Bristol-Myers Squibb: FAQs

Independent Medical Education FAQs

Eligibility

How do I know if my organization is eligible to receive a medical or science education grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb?
Can one organization receive multiple grants?
Do you make grants to individuals?
Can I submit a request for a topic that is not listed, but is of high medical value?
Does my organization have to be an accredited continuing medical education provider to receive a grant?
My medical education agency employees engage in both independent medical education and promotional services to Bristol-Myers Squibb. Can I continue to provide both services to Bristol-Myers Squibb?

Terms and Conditions/Grant Agreement

How does this differ from the current educational grant agreements?
How do these changes affect my organization?
What if I do not agree with the Terms and Conditions? Can I change them? What if I do not agree with the language of the agreement? Can I change it? How do you know that an organization has read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions?
What do I do if changes need to be made to my approved grant request? What are the types of changes that require a Program Scope Change Request Form to be completed? How do I know if my scope change request has been approved or denied? Where do I send the Program Scope Change Request Form? Where can I find the Program Scope Change Request Form?

Application and Submission Information

What are the ideal System Requirements for interfacing with the Bristol-Myers Squibb grants website and application?
Where do I forward my proposal?
Can I get a copy of the application form?
Do I have to complete the application in one online session?
How do I return to an incomplete application that I saved, but have not yet submitted?
When will I be contacted about the status of my proposal?
When do you accept proposals?
If I want to mail a copy of my request for review, to whom do I address it?

Application Procedures

Eligibility

How do I know if my organization is eligible to receive a medical or science education grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb?
Please review the information on our website concerning our programs and application types to find out if your organization is eligible to receive a grant.

Can one organization receive multiple grants?
Yes. Grant requests for different educational activities are reviewed independently. Please note that all Bristol-Myers Squibb-sponsored programming must be primarily dedicated to promoting objective and balanced scientific education related to disease state or treatment options and not targeted to a specific Bristol-Myers Squibb product or other pharmaceutical product.

Do you make grants to individuals?
No. We only provide grants to eligible organizations.

Can I submit a request for a topic that is not listed, but is of high medical value?
Yes, you can. But in general Bristol-Myers Squibb prioritizes requests falling within our treatment areas of interest.

Does my organization have to be an accredited continuing medical education provider to receive a grant?
No. Bristol-Myers Squibb will consider grant requests for both accredited and non-accredited continuing medical education; in the event the program will be providing credits, however, the accredited body must be the applicant.

My medical education agency employees engage in both independent medical education and promotional services to Bristol-Myers Squibb. Can I continue to provide both services to Bristol-Myers Squibb?
No. Requesters of unrestricted educational grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb must certify that they have not been involved in any activities related to the promotion of any Bristol-Myers Squibb products and that they do not have confidential information relevant to Bristol-Myers Squibb promotional activities which remains subject to a non-disclosure agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb. In these instances, a firewall certification may need to be obtained from Bristol-Myers Squibb (see Forms – Firewall).

Furthermore, agencies should be aware of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) requirement that entities providing independent medical education must be separated, at an entity level, from entities that provide promotion-related services. The ACCME requirement took effect in August 2009.

Terms and Conditions/Grant Agreement

How does this differ from the current educational grant agreements?
Our terms and conditions are non-negotiable. By submitting a grant request to Bristol-Myers Squibb, the applicant represents and warrants that they have read, and agree to abide by, the terms and conditions.

Upon notification to the applicant of the approval of a grant request, an Educational Grant Agreement will be mailed out.

Please note that funding is not guaranteed until the applicant has received a copy of the Educational Grant Agreement signed by both applicant and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

How do these changes affect my organization?
The authorized representative that is submitting a grant on behalf of the requesting organization must, on behalf of the organization, read and agree to abide by the terms and conditions. By submitting a grant request to Bristol-Myers Squibb, the authorized representative, on behalf of the requesting organization, represents and warrants that they have read, and agree to abide by, the terms and conditions.

What if I do not agree with the Terms and Conditions? Can I change them?
No.

What if I do not agree with the language of the agreement? Can I change it?
You may propose a change to the Educational Grant Agreement. Such changes will then be reviewed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. Please remember that funding is not guaranteed until the applicant has received a copy of the Educational Grant Agreement signed by both applicant and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

How do you know that an organization has read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions?
By submitting a grant application to Bristol-Myers Squibb, the applicant represents and warrants that an authorized representative has read and agreed to the terms and conditions.

In addition, the Educational Grant Agreement incorporates, by reference, the terms and conditions. Execution of the Educational Grant Agreement is acceptance of the terms and conditions.

What do I do if changes need to be made to my approved grant request?

Changes to elements of a Grant Request post-approval require review and approval prior to implementation of scope change(s) and program initiation. Per the Educational Grant Agreement (LOA), the Grantee must notify the Grantor in writing of any change to the approved grant request no less than 30-days prior to program initiation by submitting a completed Program Scope Change Request Form and a revised Program Cost Form (in instances where expenses are impacted by the change in scope).

For additional information on the Program Scope Change Request Form, please click on the link below:
Program Scope Change Form (Word: 21 KB)

What are the types of changes that require a Program Scope Change Request Form to be completed?

Changes to Grant Proposal Elements requiring review include but are not limited to:

Grant support
- Reduced number of intended supporters in particular conversion from multi-support to single support, reduced level of secured funding, insufficient funding to deliver original proposal.
- Excess funding including grant support and any attendee registration fees
Program or activity location
Change in educational partner or accredited provider
Number of proposed activities
Continuing education certification
Learning Objectives
Outcomes analysis

How do I know if my scope change request has been approved or denied?

Final decisions regarding scope change requests will be communicated to the requestor by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Independent Medical Education Department.

Where do I send the Program Scope Change Request Form?

Please email the completed Program Scope Change Request Form and revised Program Cost Form (in instances where expenses are impacted by the change in scope) to your assigned Grant Analyst no less than 30-days prior to the activity's implementation date.

Where can I find the Program Scope Change Request Form?

The form is located @: Program Scope Change Form (Word: 21 KB)

Application and Submission Information

What are the ideal System Requirements for interfacing with the Bristol-Myers Squibb grants website and application?
The recommended system requirements for best viewing/functioning of the site are:
Windows Operating System with a resolution of 800x600 (or higher).
Microsoft Internet Explorer Browser with Javascript and Pop-ups enabled for this site in the browser settings.

Check spam filters, as correspondence will primarily be via e-mail, and if this is enabled you may not receive important information from Bristol-Myers Squibb relative to your application

Where do I forward my proposal?
Once you have completed your application online, you will be prompted to submit it electronically via the Internet. Once your application has been received, you will receive an acknowledgement at the e-mail address that you provided in your application within three days.

Can I get a copy of the application form?
When you are in the actual application, you can print a copy by clicking on "Printer Friendly Version" located at the top of the form. Otherwise, there is no paper copy of the application available. The entire process is online.

Do I have to complete the application in one online session?
No, you can start the application and choose to save and finish at another time. When you opt to do this, you will be asked to provide your e-mail address and create a password for future access to the application you are working on. Please remember your user name and password, as we will not know that information and cannot get you back into your application.

How do I return to an incomplete application that I saved, but have not yet submitted?
You will receive an e-mail notification confirming that your application was saved, along with the e-mail address and password required to access your saved application. This e-mail will also include the Web address of the log in page. The following is the Web address for the log in page:
https://www.grantrequest.com/SID_492/?SA=AM

When will I be contacted about the status of my proposal?
After you submit your application, you will receive an e-mail confirmation from Bristol-Myers Squibb. After an initial review, you may be contacted to provide additional information. All communications will occur via e-mail. After final review, you will receive a letter informing you of the disposition of your application.

When do you accept proposals?
In general, all Independent Medical Education grant requests greater than $10,000 must be submitted according to the grant submission windows. Please click here to refer to the grant submission windows.

This excludes Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Education (RFEs), and Calls for Grants (CFGs). For most therapeutic areas, grant requests for less than or equal to $10,000 may be submitted throughout the year. In addition, we encourage you to submit requests greater than $10,000 on a timely basis within the specified timeframes.

If I want to mail a copy of my request for review, to whom do I address it?
Please do not mail any grant requests, as we will not be able to accept them. Only online requests will be considered.

Application Procedures

How long does it take to review a proposal?
Please refer to the grant decision window to view timelines.

May I send the application directly to a Bristol-Myers Squibb representative or another contact at Bristol-Myers Squibb?
No. We are only accepting applications online. Inappropriate involvement with a representative from Bristol-Myers Squibb sales or marketing will lead to the rejection of your application.

If our grant request is approved, may we use the Bristol-Myers Squibb logo to list Bristol-Myers Squibb as a sponsor for our program?
In order to use a Bristol-Myers Squibb logo, you must submit a request to your grant administrator after your grant has been approved.

Why didn't I receive the e-mail notification from Bristol-Myers Squibb?
It is possible that the e-mail was mistakenly filtered by your company's or provider's SPAM filter. Please check to ensure that this is not the case.

Also, any correspondence that is sent out is directed to the e-mail address of the contact person that was provided in the application. If you were not listed as the contact person, you will not be receiving any correspondence from Bristol-Myers Squibb in regard to the application.

How can I obtain the Bristol-Myers Squibb logo for inclusion in materials associated with my program?
Contact your grant administrator using the contact information they have provided you.

How can I acknowledge Bristol-Myers Squibb's support for my medical education program?
If you want to acknowledge our support on materials associated with your program, please use the statement: "Supported through an educational grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb." If you would like to make use of our logo, please see the earlier question and answer regarding logos or call 800-831-9008.

What information will I receive from Bristol-Myers Squibb about my request?
After your grant application has been completely reviewed, you will receive correspondence concerning the status of your application.
Please do not consider any request approved or denied until you have received notification from a Bristol-Myers Squibb Grant Administrator.

I received notification that my grant request had been approved, but I have not received a check. When should I expect payment and whom should I contact if I have not received it?
If your grant request is approved, you should receive payment within three weeks after the full execution of the grant agreement. If you have not received payment after this time, please contact your grant administrator.

What items can I submit for medical education funding from Bristol-Myers Squibb?
The grant request must include a realistic and comprehensive budget for all the activities included in the program for which you seek support. Please complete a separate budget form for each program type.

Grants may be issued to support only the costs associated with the development, delivery or evaluation of the educational program, resources or materials.
Grants may not cover:
a. Travel, lodging or personal expenses for attendees.
b. Compensation for attendees.
c. Lavish venues.
d. Other costs that are neither reasonable nor customary.

I have monies left over after the completion of my original program. What needs to be done with them? May I apply these funds to another program?
No. The funds provided are to be used for the specific program to which the applicant was awarded monies. Unexpended funds cannot be applied to another program. Please return any unexpended funds back to Bristol-Myers Squibb, to the attention of your grant administrator.

Is a reconciliation required if all the grant funds were spent exactly as stated in the application?
Yes. A reconciliation is required for all grants in excess of $50,000. Please submit your final cost form for 'Live' activities within 90 days after the end date of the program. For 'Internet' & 'Enduring' activities, please submit the program cost form within 90 days of the program launch date.

I am receiving e-mail reminders to submit a grant reconciliation, but the program has not yet ended. What do I do?
Reconciliations are triggered by the program end date listed in the grant application and are to be completed within 90 days after the end date. If you are receiving reconciliation reminders, then your submitted end date has passed. If the program end date noted in your application has changed, please contact your grant administrator.

Whom should I contact if I have any questions?
For any other question not covered in the FAQs, please email your question to mededadministration@bms.com. Please allow three days for a response. You may also reach a grant administrator at 800-831-9008 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. Users calling internationally may dial 609-897-6200 to reach a grant administrator.

Last updated November 2011.