SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Clinical Operations Research Grant

The application period for this grant closes each year in August.

This document provides an overview of this grant. For complete instructions on applying, please see the Detailed Instructions. For submission instructions and SAEMF policies, visit How To Apply. For answers to other common questions, visit our Grants FAQ or email grants@saem.org.

Purpose of the Award

Expectations of the Award

The SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Clinical Operations Research Grant is expected to:

1. Answer important questions that help to increase the understanding of the relationship between ED operations/processes and patient outcomes

2. Increase the body of knowledge that can be used to quantify the influence of ED operations/processes on patient outcomes

3. Consider a study where the ED, or patients, are the unit of observation

4. Foster the growth of the recipient’s experience, reputation and career

5. Help the recipient become an independently funded scientist in emergency medicine

Applicants who are EDBA members can propose use of the EDBA’s dataset which includes annual operational details for approximately 1,500 EDs, going back more than 15 years. SAEMF will provide interested applicants with the contact information for EDBA’s dataset liaison.

The SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Clinical Operations Research Grant awardee is expected to:

1. Attend the SAEM Annual Meeting during both years of the award.

2. Attend the  Benchmarking Alliance’s Innovations in Emergency Department Management Conference in the 2nd year of the award.

3. Submit interim and final progress reports in accordance with SAEMF instructions.

4. Submit an abstract reporting the results of the research project for presentation at the SAEM Annual Meeting. As the selection of research abstracts is a competitive process, acceptance is not assured.

5. Publish a manuscript with awardee as first or senior author arising from the project in a peer-reviewed journal within two years of completing the award.

Eligibility for the Award

An applicant for the SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Clinical Operations Research Grant must:

1. Be a member of SAEM in good standing at application deadline and during the entire award period. 

2. Have an advanced/doctoral or terminal educational degree (e.g., MD, DO, PhD, PharmD, DSc or equivalent). 

3. Hold a university appointment in or be actively involved (e.g., have an adjunct appointment) with a department or division of emergency medicine or pediatric emergency medicine at the start of the award period, or be an emergency medicine resident in good standing in an Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-approved emergency medicine residency program at the start of the award period. The applicant may work as a clinician at an institution other than the host institution or the institution at which the project will be conducted.

4. Not have previously received the SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Clinical Operations Research Grant and not have received an NIH R01 award or equivalent. Eligibility will be assessed at the time of the award decision, so applicants funded by a disqualifying source after submission of their application may become ineligible as a result of subsequent funding decisions.

5. Not be a member of the ED Benchmarking Alliance Board

Greater consideration for receipt of the award will be given to applicants who demonstrate a sustained interest in and commitment to a career in administrative leadership or research relating to ED operations and care delivery. This demonstrated commitment may include training in ED operations, leadership or research including but not limited to fellowship or other training, the number of years involved in emergency medicine-focused research or operations leadership; number and quality of emergency medicine-focused research or quality improvement publications and presentations; presentations at scientific, operations improvement/innovation meetings; and local, regional, national and international activities focused on ED operations improvement or research. Applicants will be judged and scored according to their expressed and demonstrated commitment to these areas. Applicants who provide evidence of this commitment may receive more favorable scores.

Applicants for this award are expected to be at different stages of research career development. Applicants may apply as a (1) mentored research scientist or as an (2) independent research scientist. The involvement and availability of mentorship and collaboration appropriate for the applicant’s career stage will be one of the criteria considered by the review committee.

Mentored Research Scientist. Applicants applying as mentored researchers should adhere to the mentor eligibility criteria described in the Eligibility Criteria for SAEMF Grants. For mentored applicants, the review committee will consider whether the mentorship plan is appropriate for the candidate’s career stage, the prior relationship with the mentor, and whether the candidate will be prepared for independent funding after the conclusion of the mentorship plan.

Independent Research Scientist. Applicants applying as independent research scientists must have a track record of high-quality publications or prior funding that demonstrate a career stage appropriate for independent funding. Applicants need not have an identified primary mentor, though evidence of collaboration with senior investigators in the design and conduct of the research plan will be looked upon favorably. For independent research scientists, the review committee will consider whether the investigator and research team, after the conduct of the proposed study, will be able to submit a compelling application for independent federal funding.

Updated May 23, 2024