The Frontier Award is a new funding opportunity in the PhRMA Foundation’s Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research (VA-HOR) Program that seeks research proposals for empirical studies testing value assessment frameworks and methods.
Funding: $500,000 total over 3 years
Funding may begin as early as December 1, 2023, or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including April 1, 2024.
The deadline to submit a letter of intent (LOI) has passed. Selected candidates will be notified and asked to submit a full application.
Important: Please read the Program Description below and then click on topics in blue above (Eligibility, Funding, Application Process) to learn the full details about this award.
Program Description
Although a relatively new area of research, value assessment has become increasingly important as the U.S. moves toward a value-based health care system. Value assessment frameworks are tools for evaluating the relative benefits and costs of health care interventions. While a variety of frameworks exist, some have yet to be applied in a real-world context or evaluated using empirical studies. To advance the field, we need to assess whether these frameworks can reliably guide value assessment, incorporate relevant diverse elements of value, and identify appropriate patient-centered outcomes. Value assessment frameworks can influence the evidence generation process. In particular, the application of these frameworks provides an opportunity for partnerships between stakeholders including patients, researchers, and health care providers.
The Frontier Award is a new funding opportunity in the PhRMA Foundation’s Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research (VA-HOR) Program that seeks research proposals for empirical studies that apply a published value assessment framework to determine the value of a health care intervention, such as a drug, device, or other health-related technology. Submissions that propose novel approaches to patient-centered value assessment (e.g., expand beyond traditional quality-adjusted survival outcomes) are desired. Projects that involve data collected from patients, utilize real-world data sources, or incorporate health preference evidence are particularly welcomed. Projects that propose methodological advances with no clearly defined patient-partnered data component will not be considered.
Award Expectations
- Inclusion of patient-reported clinical and/or economic measures
- Meaningful engagement with a patient group or group of patients
- Empirical study culminating in peer-reviewed publication(s) and presentations
- Eligible applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must be employed full time at an accredited U.S. university.
- Co-principal investigators are allowed. Please clearly define both roles and indicate which investigator is the primary investigator. The Foundation will pay the award to only one institution, that of the primary investigator. If funds need to be transferred to another institution, that is the responsibility of the awarded PI’s institution.
- Applicants must demonstrate a firm commitment to partner with at least one patient group or group of patients for their project.
- Applicants must be eligible to apply for independent external research funding from their institution.
- Previous PhRMA Foundation Value Assessment Centers of Excellence principal investigators are ineligible.
- This award provides $500,000 over a three-year period, distributed on a quarterly basis.
- Funding is conditional upon the awardee’s continued employment with the university, which will be assessed on a quarterly basis prior to payment. Payments will be made directly to the university on behalf of the awardee, with the understanding the university will administer the funds.
- If partnering with a patient group(s), the Foundation expects the partnering patient group(s) to receive some funding from this $500,000 award. These budgeted monies can be paid from the institution or the Foundation. (Monies to the partnering patient group(s) is contingent upon the awardee’s continued employment with the university.)
- A maximum of 20% of the award may be used for indirect institutional and/or fringe benefits. No more than $100,000 total may be used for these combined allowances over the three-year award.
- Funding is contingent upon the PhRMA Foundation receiving progress reports every six months and yearly financial reports. Progress reports will be reviewed by the Foundation’s scientific advisory committee to confirm satisfactory progress is being achieved.
- Any changes to the proposed project must be approved by the PhRMA Foundation.
- Funding may begin as early as December 1, 2023, or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including April 1, 2024.
- Unspent funds are to be returned to the PhRMA Foundation upon the grant’s conclusion.
- These funds are non-transferrable.
The deadline to submit a letter of intent (LOI) has passed. Selected candidates will be notified and asked to submit a full application.
If your LOI is selected, you will be invited to submit a full application due August 31, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Read below and download this PDF for more information on the LOI process.
To start an LOI, go to the ProposalCentral website at proposalcentral.com. If you are a new user of ProposalCentral, follow the link “Create an Account” and complete the registration process. If you are already a registered user, login with your username and password. If you have forgotten your password, click the “Forgot your Password?” link.
Once you are logged in, please click the “Professional Profile” tab at the top and complete steps 1-11 or update with your current information. Your name, degrees, position/title, academic rank, department, and address will be pulled from this page in ProposalCentral.
Next, select the “Grant Opportunities” tab and a list of applications will be displayed. Find “PhRMA Foundation” and click the “Apply Now” link next to Frontier Award.
The following components are included in the LOI process:
1. Candidate’s Biosketch (NIH style)
2. Brief Personal Statement
This is an opportunity for you to tell us about yourself and what this project means to you. (Not to exceed two pages, 8.5”x11”, 12-point font, one-half inch margins, single-spaced)
3. Letter of Intent
A project overview that includes an explanation of the value assessment framework/method that you will use and why, your plan for meaningful patient engagement, and how the project would benefit society.
Be sure to include the legal name of the patient group(s) you are partnering with. If partnering with patients directly, include details on that partnership.
Not to exceed six pages, 8.5”x11”, 12-point font, one-half inch margins, single-spaced. Graphs can be smaller. Citations are within the 6-page limit. The first use of any abbreviation or acronym should be preceded by the full name or description.
Application Considerations
Strong submissions will include:
- Research design that is informed by a value assessment framework (i.e., there is a clear link between the framework and the following: research question, measures, and analytic methods)
- Strong leadership commitment from academic institution and patient group(s)
- Representation of expertise in diverse disciplines and from different perspectives, including patients, payers, manufacturers, and clinicians
- Explicit process for meaningful engagement with stakeholders
- Detailed documentation of proposed methodology and processes
- Communications strategy for results dissemination (e.g., media outreach, publications, presentations)
The LOI deadline is April 21 2023, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Candidates will be notified by June 1, 2023, whether they are invited to submit a full application. (Full applications are due August 31, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. ET.)
