Intramural Grant Program to Promote Research Activity among Early-Career Faculty Members

Abstract

Problem Early grant support for junior faculty members appears to positively influence their career trajectory. The authors sought to determine whether provision of grant support that enables early-career faculty members to conduct clinical, basic science, or educational research improves their academic success and enhances retention. Approach The authors compared career development and retention among 30 Cohn Fellowship recipients and 31 nonrecipients who participated in the same mentoring program. An award of $20,000 to the fellowship recipients ensured protected time for research for 1 year. Academic productivity of both groups was monitored for 6 years. Outcomes The authors found statistically significant differences between the 2 groups regarding research funding and scholarly productivity. The Cohn Fellowship recipients received a total of $14.7 million in external funding vs $3.7 million for nonrecipients, reflecting mean funding of $588,116 and $196,658 per person, respectively (P