The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) intends to issue the Addressing Sensory Health Needs Across the Lifespan PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA) on April 1, 2026, seeking to fund high-impact, patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) projects that focus on advancing care and outcomes across the lifespan for people living with sensory health conditions. Proposed CER projects should inform health decisions for people with sensory disorders, their families and care partners in the United States experiencing high burdens and practice variations in sensory health care and outcomes. This preannouncement provides potential applicants with additional time to identify collaborators; obtain patient and stakeholder input on potential studies; and develop responsive, high-quality applications. 

Research Initiative Highlights

Sensory health needs encompass a broad range of conditions that can be present from birth, develop during childhood or adulthood or occur later in life. PCORI’s description of sensory health includes conditions affecting one or more of the body’s sensory systems, such as visual, auditory, olfactory, touch, taste, proprioceptive, vestibular and interoceptive systems. In addition, sensory health conditions can lead to differences in communication, mobility, orientation, balance and accessing information. Moreover, there are variations across the care continuum in access to care, quality of care and outcomes due to factors such as geographic location and income. Significantly, sensory conditions have a wide-ranging impact and have been shown to increase mortality, impair cognitive function, diminish health-related quality of life and lead to poor mental health outcomes. Across the lifespan, individuals at risk of sensory health conditions need increased access to screening for early identification of sensory health conditions; adequate and appropriate access to quality care; effective coordination across various health systems in implementing their care; and access to support services for themselves, their families and their care partners. This topical PFA will solicit applications proposing to address patient-centered CER questions that will fill evidence gaps in the areas of screening, treatment, support services and interventions that address health outcomes associated with sensory conditions. 

PCORI is particularly interested in submissions that address the following Special Areas of Emphasis (SAEs). The purpose of identifying these SAEs is to encourage submissions to these areas, rather than limiting submissions to these topics. Applicants addressing one of the below SAEs should identify the area that is best associated with their research approach.  

1. Increasing screening and early detection for people with sensory health conditions: Screening is challenging across sensory health conditions due to both stigma associated with these conditions as well as the shortfalls of follow-up referrals. Importantly, most screenings occur in specialty clinics, which also exacerbates difficulties experienced by groups already lacking access. PCORI is interested in CER studies that compare the effectiveness of approaches to screening that engage and include communities with historically lower rates of screening by addressing barriers to screening. We are also interested in hybrid effectiveness-implementation trials that facilitate the systematic uptake of recommended sensory health screening and routine screenings/examinations in various sensory health systems. PCORI is also interested in comparisons of strategies for routine screenings of various sensory conditions including sensory processing disorders and smell and taste impairments, all with an emphasis on supporting patients, families and care partners in communities with historically lower screening rates in selecting timely and appropriate screening. All proposed studies of screening and early detection should be appropriately linked to follow-up care and community-based support services for people with sensory health conditions and their care partners.
2. Improving treatment and care coordination for people with sensory health conditions: PCORI is interested in CER studies that address the treatment needs of people with sensory health conditions and improve coordination and access to care for individuals in rural areas and other areas lacking access. PCORI is interested in comparisons of interventions that leverage assistive technologies, improve care transitions and evaluate models of care coordination for individuals with sensory health conditions, including those exacerbated by falls, sensory deficits of touch and those at risk for further cognitive impairments. PCORI is also interested in comparisons of care and treatment models that integrate primary care, pediatrics, specialty care and/or community-based services for people living with sensory health conditions and their families and care partners across the lifespan.   

Enhancing support services to improve mental health and address stigma experienced by individuals with sensory health conditions, their families and their care partners: People with sensory conditions such as vision, hearing, smell, touch and taste disorders frequently have associated mental health conditions. Often, individuals with sensory health conditions experience stigmatization from clinicians or family members and through interactions with individuals at work or school. The combination of poorer mental health outcomes such as loneliness, isolation, anxiety or depression, in combination with stigma, often requires a holistic approach to meaningfully improve quality of life for these individuals and their families.  

PCORI is interested in studies that address mental-health-based interventions that include education and support services for people with sensory health needs, including those with vision, hearing, balance, touch, taste and vestibular regulation or integration challenges. These may include comparisons of different models of support services for sensory health conditions that incorporate patient-, family- and care-partner-centered outcomes; leverage interdisciplinary teams; and focus on a range of populations impacted by sensory health. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose individual- or cluster-randomized controlled trials; however, well-specified natural experiments and well-designed observational studies will also be considered. Proposed studies should be powered with an overall sample size adequate for the precise estimation of hypothesized effect sizes and where appropriate, assessing heterogeneity of treatment effect is strongly encouraged. Applicants are encouraged to pay special attention to issues of intervention implementation with the aim of facilitating widespread uptake of findings and sustainability of the interventions after completion of the study by utilizing hybrid effectiveness-implementation approaches. However, strict implementation or dissemination studies will not be considered responsive, nor will studies that focus on the development of research methods. Applicants should propose well-justified and validated outcomes in the target population that are clinically meaningful and considered important by patients, families and care partners, and that can be impacted by the proposed interventions within the study duration. 

In PCORI-funded research, patients and other research partners are expected to meaningfully contribute their lived experience or professional expertise to ensure studies are patient-centered, relevant and useful for healthcare decision making. Applicants must address PCORI’s Foundational Expectations for Partnerships in Research — an evidence-based framework supported by tools and resources to guide effective engagement strategies. Details on each of the Foundational Expectations are available on PCORI’s website. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to consider the inclusion of a broad range of patient-centered burdens and economic outcomes. 

Key Dates

Online System Opens

April 1, 2026, 9 am (ET)

Applicant Town Hall

Jan. 22, 2026; 12 - 1 pm (ET)

View Event

Letter of Intent Deadline

April 28, 2026, 5 pm (ET)

Letter of Intent Status Notification

June 2, 2026, 5 pm (ET)

Application Deadline

Sept. 1, 2026, 5 pm (ET)

Merit Review

November 2026

Awards Announced

April 2027 (Subject to Change)

Earliest Start Date

August 2027

Funds and Project Period

Funds Available Up To

$60 million

Budget

Up to $12 million

Maximum Project Period

Up to five years

AI based application success predictor

🧠 1. Clear Patient-Centered Focus

PCORI emphasizes questions and outcomes that matter to patients and caregivers — such as symptom relief, quality of life, care experience, and decision making — rather than exclusively surrogate or laboratory endpoints. PCORI
Tip: Define research questions in terms of patient priorities, not just scientific interest.

🤝 2. Engagement of Patients & Stakeholders

A hallmark of PCORI’s Merit Review is explicit requirements for meaningful involvement of patients, caregivers and other stakeholders during proposal development, design and execution. Engagement is a distinct criterion reviewers consider alongside scientific merit. ScienceDirect
Tip: Build stakeholder engagement plans that demonstrate how patients/communities will influence key decisions (choice of comparators, outcomes, recruitment strategies).

🔍 3. Comparative Effectiveness Design

PCORI requires that studies compare two or more care options relevant to real healthcare decisions — this is central to eligibility. PCORI
Tip: Ensure the comparison (e.g., two treatments, delivery strategies, screening options) reflects real choices patients/clinicians face.

📊 4. Methodological Rigor & Feasibility

Competitive proposals have robust study designs, clear definitions of outcomes and analyses that support valid comparisons, with realistic timelines and scalable recruitment plans. PCORI
Tip: Develop rigorous plans tailored to CER, including statistical methods and pragmatic implementation plans.

📅 5. Alignment With Specific PFA Priorities

Each PFA has defined scope and priorities (e.g., methods for engagement; implementation in health systems). Applications must match the language and goals of the specific funding announcement. PCORI
Tip: Tailor aims to the exact PFA requirements rather than submitting generic CER designs.

📣 6. Dissemination & Uptake Planning

Projects that include clear dissemination and implementation plans — describing how results will be shared with patients, clinicians, health systems, or policymakers — score stronger on relevance and impact. PCORI
Tip: Include strategies for uptake, such as integration into clinical guidelines, digital tools, or decision aids.

📑 7. Organizational Capacity & Collaboration

Because PCORI awards are often larger and multi-site, reviewers value organizational experience in complex CER, including data systems, partnerships with clinical sites or community networks, and multidisciplinary teams. PCORI
Tip: Demonstrate infrastructure for recruitment, data management, and stakeholder engagement.

📌 Practical Application Tips

✔ Start early & follow cycles: PCORI issues repeated funding opportunity cycles (e.g., spring, fall). PCORI
✔ Use PCORI resources: Attend webinars and use application guides and templates provided on the PCORI website. PCORI
✔ Engage stakeholders early: Integrate patient partners before LOI submission to shape the research question. ScienceDirect
✔ Monitor announcements: Subscribe to PCORI emails for updates on new PFAs and registry of funded projects. PCORI

🧠 Summary: PCORI Competitive Funding