Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research
Faculty Starter Grant

The PhRMA Foundation seeks research proposals that investigate challenges and potential solutions related to evaluating the delivery, safe use, effectiveness, and value (clinical, patient-centered, and economic) of medicines and other health care interventions. Proposals could be empirical analyses or studies addressing methodological aspects of the following areas:

• Clinical outcomes assessments
• Patient-reported and/or patient-centered outcomes, especially for diverse or underserved populations
• Patient health preferences research
• Clinical and economic outcomes using real-world data and analytic tools
• Evaluation and outcomes assessments focused on health equity or unmet need
• Innovative methods for measuring and reporting novel value elements (e.g., clinical, cost, health preference) from different stakeholder perspectives, especially patients
• Development of innovative decision and communication tools
• Patient- and equity-centered value assessment frameworks
• Health policy research

Proposals should incorporate patient engagement at an appropriate level to be considered responsive. A responsive application is one that has already incorporated or will incorporate “active, meaningful, and collaborative interaction between patients and researchers.”

• Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must be full-time, promotion-eligible, research-intensive faculty at a PhD and/or MS degree-granting accredited U.S. university by the time of award activation. (Awards may be activated between April 1, 2025, and December 1, 2025.)
• You are not eligible if your faculty status began before January 1, 2022.
• Applicants who have taken leave from their career (e.g., parenting of a child, childbirth, long-term care of a parent/spouse/child/dependent, personal health issues) that puts them outside of the eligibility time frame can reach out to PhRMA Foundation staff ahead of their application submission to determine their eligibility. The Foundation aims to be flexible and adjust these time frames if appropriate.
• Applicants must be eligible to apply for independent external research funding by their university.
• Applicants should not have other substantial sources of research funding. (For example, applicants are ineligible if they are the principal investigator of an R01 from the National Institutes of Health, a career award from the National Science Foundation, or other significant financial award from any grant-making institution.) Individuals receiving only intramural funding or start-up funding from their university are eligible to apply.
• The Foundation will not consider multiple applications for the same or similar efforts on the same project. If multiple applicants are submitting proposed efforts on the same project, the efforts must be separate activities and not duplicative. This pertains to applications in all categories of our VA-HOR program (predoctoral/postdoctoral fellowships and faculty starter grants).

• The PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Value Assessment-Health Outcomes Research provides funding of $100,000 for one year.
• Funding is conditional upon the awardee’s continued employment with the university, which will be assessed on a quarterly basis prior to payment. Awardees are required to notify the PhRMA Foundation if they leave the university. Payments will be made directly to the university on behalf of the awardee, with the understanding the university will administer the funds.
• Funds may be budgeted to include salary support for the awardee but should not exceed 25% of the budget.
• Funds may not be used to provide fringe benefits or indirect costs.
• Funds may be budgeted to include the support of a technician, graduate student, or postdoctoral fellow at an hourly rate. The funds may not be used to provide tuition, fringe benefits, or indirect costs for said personnel. Said personnel may not be an active award recipient of the PhRMA Foundation.
• Up to $1,500 may be used for travel by the awardee to professional meetings in the United States.
• Funds may be used to purchase equipment and/or data to support the research efforts.
• Funding may begin as early as April 1, 2025, or on the first day of any month thereafter, up to and including December 1, 2025.
• If you are offered a PhRMA Foundation award, the Foundation will reconfirm your external grant support. Should you receive additional funding in excess of $250,000 in annual direct costs, the PhRMA Foundation award will be withdrawn.
• A final progress report and financial report will be required within 60 days of the grant’s conclusion.
• Unspent funds are to be returned to the PhRMA Foundation upon the grant’s conclusion.
• Any changes to the proposed project must be approved by the PhRMA Foundation.
• Funds are non-transferable.

Applications for 2025 awards will open in September 2024.

To start an application, 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 Faculty Starter Grant in Value Assessment-Health Outcomes Research.

The following components are included in the application:

1. Applicant’s Biosketch (NIH format)

2. Extended Letter (personal statement)

This is an opportunity for you to tell us who you are and to describe your career and future plans. Include a synopsis of your career, your professional interests, and your desired career path. The letter should not exceed two single-spaced pages (U.S. letter size 8.5” x 11” / 11-point font / .5” margin).

3. Research Plan

Applicants must prepare a comprehensive research plan using a format similar to that for National Institutes of Health grants. The proposal should include a specific aims page (one-page limit), followed by a research strategy (not to exceed eight pages) that describes the rationale, significance, research design and methodology, and preliminary results (if any exist). A bibliography of major references should also be included (bibliographies are not included in the page limit). A project timeline is suggested.

Clearly identify other principals involved as collaborators in the project, the amount of time they will commit, and the amount of time you will commit.

Identify the amount of intramural support available for the proposed project and other research efforts by budget categories and amounts. If the university makes the services of a technician available to the candidate, note this. Identify the part of the proposal that will be directly initiated or expedited by the PhRMA Foundation’s funds.

Required type specifications: U.S. letter size 8.5” x 11” / .5” margin / 11-point font (figures may be provided in a smaller font). The first use of any abbreviation or acronym should be preceded by the full name or description. Submissions that do not meet the specified guidelines for proposal preparation will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding.

4. Research Impact Questions

Please answer the following four questions using the template provided in the application portal titled Research Impact Questions.

• How will this project advance the methods used in the fields of value assessment and/or health outcomes research?
• Explain how your proposed level of patient engagement incorporates patients as partners (e.g., reflects patients’ expertise, values, and perspectives).
• How does your proposal address barriers to progress in this space?
• How will the completion of your project bring value to society?
• Are appropriate measures in place to assure compliance with patient privacy and security? Please explain.

5. Budget

Upload your budget explaining: 1) how the funds will be used and 2) whether the project receives other funding.  

6. Other Sources of Funding/Funding Explanation

Briefly list current, pending, and previous funding. Remember, you are ineligible if you have other substantial sources of research funding by the time of award activation. (For example, applicants are ineligible if they are the principal investigator of an R01 from the National Institutes of Health, a career award from the National Science Foundation, or other significant financial award from any grant-making institution.)  

7. Manuscripts/Presentations

You can upload up to three relevant publications in PDF format.

8. References

Please note that the system will not accept your application unless the letters of support from your references have been successfully uploaded. You are required to submit contact information for the following personnel (2-4 references):

• Collaborator(s) if any
• General Reference(s) who are familiar with you and your scientific career

Once you add their name and contact information to your application, an auto-generated email will be forwarded to them. The email will include instructions as to what they should address in their letter of support and it will provide a personalized hyperlink where they should upload their letter.

Letters of support should be uploaded before November 15 so you can submit your application before 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET. We suggest you inform your references in advance of what items should be addressed in their letter of support.

Collaborator(s) should provide:

• Acknowledgement of their commitment, participation, and enthusiasm in the project.
• Their brief biosketch.

General Reference(s) should provide:

• The period of time they have known the applicant and in what capacity.
• Comment on the applicant’s communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to collaborate with peers on research projects.
• Explanation of how this program will be a productive experience for the applicant and why they should be selected.

REMEMBER to begin your application early so your references have ample time to meet the November 15th deadline.

It is your responsibility that these letters are uploaded. The application portal will permit you to review your application and the status of your letters of support before your final submission. Be sure to check it frequently and do not wait until the last minute.

The application portal will not permit the application to be submitted until the letters of support have been uploaded.

Award notification is in March 2025.