Student Award Program

This program supports medical and doctoral students in Michigan who aim to improve health care within the state. For more information on the Student Award Program, please reference our presentation (PDF).

Past successful programs have included applied research, pilot programs, demonstrations and evaluation projects.

The award offers up to $3,000 for research projects.

Eligibility

We welcome applications from doctoral students in good academic standings who are either U.S. residents, Resident Aliens, or Holders of Student Visa enrolled at any of Michigan’s accredited universities.

You are ineligible if:

  • You already have results for this project (e.g., completed dissertation, poster presentation(s), publication(s) distributing established results)
  • You have received this award before
  • You are an employee of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan or one of its affiliates or you have an immediate family member who is an employee of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan or one of its affiliates
  • Your proposed project is a drug trial
  • Your research takes place outside of Michigan
  • Your proposed project involves any research involving non-human subjects

Deadline

Applications are due Jan. 31 and reviewed at our April board meeting.

We'll email applicants a funding decision within 10 business days of our board meeting. Your school may require internal approvals prior to submitting your application, so keep that in mind with the due date.

Proposal requirements

We review potential projects for their ability to achieve tangible outcomes. Successful projects will show a direct impact on health and/or health care.

Application instructions

An application must include the following:

  • Completed application form
  • Project Proposal (approximately 1,000-3,000 words, double-spaced proposal detailing the project – citations don't count against the word limit) outlining:
    • Background
    • Hypothesis(es)
    • Expected outcomes
    • Addressing health equity and social determinants of health
    • Addressing how this work is valuable to the population, increases the quality of care and improves access to health care
    • Conclusion
  • Letter of support from an advisor
  • If multiple students are working on the same project, they will divide the grant award amount equally
  • Detailed line-item budget and justification for each line-item (not included in the word limit), including:
    • Funds requested, anticipated or provided by other sources for the same or similar project must be described in detail on an attached sheet and referenced in a cover letter
    • Budget for the Student Award Program can include hourly wage/stipend for the student, other research assistants, study participant compensation, software directly related to the project, and other costs directly related to accomplishing the submitted research project
    • The Foundation doesn't pay for indirect costs except for limited fringe benefits, including health, personal and/or medical benefits. The allowable fringe benefit expense may not exceed the lesser of 25 percent of the salary subtotal figure or the actual cost of the fringe benefits.
    • The Foundation doesn't pay for tuition expenses or continuing education units for the student or other staff
    • This funding program doesn't support the following: computer hardware; one-time use consumables, such as medical (e.g., medications, bandages), and office supplies (e.g., printing paper, writing instruments); furnishings and capital expenses, such as phone, rent and building insurance.
    • Conference travel is limited to $1,000.
  • If your application is awarded and you are using human subjects or otherwise protected data, a copy of Human Subjects Review Committee approval is needed before we start your award
  • Applicant's CV