title: A small grants program improves medical education research productivity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study compared research collaboration and productivity among applicants to a small educational research grants program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Brief interviews were conducted with 89% (8/9) of funded applicants and 55% (6/11) of unfunded applicants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Funded projects had an average 6.6 scholarly products per project and 3.8 interinstitutional collaborators with 72.5% continuing collaborations, compared with the unfunded group that had 2.8 products, 1.8 collaborators, and only 16% continuing collaborations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This program seems beneficial to research productivity and multiinstitutional collaboration.
authors.affiliation: KCUMB Institute for Medical Education Innovation, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, 1750 Independence Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64106-1453, USA. nelsawi@kcumb.edu
authors.forename: Nehad I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: El-Sawi
authors.forename: Glynda F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Larry D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Gruppen
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical; D012106:Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012109:Research Support as Topic