Impact of a Grant Writing Mentoring Program on Research Productivity

Research is a vital part of academic medicine, with research mentoring playing a critical role for increasing the quality of research and capacity of researchers. Junior researchers may lack knowledge of research methods and grant writing and can struggle to find research mentorship. We set out to assess the impact of a professional development initiative focused on grant writing for junior researchers.

This was a cross-sectional survey study of mentee participants who enrolled in an 8-month mentored grant writing program offered through the Academy of Emergency Ultrasound in years 2022 to 2025. The program consisted of a didactic on grant writing followed by one-on-one mentorship with a faculty experienced in grant writing. All mentees were eligible for enrollment in the study if they completed at least one year of the program. Individual surveys were sent to all eligible participants. The survey consisted of 12 questions collecting demographic information, experience with the program, and research productivity. Data are presented using descriptive statistics.

Of the 32 mentees who participated in the program, 5 did not complete the program. Survey response rate was 78% (21/27) and included 1 medical student, 3 residents and 17 faculty. Mentees reported the program increased their confidence with grant writing with a median of 5 (IQR 4 to 5) on a 5-point Likert scale. Following the program, 13 (62%, 13/21) mentees submitted a grant with 4 mentees submitting 2 or more grants, totaling 19 grants being submitted that were informed by the mentoring program. Of the 19 submitted grants, 6 (38%, 6/16) grants receiving funding with 3 pending funding decisions. As a result of the program, 14 conference presentations were given and 4 manuscripts were published. The program resulted in 11 (58%, 11/19) mentees receiving career advice, 7 (37%) gaining a long-term research collaborator/ mentor, and 4 (21%) going on to serve as a grant writing mentor. For the 8 participants that did not submit a grant, the most common barriers included lack of time and competing work responsibilities.

Implementation of a grant mentoring program was successful, leading to multiple funded grants, and dissemination of data through conference presentations and published manuscripts. This data shows that a formal mentoring program is an effective way to expand research capacity.