2026 Emerging Innovators Grant Program

2026 NBME Emerging Innovators Grant Program

OVERVIEW

Applications for the 2026 cycle are currently being accepted until June 15, 2026. This grant is designed to support early- and mid-career medical education faculty or staff who share our commitment to advancing equitable assessment practices and developing innovative assessment approaches. Equitable assessment practices and educational programs can support a stronger health care system with the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care disparities, while also enhancing educational experience of learners. We also seek projects promoting innovative thinking to push boundaries of medical education and assessment locally and/or nationally.

We are looking for proposals that advance one or more of the following: 

• Designing assessments that create a novel approach to measuring specific  competencies.
• Creating high-quality assessment processes that support fair and consistent assessment  experiences.
• Assessing the implementation of a novel program of instruction and/or assessment.

The projects should focus on enhancing assessment practices and medical education programs within the theme of Promoting Equitable and Innovative Assessment in Medical Education. Proposals must focus on advancing equity, innovation or both in assessment and medical education. Whether the proposed research or program implementation is completely novel, or new in the context of your own setting, we encourage emerging innovators to apply for this grant opportunity during open cycles. 

For this program, emerging innovators include, but are not limited to, assistant professors, nontenured faculty and administrative roles. We encourage proposals from individuals and/or teams.

NBME will fund up to $25,000 in total for each accepted proposal. Four proposals that can be completed within a 1–2-year timeframe will be selected. Grants will be awarded to medical schools accredited by the LCME or the AOA/COCA or graduate medical education (GME) training facilities. Applications are accepted from principal investigators with appointments at LCME- and AOA/COCA-accredited medical schools or GME facilities.

ELIGIBILITY

The Emerging Innovators Grant Program (EIGP)  assists early- to mid-career faculty, researchers, and program leaders at the start of their research careers to pursue ideas that can leave a lasting mark on the medical education landscape. In contrast, the Stemmler Grants program provides support for mid- to senior-career faculty to conduct research and develop innovative assessment strategies with the potential to advance the field of medical education assessment. These guidelines clarify the eligibility requirements for the two NBME medical education assessment grants, ensuring applicants can identify which opportunity aligns with their career stage and aspirations.  

• Applicants may not apply if they are the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on another active Stemmler or Emerging Innovators Grant. 
• An applicant may not be principal investigator on more than one application but may appear on more than one research team. There is no limit to the number of applications from a single institution, provided they are distinct projects with independent principal investigators and co-principal investigators 
• Applicants may not apply as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator to both the Emerging Innovators Grant Program (EIGP) and Stemmler Grants program within the same cycle due to differing eligibility requirements. Emerging Innovators Grant Program (EIGP) is intended for early to mid-career faculty beginning their  medical education assessment research career and the Stemmler Grants program is intended for senior faculty with a history of research in the sector. This means that applicants should not apply for a Stemmler grant until they have demonstrated experience in the sector. 
• Individuals who have previously received a Stemmler grant are not eligible to apply for the Emerging Innovators Grant Program (EIGP) program as principal investigator or coprincipal investigator.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

The application has two components: content that will be submitted via question prompts in Submittable and content that should be uploaded to the individual questions and a combined PDF document in Submittable.

TO BE COMPLETED IN SUBMITTABLE:

Applicant Institution

1. Institution Contact / Principal Investigator This individual will be responsible for submitting the application and will receive notifications regarding application status.

2. Institution’s Authorized Representative This individual or office contact has responsibility for reviewing and signing contracts and is usually an organization’s contracts or grants administrator.

3. Acknowledgement of non-commercialization As part of NBME’s Community Collaborations and Contributions programs, the Emerging Innovators Grant Program supports medical education and assessment communities to drive future innovations. The Program is not intended to support work to develop commercialized assessment products or services. The Emerging Innovators Grant Program selection committee will not consider any such proposals for funding.

4. Abstract (350-word maximum) Describe the specific aims of the proposed project as well as any other applicable long-term objectives. Include a brief description of the research design and methods for achieving the stated goals. Address how this proposal meets the theme of this year’s call for application. 

Write in plain language, so a reviewer without a research background will be able to understand the importance of the project. 

DOCUMENT UPLOAD 

Please upload a single PDF for each section below, which includes the following documents: 

1. Program Description. (Maximum of 6 pages.) 

2. Proposal Budget. (See attached template.) 

3. Detailed Project Timeline. (Maximum of 1 page.) 

4. Biographical Sketch from each member of the team. 

5. Existing IRB approvals or any IRB applications in process, as applicable. 

6. Letter(s) of Support from institutional leadership.

A. Program Description 

Describe your proposed project according to the prompts below. The description should be double-spaced and written in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. If references are cited, this will not be considered part of the page count. (Maximum of 6 pages.) 

1. Introduction

a. Why is the topic important to medical education assessment?

b. How does the project impact issues related to this year’s theme of Promoting Equitable and Innovative Assessment in Medical Education?

c. Please cite literature on what is already known about the topic and how this identifies the existing gap. 

d. A clear statement of hypothesis (if a research study) or a clear description of project scope and purpose (if an implementation project). 

2. Methods/Materials – 

a. Description of a methodology that is appropriate to the question(s) or project plan. 

b. A clear and detailed study design / implementation plan including elements such as: a description of population to be studied or involved, the types of instruments or techniques planned for measurement with a rationale, including any validity evidence for the instruments selected, and if instruments or materials are to be developed, how this is feasible for the scope and timetable of the project. 

3. Evaluation/Analysis 

a. An evaluation plan that is appropriate for the study design and one that links to the anticipated outcomes and results. 

b. Rationale for the evaluation(s) or statistical methods selected. 

4. Anticipated Outcomes and Results 

a. Discussion of the anticipated primary and any relevant secondary outcomes and how they will contribute to greater equity in medical education assessment.

5. Collaboration and Mentoring 

a. A description of the proposed mentor/mentee relationship(s). Explain what each will bring to the project and/or will gain during the project. 

b. Explain how you will involve different stakeholders (e.g., organizations, students, educators, perspectives) in this process (if applicable). 

6. Future steps

a. Description of the next steps (for example, scale up or further funding potential), generalized use of the project results or findings, or potential integration into other learning settings. 

7. Citations 

a. Use any format for reference citations. 

b. This section does not count toward the program description page limit. 

B. Budget 

Please use the template to create a clear breakdown of the budget, including itemized expenses and justification for each cost. Indirect costs may not exceed 10% of the total requested grant amount.

C. Detailed Timeline 

Please include a project plan outlining key milestones, activities and deliverables, preferably as visual timeline. The timeline should not exceed one page.

D. Biographical Sketch

Please include a current bio sketch for each member of the research team.

E. Existing IRB approvals or any IRB applications in process 

Please include any documents related to IRB application or approval. 

F. Letter(s) of Support

Please include one or more letter(s) of support from institutional leadership (Division/Department Director, Dean, other program leader, etc.) for the project and for endorsement of the PI’s involvement in the project.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following factors:

• Thematic alignment to the call for proposals.
• The potential to address at least one outcome in medical education related to this year’s theme of Promoting Equitable and Innovative Assessment in Medical Education.
• Feasibility of achieving the project’s intended aims, including demonstration of the appropriate skill level of the proposed team, available technology, mentorship, resources, and program evaluation plan.
• Potential for meaningful impact at the institution and beyond, including scalability within medical education.
• Collaboration among departments (disciplines), faculty members, or institutions. We encourage proposals from teams that include a breadth of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and knowledge.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR COMPLETED PROPOSAL

All documents to be uploaded should be in PDF format and submitted as one document. You are required to submit both a blinded and an identified copy of your proposal to NBME’s platform, “Submittable.” Blinded versions should redact or omit any identifying names of individuals and institutions.

If you have not previously used Submittable, please create a profile by clicking here: https://nbme.submittable.com/signup. Once you have completed this step, complete the application form and follow the instructions for uploading your information and application document.

If you have previously used the Submittable platform for other grant or review work for NBME, your submissions were connected to the user email address on file. Your submissions will appear on your dashboard labeled with the title of your submission and previous submission ID number. That information may be accessed here: https://nbme.submittable.com/login

All submissions are due by June 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern US)

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email NBMEInnovatorsGrant@nbme.org