SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Clinical Operations Research Grant

Applications Now Open

Deadline: August 1, 2026

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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

The SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Clinical Operations Research Grant awards $50,000 over a two year period ($25,000 per year) to support an emergency medicine faculty member or trainee to conduct a research project to promote research on emergency department (ED) clinical operations. Individuals with an interest in administrative leadership or a research career relating to ED operations and care delivery are strongly encouraged to apply. Studies of efficacy of clinical interventions, such as studies of efficacy of individual patient level interventions and therapies alone are not considered operations research and should not be submitted for this mechanism (e.g., sepsis detection/treatment and inpatient morality or agitation treatment and time to adequate sedation would not qualify). However, a new clinical workflow with a primary operational outcome that includes a primary operational outcome aligned with the Benchmarking Alliance operational performance measures would be considered as operations research.

To receive feedback on whether your proposed research is considered ED Operations Research, please submit a letter of intent including a summary of your proposed outcomes by July 1, 2026, to grants@saem.org. Feedback will be sent to applicants within two weeks of submission of letter of intent.

Expectations of the Award

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

1. Answer important questions that help 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. Generate studies where the ED, or patients, are the units of observation, and operational performance measures are the outcomes of interest.
4. Foster the growth of the recipient's experience, reputation, and career.
5. Help the recipient become an independently funded scientist in emergency medicine.
6. Engage in discussion with EDBA during board meetings to gain meaningful insight and mentorship in ED operations.

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 35 years. SAEM Foundation (SAEMF) will provide interested applicants with the contact information for EDBA’s dataset liaison. Several publications available to SAEM members also describe the ED Benchmarking Alliance history and metrics. A focus on innovation in clinical operations is a desired expectation for proposed projects.

Eligibility for the Award

The Applicant

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

1. Be a member of SAEM or EDBA 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 faculty appointment, or be a trainee, in a department or division of emergency medicine or pediatric emergency medicine at the start of the grant award period.
4. Not be a member of the ED Benchmarking Alliance Board.
5. Not have previously received the SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Grant.
6. Not have received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 award or equivalent. Eligibility will be assessed at the time of award decision, so applicants funded by a disqualifying source after submission of their application may become ineligible as a result of subsequent funding decisions.

Greater consideration for receipt of the award will be given to applicants who:

1. Utilize the EDBA dataset.
2. 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 operation 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; the number and quality of emergency medicine-focused research or quality improvement publications and presentations; presentations at scientific or 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.
3. Demonstrate evidence of involvement in SAEM activities and functions. Demonstrated involvement includes active participation in SAEM activities and functions (e.g., SAEM presentations and committee membership). Applicants will be judged and scored according to their expressed and demonstrated commitment to SAEM. Applicants who provide evidence of this commitment may receive more favorable scores.
4. Demonstrate evidence of involvement in EDBA activities and functions. Demonstrated involvement includes active participation in EDBA activities and functions (e.g., EDBA presentations and committee membership). Applicants will be judged and scored according to their expressed and demonstrated commitment to EDBA. Applicants who provide evidence of this commitment may receive more favorable scores.

The Applicant's Host Institution

The applicant's host institution must:

1. Provide adequate administrative and clerical support to the recipient, including but not limited to office space, administrative support, and information systems.
2. Demonstrate a track record of involvement and commitment to research training at local, state, and national levels. In the majority and ideal circumstances, the host institution should have an accredited emergency medicine residency program.

The Department

The applicant's host department:

1. Must be a department or division (or equivalent) of emergency medicine (may be within or outside of the United States).
2. Should be actively involved in emergency medicine or pediatric emergency medicine research and education.
3. Should have an established research program as exemplified by: (a) faculty/staff with extra- and/or intramural competitive grant funding; (b) current Institutional Review Board- (IRB, or equivalent) approved clinical, health services, or laboratory research in progress; (c) faculty/staff who have presented their research at national or international meetings; (d) faculty/staff publications in peer-reviewed research journals; (e) a formal research curriculum; and (f) dedicated funds, space, and support personnel available to ensure completion of projects in which the applicant will participate.
4. Must provide financial support for SAEM Annual Meeting attendance for the duration of the award.

The Training Site

The applicant's primary training site:

1. Should be an academic department/division (or equivalent) of emergency medicine or pediatric emergency medicine.
2. Is expected to have access and facilities for training similar to those outlined in the NIH guidelines for clinical research training.

The Mentor(s)

Mentorship and a collaborative research team are important components of this SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Grant, but 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 their career stage will be one of the criteria considered by the review committee.

Mentored Research Scientist: If a mentor is included, a separate mentoring plan and a mentor letter of support should be included in the application. The mentor should be an established research investigator with mentoring experience and expertise in the proposed area of research and in research methodology. The mentor must commit the necessary time to provide both specific and general research training for the applicant, supervise the applicant's project, and provide the necessary equipment and resources to carry out the research project if these are not available form the applicant's departments. The mentor should also provide evidence of successful competitive extramural funding and a history of presentations at national or international meetings and high-impact publications in peer-reviewed journals. The role of the mentor and the planned interactions should be of substantial quality and quantity to assure a close mentor-mentee relationship, and a description of this relationship is required. The mentor may be within or outside of the applicant’s division or department. For mentored research scientists, 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.

The Financial Award

The SAEMF/ED Benchmarking Alliance Clinical Operations Research Grant will provide a total of up to $50,000 over two years (up to $25,000 each year) as support for the awardee. Detailed budgets will be required. Funds may be used for salary or for research costs, but no administrative costs (e.g., secretarial support, laboratory space, etc.) will be permitted. Research Coordinator(s) are an allowable expense if they are a direct cost of the project. A portion of the award is expected to cover faculty salary, and the proportion of support is expected to be commensurate with the time required to conduct the study. A detailed timeline must be included in the proposal, and time to cover faculty effort in writing a grant proposal for subsequent funding is a permissible use of funds.

A progress report is required after 12 months for grants funded for periods greater than 12 months. The interim report will include a one-page minimum evaluation of the grant activities to date, including problems and alternative strategies employed, as well as plans to address newly identified problems. Funding for the second year is conditional to receipt and approval of the progress report by the SAEM Grants Committee.

SAEMF grants are dependent upon the amount of available funds from the SAEMF. SAEMF may discontinue, postpone, or change grant funding based on the amount of funds available. The number and monetary amount of awards granted depend on the quality of applications and status of the SAEMF endowment funds.

In addition to the funds (up to $25,000 per year for two years in direct costs) from SAEMF, the budget justification should reflect all pending and active sources of funding relevant to the project. The submission of detailed budgets and budget justifications for the use of funds for the grant from SAEMF and additional funds available to support the goals of the award from all other sources are required as part of the application and again for award recipients during the reporting period of the award.

Failure to meet the award guidelines or inability of the awardee to complete the term of the award shall result in the need to return residual funds to the SAEMF.

For projects requiring the host institution’s IRB or equivalent approval, funds will not be dispersed until IRB approval is obtained. No-cost extensions may be made at the discretion of the Grants Committee on a case-by-case basis.

Duration of the Award

The award is for two years (grant period July 1, 2027 - June 30, 2029).

Progress Reports

A progress report is due at 12 months from the start of the grant period. The final project and financial reports are due within one month of the end of the grant period. The progress report template can be downloaded at Post Award. These reports will be prepared independently by the awardee (and mentor if applicable) and submitted to SAEMF. These reports will be forwarded to the EDBA as an informational item.

Two officers of the SAEMF Board of Trustees are expected to attend (virtually) up to two EDBA Board meetings each year, and will make every effort to include the current grant recipient in the virtual meeting. These will be informal updates to the EDBA about research progress. Additional collaboration with EDBA mentors is encouraged.

Deliverables

The deliverables expected of the awardee are as follows:

1. The awardee will attend the SAEM Annual Meeting during both years of the award, and the awardee's department will provide financial support for meeting attendance.
2. The awardee will attend the ED Benchmarking Alliance's Innovations in Emergency Department Management Conference in the second year of the award. The EDBA will support travel and registration.
3. The awardee is expected to 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, submission is expected but acceptance is not assured.
4. Publish a manuscript (first-authored by the awardee) in a peer-reviewed journal within two years of completing the grant.
5. If the grantee is an EDBA member and not an SAEM member, SAEM membership is encouraged at the grantees expense.

Full Eligibility Criteria, Detailed Instructions, and Additional Information for SAEMF Grants can be found here.

Updated May 1, 2026