Research in Medical Education (RIME) Awards
Irish Medical Council/INHED Research in Medical Education (RIME) Awards
Background
The development of medical education research in Ireland is a shared objective of the Medical Council and INHED. To promote research and scholarly activity in medical education in Ireland, the Medical Council fund 3 INHED research grants of €5000 each, to facilitate research across the continuum of medical education.
Objective
The grants are intended to support building medical educational research capacity in the Ireland, whilst answering questions of national and international importance and contributing to the to the knowledge-base for medical education and training in Ireland and the development of Medical Council policy.
Scope
Application is open to Principal Investigators from the Republic of Ireland only. However, the opportunity for application to link within and across jurisdictions is recognised and welcomed.
Applications for research pertaining to the following phases of training will be prioritised:
- Undergraduate Medical Education
- Postgraduate Medical Education and Training
- Life Long Learning / Continuous Professional Development
To guide applicants, a number of indicative themes have also been included which reflect the policy needs of the Medical Council.
- Covid-19 and Medical Education
- Transitions in Medical Education
- Supporting Well-being in Students and the Workforce
- The Impact of Environment and Culture on Teaching, Learning and Assessment
- Inclusivity in Medical Education
- Fostering Research in Medical Education
- Preparedness for Practice
Applications which focus on an area outside of the thematic areas outlined above will be considered eligible where the applicant presents a compelling and justifiable case for how the project possesses strong potential to impact on policy and/or practice in medical education and training in Ireland.
The Research in Medical Education Awards will not fund;
- Literature reviews, curriculum developments, service evaluation or audits (although these elements may be part of an integrated research study).
- Implementation of an intervention without a predominant research element.
- The research funding cannot be used towards continuing education courses/fees e.g. PGDip, MSc/PhD fees.
Funding
The award will be up to a maximum total value of €5,000 for a project of a maximum of 12 months. This is a no overheads award.
Timeframe for the 2025 awards cycle to be announced shortly.
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Application Process
Application review process and assessment criteria
Applications will be subject to review by a panel of medical education experts. Members of the panel will be selected based on their expertise and experience in the field of medical education and training research, and reflecting the research areas, concepts and methods outlined in the submitted proposals. Conflict of interest rules will be applied rigorously. Peer reviewers will not provide comments or scores on any application on which they have a conflict of interest.
As a guide, the following criteria will be used to evaluate each submission:
- Evidence that the project links directly with priority areas identified in the call, or with an area for which appropriate justification is provided.
- Background and rationale is clear.
- The problem is clearly outlined and is considered important.
- Clarity as to the aims and objectives of the work is offered.
- Detail on design and methodology, including justification of sample selection and exclusion criteria is included (where applicable).
- Depending on the research design, details of sample size or power calculations and proposed analysis have been explained.
- Coherence between the aims and objectives and research methodology exists.
- The application clearly outlines and justifies the process(es) of evaluation and expected outcome(s).
- Success criteria to the proposed research have been outlined.
- Challenges to proposed work have been offered.
- Ethics requirements and procedures have been detailed.
- Appropriate and robust research governance is evident.
- Resource and budgetary requirements are clearly described.
- Gantt chart indicating a schedule for the completion of work, including the timing of key milestones and deliverables is included.
- Projected outputs and dissemination are detailed.
- Expected research impact is described.
Applicants will be provided with constructive feedback, if requested. Should you not be successful this time, we strongly encourage you to apply again next year.