Medical Education Research Grant

This grant supports quality research in Canada that will advance the field of postgraduate medical education or continuing professional development. Decisions regarding allocation of this grant, ranging from $5,000 up to $50,000, will be made on an ad hoc basis.

An amount equivalent to 75 per cent of the grant will be disbursed upon project commencement, and 25 per cent upon project completion and receipt of a final report. The final report must be sent to the Program Coordinator, Research Grants and Awards, Research and Evaluation Unit, Royal College.  

Eligibility

Applicants must be involved in teaching or medical education research in Canada. Applications may be individual or joint, involving one or more departments, disciplines or faculties of medicine. It is not necessary to be a Fellow of the Royal College or a physician. However, a Fellow of the Royal College must formally contribute to the research project.

Applications must meet contemporary standards of educational research, which include the relevance of the research question, the appropriateness of the research approach, ethical review of the submission, accountability for funds requested, and the feasibility of successfully completing the project during the funding period.

Individuals who currently hold funding from the Royal College (as a Principal Applicant) are not eligible to receive funding in this competition. He/she may still supervise a trainee or student, and can be a co-investigator on proposals submitted by other PIs. Please note an application is considered closed only when the Education Research Grants Committee has approved final submission documents and financial items have been resolved.

Submission

Applications must be submitted by completing the online grant form.

Applications must be submitted by completing the official grant form by the application deadline (no exceptions) on or before March 21, 2024 before 11:59pm (applicant’s local time). Attachments sent by email will not be accepted and are ineligible to be attached to the application.

What to include in your application

  • Provide a clear explanation of the named Fellow’s role and contributions to the project
  • Project Abstract describing the rationale, objectives, study design, methods, analysis and outcomes. (300-word maximum)
  • MERG Project Description (3,400 word maximum), this should include:
    • Objectives, literature and theoretical/conceptual foundations, methodology, and significance to postgraduate specialty medical education or continuing professional development;
    • Summary of the study design including the process for ethics approval as applicable;
    • Details on data collection, analysis, proposed project schedule and anticipated outcomes/impacts;
    • Planned dissemination of research findings

Please include all of the documents below and refer to the following guidelines.

Please download and complete the Grant Budget template. Once completed, please attach the document. Use of the Royal College Budget Template is mandatory.

  • Reference list
  • Budget justification
  • Letter(s) of support, from your division, department or faculty representative
  • Abbreviated curricula vitae detailing principal and co-investigators’ education, teaching and administrative positions held in the last five years, publications grants received and any additional pertinent training (maximum 4 pages each CV. Any curricula vitae that exceeds the 4 pages will be truncated).
  • Copy of research instruments (if available).
  • Letter of approval from Ethics Board or letter of submission for ethical approval (if applicable).

How to create a PDF with Acrobat:

  • Open Acrobat and choose Tools. Select Create PDF.
  • Select the file type you want to create a PDF from: single file, multiple files.
  • Click "Create" or "Next" depending on the file type.
  • Follow the prompts to convert to PDF and save to your desired location.

Create a PDF from an Existing Word Document:

  • With your Word document open, click the “File” menu on the Ribbon.
  • On the sidebar that opens, click the “Save As” command.
  • Now, all you have to do is give your file a name, select “PDF” from the dropdown menu, and then click the “Save” button.

Selection

The Royal College Education Research Grants Committee and a cadre of expert scholars and researchers assess proposals and identify successful applicants.

Selection is based on the application’s scientific merit and clarity of the proposal, on the proposal’s relevance to the grant’s objective, and on the strength of the research team.

Preference will be given to work that is considered worthy of inclusion in a peer-reviewed publication.

Number

One or more grants are awarded each year. Only one grant per year per principal investigator is awarded.

Duration

Applicable to projects of a maximum 24 months in duration.

Budget

The proposed budget and justifications should be provided. Please see the budget guidelines.

Dissemination

The publication of research findings is expected. The financial support of "The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada" must be acknowledged in all publications resulting from this grant.

Submission deadline
11:59 p.m. (local time) March 21, 2024. Late applications will not be considered.

Contact us
Program Coordinator, Research and Evaluation Unit
Email: researchgrants@royalcollege.ca

Budget Guidelines
Application form
Budget template (.xlsx download)
FAQ
Past recipients