Description: The International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE), in collaboration with ScholarRx, wishes to promote the development of innovative, sharable health sciences education curricula, and will fund a single grant this year, for up to $5,000. In addition to funding, awardees will receive a total value of approximately $50,000 in in-kind support, which includes:
- RxBricks access for up to 200 students for one year
- Investigator access to the ScholarRx Brick Authoring Platform and RxBricks Collections
- Investigator training and support for ScholarRx Brick development
- $1,500 travel award for Principal Investigator (PI) to present the work at the Annual IAMSE Conference
Purpose: The purpose of the IAMSE-Scholar Rx Curriculum Development Grant is to make available funds to support the development, implementation, and scholarly evaluation of sharable health sciences educations curricula. As a requirement, projects must utilize the ScholarRx Brick Authoring Platform and result in the production of a collection of multiple RxBricks, hereto referred to as a sharable curriculum, which will be made publicly available on the ScholarRx website upon completion. The grant supports the development and evaluation of the curriculum for its use in various health sciences educational settings.
Funding Preferences: For this award, preference will be given to new projects which address current or emerging needs in health sciences education, promote collaboration between two or more disciplines, departments, or institutions, and result in the development of educational materials that are generalizable and can be adopted by multiple institutions. The sharable curriculum should complement existing RxBricks Collections. Interinstitutional and international collaborations are encouraged. Student involvement is also encouraged, and, dependent on the demonstrated qualifications of the investigation team as a whole, students may serve as PIs.
Support: Funding is for a 2-year period. All investigators will receive access to the ScholarRx Brick Authoring Platform and the RxBrick Collections, and will receive training and support from ScholarRx. The award includes access to the RxBrick Collections for up to 200 students for one year. The PI of each funded project will be awarded an additional $1,500 travel award to present the results of their program evaluation at a future IAMSE conference. Awards are not per-investigator and must be shared among institutions at the discretion of the investigators if projects are multi-institutional.
Requirements: Three progress reports must be submitted to the IAMSE Educational Scholarship Committee during the project period. Any scholarship (e.g., publications, presentations) resulting from IAMSE-funded research must acknowledge the grant. If the research project involves human subjects, a letter of approval from the host Institutional Review Board stating that the project is approved or that approval was not necessary will be required prior to disbursement of funds. A signed agreement regarding publication of the work on the ScholarRx website will also be required prior to disbursement of funds. ScholarRx Brick Authoring Tool training must be completed during the project timeline.
Eligibility: All current IAMSE members are eligible to submit a grant proposal. Members may submit only one proposal per year and may not be an author on any other grants currently receiving IAMSE or ScholarRx funding. PIs who have previously received IAMSE or ScholarRx grant funding are eligible to apply, given the above is true.
Students: Looking for information on the IAMSE-ScholarRx Student Grant Program? Visit this page for more information!
Application Format and Submission Process:
Step 1: Letter of Intent Submission
A letter of intent (LOI) is required, due November 15. The LOI is limited to two pages (single-spaced, Arial 11-point type with 1-inch margins, not including references and attachments) and must include:
- Name of applicant(s), institution affiliation(s), and contact information for PI.
- Project title.
- Background/rationale which establishes a need.
- Description of proposed curriculum and its impact.
- Description of the proposed evaluation, addressing study design and expected outcomes.
- Budget requested (including broad cost categories, need not include detailed itemization, total budget not to exceed $5,000).
- Conflict of interest disclosure (related to past or present relationship(s) with the sponsors).
- Curriculum content outline (not included in page limit).
- References (not included in page limit).
Step 2: Full Application
If invited to submit a full application, PIs will be notified on or before December 31. Full applications are due on March 1, and are to be submitted via the online submission form to IAMSE. Full applications must include the following:
- Cover Page
- Main Proposal
- Budget and Justification
- Plan for Dissemination
- Sample Materials
- Biographical Sketches
- Letters of Support
- Attestation
- Conflict of Interest Disclosure
- References
ALL parts of the proposal must be submitted in ONE PDF document saved with the name of the PI.
Format for Submissions:
- Cover page to include:
- Name of applicant(s) and institution affiliation(s)
- Project title
- Category: IAMSE-ScholarRx Curriculum Development Grant
- Contact information for PI (address, email, telephone)
- Institutional grant/development officer to whom payment will be made (name, title, address, email, phone)
- Main Proposal (limited to 5 double-spaced pages using Arial 11-point type with 1-inch margins)
- Introduction/Background: Describe the problem or need, supported by literature, and importance of proposed curriculum in addressing the need.
- Goals and Objectives: Statement of broad goals of the project, related to the established need. Statement of the objectives of the project, or specific steps in accomplishing the development and evaluation of the curriculum. SMART objectives are preferred.
- Project Description: Identify the target population. Provide a detailed description of the activities leading to achieving the objectives.
- Evaluation: Specify measurable outcomes which address how you will decide if the curriculum is effective. Describe assessment and evaluation strategies and activities, including methods and measures. Justify investigator roles, methods, tools, and equipment.
- Potential Impact: Describe the potential impact on the target population, investigator(s) home institution(s), and address generalizability and sustainability.
- Project Timeline: Describe the project timeline, not to exceed 24 months. Timeline must address the objectives and activities previously described. The inclusion of tables and figures is encouraged.
- Plan for Dissemination: Include a statement of your intent to present your work at the Annual IAMSE Conference within 3 years of the award start date. Address any other plans for dissemination including presentations and publications, identifying publication type(s) and target journal(s).
- Budget and Justification (limited to 1 page): Include a table with itemized costs. Include a separate narrative justification of all expenditures. Indirect costs are not allowed. Faculty salaries are not allowed. Note: Grants will provide up to $5,000 (USD) in total funding. The PI of each funded project will be awarded an additional $1,500 travel award to present the results of their curriculum evaluation at a future Annual IAMSE Conference; please do not include this cost in the budget.
- Sample Materials: A table of contents with draft learning objectives should be provided, together with a one-page sample of material to be developed.
- Biographical Sketches: Biographical sketches of PI and Co-PIs (up to 3 pages for each individual) must be included and must address relevant skills and experiences that demonstrate knowledge/skill in the curriculum area and methods of evaluation being proposed.
- Letters of Support: 2-3 letters of support are required from key participants or institutional support personnel, stating their commitment to the project.
- Attestation: A statement of attestation that the investigators understand and agree that the curriculum produced will be published as open access RxBricks, and that all components of the curriculum produced will be original and/or the investigator has rights to publish that which is included.
- Conflict of Interest Disclosure: A statement disclosing any relationship that might be reasonably perceived to create a conflict of interest, including: employment, sponsorship, consulting, officer or board of director positions, or any other professional service.
- References: A list of references for the main proposal must be provided and are not included in any page limit.
Review Process:
- Grants must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, March 1 to be considered for review and possible funding.
- The members of the IAMSE Educational Scholarship Committee, in collaboration with other IAMSE members, will review the grant submissions, make a final decision, and present the grant awardees to the IAMSE Executive Board and Board of Directors. Reviewers may not be authors of the proposals under consideration, and any conflicts of interest must be declared by reviewers.
- Funding awards will be announced via email no later than May 30, and at the Annual IAMSE Conference. Awardee attendance at the Annual IAMSE Conference is highly encouraged.
Evaluation Criteria:
Grant applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria:
- All investigators are IAMSE members.
- The project is relevant to the mission of IAMSE.
- There is an established need for the curriculum supported by a review of the existing literature.
- The project includes a clear statement of project goals and objectives.
- The project goals and objectives support the production of a timely, concise, and targeted curriculum, which addresses the established need.
- The activities described are appropriate to address the goals and objectives.
- Measurable outcomes which are appropriate to evaluate the success of the curriculum are included.
- A scholarly approach to evaluation of the curriculum is planned, and evaluation methods are appropriate to assess outcomes.
- The work produced will be generalizable, sharable, and applicable to others outside of the investigators’ home institutions.
- The work produces a Brick that can functionally be added to the Brick Directory at ScholarRX.
- The work produces a Brick that is complementary to those already found in the Brick Directory or that covers a novel topic that is relevant.
- The project is feasible given the timeline, resources, and experience of the investigators.
- The budget is appropriate and justified.
- The plan for dissemination includes presentation at the Annual IAMSE Conference and the curriculum evaluation is likely to result in publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Required Reports for Funded Projects: The PI will be required to submit mid-point reports at the end of each year of the grant cycle (June), and a final report within 3 months of the end of the 2-year grant funding (September 15).
Questions:
All inquiries and communications should be addressed to:
IAMSE Support (support@iamse.org), International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE)