The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute – PCORI – is offering up to $150.7 million to support further development of networks that make up PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network.

PCORnet is a large, national network for conducting comparative effectiveness research and other types of health studies more rapidly and efficiently. When completed, the network will support studies using clinical data gathered in routine clinical practice in real-world settings.

PCORI started PCORnet with an initial investment of $93.5 million to support the development and expansion of 29 individual networks, a mix of health system-based Clinical Data Research Networks and patient-organized Patient-Powered Research Networks, over an 18-month first phase that concludes in September 2015.

[See also: PCORI awards $191M for research.]

PCORI's board of governors approved the PCORI funding to continue PCORnet's development over a three-year second phase. PCORI will provide up to $8.75 million in total costs for each Clinical Data Research Network and up to $1.68 million in total costs for each Patient-Powered Research Network over three years.

Phase II funding aims to enable the participating networks to become fully capable of supporting both randomized and observational CER studies, rapid-cycle studies, and other types of health research using robust standardized data sets with strong patient privacy and security protections. In addition, the networks are expected to significantly increase their collaborations and to develop plans for sustaining their operations beyond the end of Phase II.

PCORI will provide funds to support as many as 13 clinical research networks and 22 patient powered networks in phase II. All networks currently participating in PCORnet are eligible to apply for phase II funding. In addition, PCORI invites additional networks with established capacity to apply through these funding announcements.

[See also: UCLA wins $1.6M PCORI award and PCORI funds 30 outcomes projects.]

"We’re excited to announce this funding opportunity for the second phase of PCORnet," said Rachael Fleurence, director of PCORI's CER Methods and Infrastructure Program, the program which oversees PCORnet, in announcing the new funding. "We've made tremendous progress with our current 29 networks during the first phase of this national initiative, and we look forward to capitalizing on the infrastructure built so far. PCORnet will begin supporting research, both observational and randomized, in phase II and we’re excited about its increasing capacity to generate evidence that will help patients and those who care for them make better informed decisions."

Deadline for applying is Jan. 15. PCORI will notify those invited to submit full applications by Feb. 3. Other key dates and details can be found the PCORI’s website.