engagement in research by supporting studies that (1) develop and validate measures to capture the structure, context, process, and outcomes of engagement, and/or (2) develop and test methods to generate evidence on effective engagement approaches in research. The program seeks to address significant evidence gaps, such as the lack of consensus on how to define or measure engagement and the limited systematic study of which engagement techniques are most effective. The focus is on engagement of partners (patients, stakeholders, community members, clinicians, etc.) in the research process, not on patient engagement in their own clinical care.
Applicants are expected to use rigorous, real-world approaches and to follow frameworks such as Donabedian’s Structure/Context-Process-Outcomes. Projects must define and measure engagement activities and behaviors to better understand which components predict success and the causal mechanisms underlying them. Applications focused on patient engagement in clinical or self-care (e.g., adherence to treatment, shared decision-making in clinical practice) are not eligible.
