The Center for Innovation in Medical Education (CiMED) 
Call for Medical Education Research Grants Fall 2026

All submissions must be e-mailed to CiMED at [email protected]  (please use this link) with the subject line “CiMED grant submission” no later than 11:59 pm, Sunday, November 1st, 2026. 

Call for Proposals

The Center for Innovation in Medical Education (CiMED) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for the Fall 2026 CiMED Research Grant Competition. The goal of this research grant is to support University of Ottawa faculty-led projects that involve scholarship in health professions education. The project may involve any aspect relevant to health professions education including, but not limited to undergraduate, postgraduate, continuing professional development, simulation. Projects focused solely on program evaluation or quality improvement may be considered but the proposal must have an explicit plan for dissemination.

Applicants may request up to $20,000 per project. Applications requesting smaller amounts are encouraged where appropriate to the scope of the proposed work.

Projects must be completed within a maximum of two years. 

Grant Streams

Applicants must identify the primary grant stream to which they are applying.

A. Early Career Grant — up to $20,000

This stream supports the development of emerging health professions education scholars and high-quality preliminary or catalytic work that can lead to subsequent scholarship, educational change, or external funding.

Projects may include pilot or feasibility studies, development and testing of new approaches, or other work intended to establish the foundation for a larger program of scholarship.

The PI or co-PI must be within the first five years of their academic appointment to an eligible sponsoring department within the Faculty of Medicine. Faculty that are new to medical education research may be considered on a case-by-case basis, and should contact [email protected] to confirm eligibility for early career grant. 

The strength and appropriateness of mentorship, collaboration, and access to relevant expertise should be described where applicable.

B. Health Professions Education Scholarship Grant — up to $20,000

This stream supports rigorous scholarship that advances understanding in health professions education or addresses a meaningful problem or gap. 
Projects may include empirical research, knowledge syntheses, methodological studies, or other forms of health professions education scholarship.

C. Education Innovation & Implementation Grant — up to $20,000

This stream supports the development, implementation, adaptation, evaluation, or scaling of educational innovations and evidence-informed educational practices.

Projects should address a clearly identified educational need or implementation challenge and describe the evidence, theory, conceptual framework, or previous work informing the proposed innovation.

Applications should include an appropriate strategy for implementation and evaluation and should consider feasibility, sustainability, and potential applicability beyond the immediate project where relevant.

Projects focused primarily on local educational improvement or program evaluation are eligible when they demonstrate a scholarly approach and a clear plan for knowledge mobilization.

D. Simulation-related Education Research Grant — up to $20,000

This stream supports scholarship related to simulation-based health professions education.

Projects may address research, assessment, innovation, implementation, evaluation, faculty development, or other scholarly questions involving simulation-based education.

Applications should address a meaningful educational problem or question and use an approach appropriate to the proposed objectives.

Projects funded through this stream are supported in partnership with the University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre and may have additional dissemination requirements as described below.

Funding may be reallocated among grant streams depending on the number and quality of applications received.

Eligibility

1. The Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI must be an MD, PhD, or other eligible faculty member with a primary academic appointment in an eligible sponsoring clinical department or in a basic science department within the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine. 
2. Eligible departments for 2026: [INSERT CURRENT LIST] pending Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, Psychiatry), or basic science Departments.
3. CiMED Fellows from non-sponsoring clinical departments may be eligible to apply with 75% matching funds from their department. A letter from the Department Chair confirming the availability of matching funds must accompany the application. 
4. Students (undergraduate or graduate), residents, fellows, and other learners from the University of Ottawa may be listed as the PI. An eligible faculty member must serve as PI, co-PI, or senior supervising investigator, as applicable. 
5. Investigators who currently hold an active DIME or CiMED Research Grant as PI are not eligible to receive another CiMED grant as PI during the current competition. They may participate as co-investigators or supervisors but may not be considered the eligible PI on the grant. Another eligible PI is required. 
6. Applicants to the Early Career Grant must meet the additional career-stage eligibility requirement described above. 
7. Projects involving University of Ottawa medical students as research participants must receive the required approval from the Vice-Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education before the CiMED application is submitted. Applicants should provide the Vice-Dean with a brief project summary describing the question/objectives, methodology, recruitment approach, and proposed timeline. 
8. Appropriate research ethics review or other institutional approvals must be obtained before funding is released. Applicants are not required to have REB approval in place at the time of application unless otherwise specified. 

Project Team and Access to Expertise

CiMED does not require applicants to include a medical education methodologist as a co-investigator solely for the purpose of eligibility.

Instead, applicants must demonstrate that the project team has, or will have access to, the expertise required to successfully complete the proposed work.

Depending on the project, relevant expertise may include:

• health professions education scholarship; 
• quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research; 
• program evaluation; 
• implementation science; 
• assessment;  
• simulation;  
• knowledge synthesis; 
• statistical or analytic expertise; 
• curriculum or instructional design; 
• knowledge mobilization; or 
• relevant substantive or clinical expertise. 

Expertise may be available through members of the investigative team, collaborators, consultation, institutional resources, or a combination of these.

Optional CiMED consultation

CiMED provides optional pre-submission consultation to applicants who would benefit from advice related to:

• refining the research question or project objectives; 
• study design or methodology; 
• educational theory or conceptual frameworks; 
• program evaluation; 
• implementation;  
• quantitative or qualitative methods; 
• assessment;  
• simulation;  
• knowledge mobilization; or 
• identifying individuals with relevant expertise. 

Applicants seeking consultation should contact [email protected] sufficiently in advance of the application deadline.

Consultation does not guarantee funding and is not considered as part of the assessment of an application.

AI, Commercial Technologies, and Conflicts of Interest

CiMED welcomes proposals involving artificial intelligence (AI) or other emerging educational technologies when they address a meaningful educational question, innovation, or implementation need.

CiMED funding is intended to support health professions education scholarship and innovation, not the purchase, promotion, development, or routine implementation of a specific commercial product or platform. Projects involving a proprietary technology may be eligible when it is necessary to address a broader educational question and the anticipated contribution extends beyond the specific product being studied. Reasonable project-specific access or licensing costs may be considered when necessary to conduct the proposed work.

Applicants must disclose any relevant financial, professional, intellectual property, or other relationship with the developer or vendor of a technology used in the project, including consulting relationships, equity interests, involvement in product development, licensing arrangements, or in-kind support. Such relationships do not necessarily make a project ineligible but must be transparently disclosed and appropriately managed. Investigators must retain independence over study design, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of findings.

Value and Duration

The maximum award is $20,000 per project.

Applicants are encouraged to request only the funds necessary to complete the proposed work. Smaller funding requests are welcomed.

CiMED reserves the right to offer funding at an amount lower than requested where appropriate.

Projects must be completed within a maximum of two years from the project start date.

Application Requirements

Applications may be submitted in English or French.

The complete application must be submitted as one PDF file, in the order described below.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to use the CiMED Grant Proposal Template.

1. Title Page (Please include): 
   • project title; 
   • primary grant stream; 
   • PI and co-PI, if applicable; 
   • departmental and institutional affiliations; 
   • names, affiliations, and project roles of other team members; 
   • commercial technologies and conflicts of interest, as applicable;
   • amount requested; 
   • proposed project duration; and 
   • brief identification of the relevant expertise available to the project team. 
      
2. Structured Abstract — maximum 250 words (Please Include)
   • Background - What educational problem or gap is being addressed, and why does it matter?
   • Purpose - State the project purpose, research question(s), or objectives.
   • Methods - Briefly describe the project design, setting and participants, intervention or innovation where applicable, data collection, and analysis or evaluation.
   • Expected Contributions or Impact - What is expected to be learned, changed, implemented, or enabled by the proposed work?
      
3. Main Proposal — maximum five pages
   The main proposal must be:
   • no more than five pages; this includes (3.1) background, (3.2) purpose, (3.3) methods or approach, (3.4) expected contribution and impact, (3.5) knowledge mobilization, and (3.6) team, feasibility and next steps 
   • single-spaced; 
   • 12-point font; 
   • with minimum 1-inch margins; and 
   • page numbered.

      Applicants should use the following headings.

3.1 Background

• Describe the educational problem, practice gap, implementation challenge, or knowledge gap being addressed.
• Summarize the most relevant existing literature or evidence and explain why the proposed work matters.
• The background should provide sufficient information for reviewers to understand both the importance of the problem and how the proposed project builds on existing knowledge.

• For educational innovation or implementation projects, describe the educational need and the evidence, theory, conceptual framework, or previous work informing the proposed intervention.

  Suggested length: approximately one page.

3.2 Purpose, Research Question(s), and/or Objectives

• Clearly state the overall purpose of the project and the specific research question(s), evaluation question(s), hypothesis(es), or objectives, as appropriate.

  Suggested length: approximately one-quarter page.

3.3 Methods or Approach

• Describe a method or approach appropriate to the selected grant stream and project objectives.
  As applicable, this may include:
  • study or project design; 
  • educational setting and context; 
  • participants;  
  • sampling and recruitment; 
  • intervention or educational innovation; 
  • theoretical or conceptual framework; 
  • implementation strategy; 
  • data sources and data collection; 
  • outcomes or evaluation measures; 
  • quantitative, qualitative, or other analytic approaches; 
  • strategies to support methodological rigour and reflexivity in research; and 

  • relevant ethical considerations. 

    The proposed approach should clearly align with and be capable of addressing the stated research questions or objectives.

    Suggested length: approximately two to two-and-a-half pages.

3.4 Expected Contribution and Impact

• Describe what the project is expected to contribute to health professions education.
• Explain what may be learned, improved, implemented, adapted, or enabled by the work and who may benefit from it.
• The anticipated contribution should be realistic and proportionate to the scope of the project.

       Suggested length: approximately one-half page.

3.5 Knowledge Mobilization

Describe how the findings, educational products, or lessons from the project will be shared with the individuals or groups who could use them. 

Knowledge mobilization may include, as appropriate:

• peer-reviewed publication; 
• conference presentation; 
• workshops or faculty development; 
• educational resources; 
• implementation within educational programs; 
• institutional or health-system dissemination; 
• engagement with learners, educators, patients, communities, or other relevant groups;  
• policy or practice change; or 

• other approaches appropriate to the project.

  Applicants are encouraged to think beyond academic dissemination alone when other approaches are likely to increase the value or use of the work. 

  Suggested length: approximately one-half page.

3.6 Team, Feasibility, and Next Steps

Describe why the project team and environment are positioned to successfully complete the work.

Identify:

• relevant expertise available within or accessible to the team; 
• key feasibility considerations; 
• anticipated challenges and mitigation strategies, where applicable; and 

• how the proposed work may lead to subsequent scholarship, implementation, sustainability, scale-up, or external funding. 

  Suggested length: approximately one-half page.

4. Timeline

   Provide a concise timeline identifying:

   • major activities and milestones; 
   • anticipated completion dates; 
   • responsible team member(s); and 

   • major deliverables. 

     The timeline is not included in the five-page proposal limit

5. Budget and Budget Justification

   Provide a detailed budget and justification, to a maximum of one page.

   For each item, indicate:

   • the cost; 
   • how the cost was calculated; and 
   • why it is necessary to complete the proposed work.
   • Up to $1,500 may be requested to support conference registration, travel, accommodation, or meals for investigators presenting findings from the funded project at a peer-reviewed scholarly meeting. This maintains the existing CiMED allowance. 

   Ineligible expenses

   • CiMED funds may not normally be used for:
     • purchase of general equipment; 
     • activities that are integral to routine course or program administration; 
     • salary or honoraria for investigators; 
     • travel, accommodation, or meals for external investigators visiting Ottawa; 
     • publication fees; 
     • medical writers; or 

     • expenses that are not directly attributable to the proposed project.

       Applicants are encouraged to contact CiMED before submission if they are uncertain whether a proposed expense is eligible. 

6. References

   Provide references using a consistent citation style.

   References are not included in the five-page proposal limit.

7. Applicant Biosketches

   Submit a maximum two-page education-focused biosketch for the PI and co-PI, if applicable.

   The biosketch should briefly identify:

   • current academic role; 
   • relevant education and scholarship roles; 
   • experience directly relevant to the proposed project; 
   • relevant methodological or substantive expertise; 
   • selected relevant publications, presentations, educational innovations, or other scholarly outputs; and 

   • relevant research or education funding received within the previous five years. 

     The expertise and roles of other team members should be described within the proposal rather than requiring a separate CV from every investigator.

8. Additional Materials

   Additional materials should be included only when required or essential to understanding the project, such as:

   • required institutional letters or approvals; 
   • an essential figure or conceptual model; or 

   • a research or evaluation instrument when specifically relevant. 

     Appendices must not be used to extend the five-page proposal limit.

Submission Process

Applications must be submitted electronically to [email protected] with the subject line:

CiMED Research Grant Submission — [PI LAST NAME]

Applications must be received by: 11:59 p.m. ET on November 1^st, 2026

Confirmation of receipt will be provided within two business days. Applicants who do not receive confirmation should contact CiMED.

Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applications may be submitted in English or French.

Funding and Project Activation

Funding will be released once all applicable institutional requirements have been met, including:

• relevant research ethics or institutional approvals; 
• confirmation of a financial account; and 
• any other approvals required for the proposed work. 

Ninety percent (90%) of the award will be released when the project is activated. The remaining 10% will be released following project completion and receipt of the required final report. 

Responsibilities of Funded Investigators

All publications, presentations, educational products, and other dissemination arising from the project must acknowledge support from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CiMED).

Funded investigators will be expected to:

• complete the project within the approved funding period; 
• notify CiMED of substantial changes to the project, budget, or investigative team; 
• submit a final project report; 
• submit a final financial statement and account for substantial budget variances; 
• return unused grant funds as required; and 
• report publications, presentations, subsequent funding, educational implementation, and other relevant outputs arising from the project. 

Recipients will also be expected to present their work at a Meridith Marks Medical Education Day.

Recipients funded through the Simulation-related Education Research Grant are additionally required to present their work at the Ottawa Regional SIMposium.

Investigators who do not provide required final reporting may be ineligible for subsequent CiMED funding.