Implementation of an Intramural Competitive Resident Research Grant

Experience with procurement of research funding and grantsmanship is an essential skill and one that is rarely taught in a manner that adequately prepares trainees for the magnitude of this professional requirement. The aims of the program described in this article are (1) to provide a mentored experience in grantsmanship through designing and concisely outlining an individual research study and (2) to supplement extramural funding mechanisms for clinical trainees to produce meaningful and substantive clinical and/or basic science research. A total of $10,000 of departmental chair discretionary funds is allocated for resident research annually. The first 2 cycles have successfully allocated the allotted funding through a competitive, scored grant evaluation process. Awardees have already produced meaningful data that have been nationally presented, submitted for publication, and integrated into an National Institutes of Health grant submission. The feasibility of implementing an intramural competitive resident research grant may have broad application within varied training environments.