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) on substance use/misuse and substance use disorders (e.g., alcohol, opioids, nicotine, polysubstance); key dates include a Letter of Intent due Sept. 8, 2026 and full applications due Jan. 12, 2027. Applicants may request up to $12 million in direct costs per project for up to five years (program total up to $60 million), and may include patient care costs in their budgets. Proposals must be patient-centered CER with at least one primary substance-use outcome, demonstrate meaningful engagement of patients and stakeholders per PCORI’s Foundational Expectations, and be adequately powered; randomized trials are strongly encouraged, though well-specified natural experiments and observational studies may be considered. Studies focused on novel intervention or technology development are nonresponsive; PCORI particularly encourages proposals addressing high‑burden or underserved populations and its stated special areas of emphasis (prevention/treatment, overdose prevention, nicotine/tobacco strategies, and sleep–substance misuse intersections).