What is the difference between PCORI’s National Priority Areas for Health, and the twelve topic themes identified within the BPS PFA?

The 2023 BPS PFA seeks applications that address four of PCORI’s five National Priorities for Health. To be considered responsive, applications must describe research that compares at least two alternative approaches to achieve one or more of the National Priorities for Health. Applicants will be asked to select a primary National Priority, and, if relevant, a secondary and/or tertiary National Priority in their Letters of Intent, and if invited, in their full application.

PCORI has twelve topic themes of interest that will inform PCORI’s funding opportunities over the next several cycles. 

Within Letters of Intent and Applications, applicants will be asked to designate the primary, and as applicable, secondary and/or tertiary topic theme(s) with which their proposed research most closely aligns. Applicants may also select “other” if their research does not align with any listed theme.  Additional information about the topic themes and example projects is available on the PCORI website.

As mentioned above, submissions are not limited to these topic themes; however, all applications under the BPS PFA must select at least one of the four PCORI National Priorities for Health.