Linking Interprofessional Networks for Collaboration (LINC), UT Health San Antonio’s award-winning Quality Enhancement Plan housed within the Office of the Vice President for Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs, invites applications from faculty and staff requesting financial support for pilot projects designed to advance interprofessional education (IPE). Projects demonstrating potential in terms of future scalability, sustainability and extramural support are welcome.
Traditionally, IPE has been defined as “students from two or more professions learning about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” (World Health Organization (WHO 2010). It has been recognized more recently that all individuals who impact health care delivery, from students to working professionals, benefit from interprofessional learning. Importantly, evidence is emerging that quality IPE has a positive impact on learners’ interprofessional collaborative practice competencies and clinical outcomes from improved professional practice, according to the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative (HPAC, 2019).
The sixth annual LINC Seed Grant Program seeks to accelerate novel IPE activities based in classroom (in-person and online), simulation (in-person and online), clinical (practical experiences in patient care settings) and community (practical experiences without direct patient care) settings. IPE activities that include multiple settings are encouraged. Pilot projects must involve learners from at least two different UT Health San Antonio schools and be designed to develop targeted Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies in the following areas, according to IPEC, 2023:
- Teams and teamwork.
- Values and ethics.
- Roles and responsibilities.
- Communication.
In addition to advancing a novel IPE activity, funded projects will formally investigate effectiveness through a robust assessment of desired outcomes. A well-defined plan to disseminate findings or utilize findings to strengthen applications for extramural funding is expected. Prospective applicants are encouraged to work with representatives to LINC to incorporate best practices in IPE assessment and evaluation into their proposals. Faculty and staff development opportunities designed to strengthen proposals are also available to prospective applicants (see below).
Who May Apply
All UT Health San Antonio faculty and staff are eligible to apply. Applications can also include faculty and staff from non-UT Health San Antonio institutions; however, all submissions must have a faculty member from UT Health San Antonio as the principal investigator (PI) or co-PI of the project. Submissions demonstrating interprofessional collaboration, as evidenced by two or more co-PIs from different schools, will be prioritized. Similarly, priority will be given to projects that meet established IPE needs and opportunities within schools/programs.
Funding
LINC Seed Grants up to $5,000 will be awarded. The total number of awards available each year is dependent upon university funding. Funds awarded will be placed into discretionary accounts to be used only for appropriate expenses to support each grantee’s IPE project.
Letter of Intent
An electronic Letter of Intent (e-LOI) must be submitted and approved prior to completion of a formal LINC Seed Grant proposal. The e-LOI should concisely address the questions below. Prospective applicants are encouraged to review the annually approved IPE Plan(s) within their school to identify needs and/or strategic priorities and to discuss proposed projects with their schools’ representative(s) to the LINC Academic Affairs Council prior to submission.
- What types of learners will be involved in the novel IPE activity?
- What will learners do to achieve IPEC competencies?
- What makes the project novel?
- How will you measure the project’s impact?
- How does the project address strategic priorities for IPE within two or more schools?
E-LOIs must be submitted to the LINC Office on or before April 4 through the e-LOI submission form. Applicants whose e-LOIs are approved will be invited to submit a full proposal by June 5. Detailed instructions regarding application submissions will be provided once the e-LOI is approved.
Questions and Consultation
In additional to reaching out to members of the LINC Academic Affairs Council for guidance, those interested in the LINC Seed Grant Program are encouraged to contact their LINC Faculty Council representative to discuss the program and address any questions they may have.