Addressing Substance Use PCORI Funding Announcement -- Cycle 3 2026

About this program

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) will issue a Funding Announcement on Aug. 4, 2026 to support patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) focused on substance use/misuse and substance use disorders, with interest in prevention and treatment, overdose prevention, nicotine/tobacco reduction, and the intersection of sleep and substance misuse. PCORI will consider applications requesting up to $12 million in direct costs (program total up to $60M) for projects up to five years; Key dates include LOI due Sept. 9, 2026 and full application due Jan. 12, 2027. Applicants must propose CER with at least one primary outcome addressing substance use, demonstrate meaningful patient and stakeholder engagement per PCORI’s Foundational Expectations, and focus on populations with high burden or reduced access/effectiveness of interventions. Proposals for novel intervention or technology development are nonresponsive, e-cigarette comparators are low priority, and individual- or cluster-randomized trials are strongly encouraged (well-specified natural experiments or observational studies may be considered).