A Small Grants Program Improves Medical Education Research Productivity

BACKGROUND: This study compared research collaboration and productivity among applicants to a small educational research grants program. METHOD: Brief interviews were conducted with 89% (8/9) of funded applicants and 55% (6/11) of unfunded applicants. RESULTS: Funded projects had an average 6.6 scholarly products per project and 3.8 interinstitutional collaborators with 72.5% continuing collaborations, compared with the unfunded group that had 2.8 products, 1.8 collaborators, and only 16% continuing collaborations. CONCLUSIONS: This program seems beneficial to research productivity and multiinstitutional collaboration.