SELF Clinical Skills Training Grant

The SELF Clinical Skills Training Grant supports the development and testing of simulation-based training modules that help clinicians learn specific procedural skills. These modules empower clinicians to independently learn the context for a procedure, strengthen their physical and decision-making skills, and assess their own progress towards procedural competency.

Eligible non-profit organizations may apply to receive up to USD $75,000 in financial and technical support to develop and test these training modules.

About SELF

The global burden of disease remains unacceptably high. In low- and middle-income countries, access to clinical training is especially limited by cost, availability of educators, and geography. Even after completing traditional education, many clinicians have few opportunities to effectively learn and practice new procedural skills.

To address the global burden of disease, the Intuitive Foundation supports the Surgical Education Learners Forum. SELF is a global community of practice working to bring on-demand, simulation-based training directly to clinicians. SELF training modules empower clinicians to independently learn procedural skills — anytime and anywhere.

Read more about the SELF community at www.self.surgery.

How to Build SELF Training Modules

This handbook explains how to apply for grant funding to develop a SELF training module. Additional instructions for developing a SELF training module will be provided to grantees.

Please read the entire handbook before applying for a grant. Inside you will find:

• Background information about SELF
• Description of SELF’s purpose, vision, and goals
• Grant eligibility criteria
• Expectations for grantees
• Available technical and financial support
• Instructions for applying to the Clinical Skills Training Grant, a draft scope of work outlining your proposed module

What we’re looking for

The SELF Clinical Skills Training Grant program seeks proposals to develop simulation-based training modules that help clinicians learn specific procedural skills in resource-constrained settings.

Grantees will develop a complete training module that allows a clinician to learn specific skills by themselves and in their preferred location. This means the training module must be designed to enable clinicians to practice and confirm their own competence using a self-administered skills assessment.

This grant program is designed to expand access to clinical training by supporting the development of content that is publicly available, free to use, and meets the training needs of learners. Proposals should focus on developing or adapting training materials that are appropriate for use in low- and middle-income countries.

Funding will support the publication of these modules on Appropedia, an open-access platform, and may also support efforts to list them in the UN Global Surgery Learning Hub (SURGhub).

What we’re offering

This grant provides eligible non-profit organizations up to USD $75,000 each in financial and technical support to develop training modules. Funding is available for multiple grants each year. Proposals are reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Funding may be used for costs associated with the development of training modules.

Eligibility & Requirements

To be eligible for the SELF Clinical Skills Training Grant, applicants must be non-profit organizations or academic institutions with demonstrated expertise in developing simulation-based skills training content.

The principal investigator or team lead must be based in and actively working in a low- or middle-income country, as defined by the World Bank list. While teams may include members from high-income countries, the team lead must meet this requirement.

All training modules developed with grant support must be made publicly available and free for learners to use.

Proposed budgets may include indirect costs, but these must not exceed 20% of the total project cost.

How to apply

Applicants must submit a proposal online via the Foundation’s grant website. All applications will be reviewed by the Foundation’s Training Grant Committee and evaluated using the following criteria:

• Clarity of goals and objectives;
• Filling an unmet need;
• Evidence that completed training module can teach skills when administered in a traditional teaching environment;
• Evidence that the submitting team has the clinical, technical, and educational knowledge and experience needed to develop quality training content;
• Estimated outcomes and impact of increasing the proposed procedure or skill on the health of the patient population in low- and middle-income countries;
• Global accessibility/buildability of any physical tools and/or simulators that are required for skill acquisition;
• Quality and appropriateness of the self-administered skills assessment framework being proposed; and
• Appropriateness of the proposal’s defined scope, timeline, and budget.

Proposals are welcome anytime and are evaluated four times a year. To be considered in a given review cycle, all materials must be submitted by the end of the third week of March, June, September, and December. Submissions received after that point will be reviewed in the following quarter.

Applicants will be notified of their status after the review committee has completed its assessment. Grant funding will be disbursed quarterly and will begin following the execution of a formal grant agreement.