Important Information
Effective January 7, 2013, Bristol-Myers Squibb will fund Independent Medical Education (IME) grants exclusively through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The previous model of posting submission timelines during the year for grant proposals > $10,000 and the rolling submission for grants ≤ $10,000 will no longer be utilized. Any grant proposal received outside of the posted RFP submission timelines will be rejected without review. We believe this change will streamline the grant review process to ensure efficiencies and improve communication regarding BMS areas of funding interest to meet unmet educational needs. Additional information will be communicated in the near future.
There will be two different categories of RFPs as outlined below.
Category 1 RFPs
- Regularly scheduled activities offered by Professional Societies, including the Society’s Annual Meeting, other regularly scheduled Society-sponsored meetings, Professional Society’s regularly scheduled special interest conferences, Professional Society sponsored regional series, etc.
- Regularly scheduled annual conferences of a National or International nature organized by Medical Education Providers or Special Interest Independent Organizations. These conferences usually run over two or more days, are multi-supported and feature a faculty of International standing.
- Single-day or half-day Regional Conferences
- Institutional Grand Rounds organized by Medical Centers, Academic Institutions or Community Health Centers requesting $10,000 or less.
2013 Timelines for Category 1 Request for Proposal Submissions
| RFP Posting Timeframe* |
Activity Start Date |
Grant Decision |
| January 7– 25 |
Submissions must be made a minimum of 8 weeks before the program begins. The proposed activity may be initiated at any time during the 12 months following approval. |
Organizations with proposal(s) that are approved will be notified no later than 8 weeks following the RFP grant submission deadline |
| April 1– 19 |
| July 1– 19 |
| October 1–21 |
*Note: No Category 1 grant submissions will be accepted outside of the RFP posting timeframes. Any proposals received outside of the timeframes will be rejected without review.
Only one request will be accepted per annual meeting. Do not submit multiple requests as they will be declined and you will be asked to resubmit one request.
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Category 2 RFPs
- Original initiatives comprised of one or more activities. These include programs submitted by Accredited Medical Education organizations or Accrediting bodies acting on behalf of unaccredited Medical Education Companies. It is strongly suggested, but not required, that regardless of accreditation status, Medical Education Companies partner with an Academic Institution. When Academic Institutions apply for support, it is required that they disclose any logistics partner(s) involved in the project.
- Typical original initiatives include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following types of activities:
- Satellite Symposia
- Regional or National Meeting Series
- Internet Activities. These may include a variety of formats, including live round tables, webinar and archived activities from live meetings, case studies, interactive case-based learning, web-based patient case simulations, enduring web-based publications, point-of-care activities, etc.
- Enduring – Print/Journal Supplements
- Performance Improvement Projects
Category 2 RFPs will be posted for a period of 4 to 6 weeks on the Bristol-Myers Squibb website as needed for each
therapeutic area of interest. The result of the review will be communicated within 8 weeks following the RFP submission deadline. The number of RFPs posted in each therapeutic area will vary throughout the year, depending on factors specific to that therapeutic area, including budget.
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