ScholarRx Launches 2025 MERIC Grant to Support Global Medical Education Research & Innovation

October 3, 2025/,

ScholarRx is excited to announce the launch of the 2025 Medical Education Research and Innovation Challenge (MERIC), a small-grants program designed to advance educational scholarship and innovation in health professions education.

Through MERIC, ScholarRx will fund research projects that explore new teaching methods, strengthen curriculum design, and enhance assessment practices—all leveraging the ScholarRx/USMLE-Rx learning ecosystem, which currently supports more than 100,000 learners worldwide.

About the MERIC Grant

MERIC provides seed funding for faculty, researchers, and educational leaders seeking to test novel approaches, evaluate interventions, and contribute to the global conversation on improving health professions education. Explore the full list of previous grant winners and funded projects here.

This program reflects ScholarRx’s ongoing commitment to fostering collaboration between institutions, empowering faculty innovators, and translating research into practice.

Funding Details

  • Number of Awards: 2–3 projects expected

  • Typical Budget Range: $2,500–$5,000

  • Exceptional Proposals: Multi-institutional studies or high-impact projects may be funded up to $10,000

This structure makes MERIC an accessible entry point for educators looking to launch pilot studies or gather preliminary data for future larger-scale funding.

Key Dates

  • December 12, 2025 – Letters of Intent due

  • January 23, 2026 – LOI acceptance notifications sent

  • March 13, 2026 – Full proposals due

  • April 24, 2026 – Awardees announced

These milestones ensure a streamlined application process while providing applicants with time to refine their study design and collaboration plans.

Why MERIC?

Faculty across the world face common challenges: limited funding, difficulty piloting new approaches, and the need for strong platforms to test interventions at scale. MERIC addresses these needs by:

  • Providing seed funding to launch innovative projects.

  • Offering access to the ScholarRx/USMLE-Rx platform for implementation and study.

  • Supporting global collaboration by encouraging multi-institutional partnerships.

  • Amplifying results through ScholarRx’s international network of educators and learners.

By lowering barriers to entry, MERIC empowers faculty to move ideas from theory into practice, making a tangible impact on how students learn and succeed.

Who Should Apply

MERIC is open to:

  • Faculty and researchers in medical, dental, nursing, and allied health education.

  • Curriculum leaders seeking to innovate in course design or delivery.

  • Assessment directors interested in studying student performance and remediation.

  • Multi-institutional teams pursuing collaborative education research.

Applicants should propose projects that align with MERIC’s mission to enhance health professions education through innovation, assessment, and scholarship.

ScholarRx’s Commitment to Educational Research

At ScholarRx, we believe educational innovation should be accessible, evidence-based, and globally impactful. Through initiatives like MERIC, we continue to:

  • Support faculty in developing new teaching and assessment strategies.

  • Provide students with high-quality, affordable resources.

  • Advance the field of medical education through research-driven collaboration.

MERIC represents the next step in our mission to transform medical education—by working hand-in-hand with faculty innovators around the world.

Apply Today

Applications for the Medical Education Research and Innovation Challenge (MERIC) are now open.

📅 Letter of Intent deadline: December 12, 2025

👉 Learn more about the program, eligibility, and application process: MERIC Grant Information

Together, let’s shape the future of health professions education.