Impacts of Competitive a Health Professionals Education Partnership Initiatives Small Grant Award on Junior Faculty Researchers: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Many organizations worldwide have made significant financial commitments to fund research across various sectors. However, there has been little study on the performance of these awards, particularly in underdeveloped countries. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the immediate impacts of the Competitive Health Professionals Education Partnership Initiative (HEPI) Small Grant Award on junior faculty researchers. Methods An institutional‐based concurrent mixed‐method study was conducted from October 2023 to April 2024 at Addis Ababa, Dilla, and Wolaita Sodo Universities. The study included 131 applicants (40 awardees and 91 non‐awardees) over 5 years. Quantitative data were collected using a pre‐tested, semi‐structured, self‐administered questionnaire via Google Drive and directly exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were followed by appropriate independent t ‐tests and χ 2 tests with a significance level of 0.05. For the qualitative part, in‐depth and key‐informant interviews were conducted with 13 participants. Qualitative data were transcribed, translated, coded, and analyzed thematically using MAXQDA 2020 software. Results Quantitative results demonstrated that the only variable that differed significantly between awardees and non‐awardees was the number of works presented at conferences after HEPI small grant applications. From a qualitative perspective, generally positive qualitative impacts were found to have been made by the grant on junior faculty researchers in the areas of career and professional development, enhancing research capacity, contributing to the community and policy, fostering collaboration with researchers and different universities, enhancing interdisciplinary work and sustainability of education, and disseminating the grant output. Conclusions According to quantitative and qualitative findings, the Competitive HEPI Small Grant Award had varying impacts on junior faculty researchers.