Partners residents and clinical fellows currently enrolled in a Partners training program are eligible for Centers of Expertise funding.  Review the complete listing of Partners training programs to determine if you are eligible.

You must still be a trainee when you are using the funds (i.e. if a conference happens after you graduate, you are not eligible to use funding for it).  

The review process begins immediately upon closure of a grant period which is why we stick to deadlines.  Applicants will receive decision notifications within four weeks of cycle closure in most cases (often sooner) but feel free to email us if you'd like an update.

The Centers of Expertise strive to have a broad impact on Partners trainees, and therefore aim to spread support across as many trainees and programs, as possible.  If an applicant submits for more than one opportunity, Center of Expertise leadership will likely limit awards to one area per grant cycle. If you have already received funding and choose to reapply for the same opportunity in a different grant cycle, priority will be given to those that have yet to receive funding.

Please direct individual questions on this topic by emailing us!

We welcome your suggestions of new programs that will reinforce the goals and focus areas of the Centers of Expertise. Please feel free to email us ideas.

Your mentor must be on staff (faculty) at a Partners institution. In addition, s/he should:

• meet with you to talk about your research idea prior to submitting your application.
• submit a letter of support, on your behalf, as part of your application.
• continue to meet with you about your project should you receive funding.

All letters of support should be a concise email that comments on the following:

• how the experience/opportunity will contribute to your career growth
• other pertinent information the author would like the evaluators to know in reviewing your application

A letter of support from your program director should comment on the following:

• amount of clinical coverage will be available/provided 
• if time away from program activities is appropriate
• if you are in good standing with the program

• details of the research design
• why this project is important

A letter of support from your host organization (for travel grants) should comment on the following:

• details of the proposed travel/work experience
• why this work is important

The president's prize is available to trainees who attend the Value Based Healthcare Delivery course, co-sponsored by HBS and PHS.  Information about this prize is sent to attendees at the end of the course.

As part of your application, you must include a letter of support from your PD.  This letter should be a concise email that comments on

• your standing within the program,

• how this experience/opportunity will contribute to your career growth, and 

• other pertinent information the author would like the evaluators to know in reviewing your application,

• opinion on the project,

• how the experience/opportunity will contribute to your career growth, and 

• other pertinent information the author would like the evaluators to know in reviewing your application.

A letter of support from your mentor is not required as you are not required to implement the project.

All letters should be emailed to us (CentersofExpertise@partners.org) by the deadline of the grant/funded opportunity you are applying for. It is the trainees responsibility to ensure that the letter has been received.  If the required letter(s) of support are not received by the deadline, your application will be incomplete and will not be sent to the evaluating team.

The subject line should reflect the funded opportunity and the funded opportunity should be included in the email somewhere. 

The purpose of research grants are to help you engage in your own research.  Many items purchased must be returned to the COEs at the end of your project/funding period.  

Funds from awarded research grants can be spent on numerous things such as:

• items for your project (both technology and non technology).  Please note that some items will be required to be returned to the COE office at the conclusion of the study/funding period.  
• statistical support (although we suggest reaching out to Harvard Catalyst to see if they can help you for free!)
• technology (some of which will be returned to the COE office at the conclusion of the funding period for others to then utilize)
• software
• app development
• file storage (e.g., external hard drive, cloud storage)
• video production
• web survey tool
• transcription
• website programmer

The purpose of travel grants are to make it possible for you to get somewhere to implement your project.

Funds from travel grants can be spent on:

• transportation
• food
• accommodation
• flight insurance up to $50 (other types of insurance are not included)
• fees to practice medicine where you are going

Funds may not be used for:

• medication
• doctor's visits in preparation of travel
• conferences during your trip (registration, travel, poster printing fees, etc.)
• travel to other places not associated with the implementation of your project

Travel grants cannot be used to fund a trip retroactively.  This means if you are scheduled to go on a trip in September and decide to apply for fall funding, you may have to forfeit the funding if you left for your trip before finding out about the funding.  Fall funding normally opens in August with decisions announced in late September.  Spring funding normally opens at the end of November/beginning of December with decisions announced in February.  If you are traveling in early fall it is best to submit an application during the preceding spring cycle.  If you are traveling in early spring, it is best to submit an application during the preceding fall cycle.

The purpose of conference grants are to help you get to a conference.  You are expected to fully attend the conference.

Funds from conference grants can be spent on:

• transportation to/from and during the conference
• food
• accommodation
• registration
• flight insurance up to $50 (other types of insurance are not included)

Funds cannot be spent on:

• poster printing fees
• handout fees

Food can be covered for all grants.  We do not reimburse for alcohol or items purchased for others.

For travel and conference grants, an itemized receipt must be included.  If you paid by credit card, the credit card slip should also be provided.  If only a credit card receipt, ATM withdrawal receipt, or currency conversion receipt is provided, you will not be reimbursed for those expenses.  If you paid in cash, then only the itemized receipt is required.  

There are limits as to how much you can spend on food and it depends on the grant received. Please see below:

*itemized receipts must still be provided for all meals you are submitting for reimbursement.

We understand that your proposal is just that - what you think you are going to do.  When you actually get into your project, you may realize that you need to revise your budget.  If this happens you will need to submit a revised budget for approval. This should be a document that includes:

• the original budget
• the revised budget with a total amount
• an explanation as to why you want to make the proposed changes

For travel grants, it is often hard to procure printed receipts.  In these instances, we will accept handwritten receipts.  A receipt needs to document what you spent by the establishment in which you gave funds to.  Please review the following suggestions to ensure that we can reimburse you for the receipts you provide:

• Make sure the following are clearly visible
  • date
  • name of the place
  • if for transportation, include where you were picked up, where you were dropped off, and number of passengers.
• If the receipt is for food/drink items make sure the items you ordered/purchased are listed with a price per item. 
• If the receipt is not for food items, a general list with a total amount is sufficient.  

One suggestion is to take pictures of your receipts as you go along your trip. Make sure the size of the picture is large enough to view everything clearly. Sometimes the pictures are too small and are not legible when we open them with a computer.  If we cannot read the picture, we cannot reimburse you.

We can only reimburse you for expenses in which you can provide a receipt.

Receipts in languages other than English are accepted.  If this is the case, please provide a translation as to what the receipt is for.  There is a column in the spreadsheet you will submit with your receipts to input the original currency and another column for the USD equivalent.

If you receive funding from COE for travel, research, conferences, or courses, you will be asked to agree to several requirements. Explanation of any specific requirements will be explained in the application process.  In general, all funded opportunities require attending 2 dinner sessions in the academic year in which you received funding.  The "report back" dinner session that you attend and present can count towards this requirement.  Additionally, 

• research grants include completing an interim report, final report, and attending a report back session. 
• travel grants include completing 2 blog posts (including images that you have rights to), completing a post-travel mini-poster, and attending a report back session OR the poster session at the Global Health Symposium.
• conferences include completing a post-conference report and attending a report back session.

Report back sessions are an informal opportunity to engage with others in an area of comment interest (Medical Education, Global Health, Quality and Safety, Health Policy).  For research grants and travel grants, it is an opportunity to talk about your project, share any challenges you have experienced, and talk about next steps; there is no expectation that you share final results or a complete analysis.  For conferences, they are an opportunity to share what you learned at the conference and help others learn how to navigate the potentially uncharted territory of attending a conference.  Overall, as a presenter, they are a great opportunity to practice public speaking in a welcoming environment.  As an audience member, it is a great opportunity to gain a better understanding of what these funded opportunities involve. 

You are welcome to attend any report back session that you are interested in.  To meet the requirement of funding, you must present at the report back session in which you received funding (i.e. if you received a travel grant you would present at the GH report back session).

You are required to attend 2 dinner sessions per opportunity.  For example, if you receive a conference grant and attended a course, you need to attend at least 4 dinner sessions.

There is an expiration date on how long the awarded funds are available to you.  If you need to modify your travel dates, please email CentersofExpertise@partners.org with that information.  Make sure to include an explanation as to why you are changing the dates.