Shore Program - Establish an Award

The Eleanor and Miles Shore Faculty Development Awards Program (Shore Program) supports vulnerable faculty who are balancing their early careers with significant personal responsibilities. These award opportunities are intended to buy protected time for an academic project in research, clinical care or medical education; awards may be used to support research assistant time.  

Requirements for Inclusion in the Shore Program 

To be designated as part of the Shore Program, awards must meet the following criteria: 

  • Minimum Funding: Each award must provide a minimum of $25,000 in direct monetary support (including fringe and other indirect costs, if applicable).
  • Funding Duration: Awards must be provided for a minimum of 12 consecutive months.
  • Single Recipient: Awards must be granted to an individual faculty member and cannot be split or shared. 

Eligibility Criteria for Award Recipients 

All recipients of Shore Program awards must meet the following eligibility requirements: 

  • Hold a Harvard Medical School (or affiliated institution) academic appointment at the rank of Instructor or Assistant Professor at the time of application.
  • Not currently have an R01 (or similar mid-career grant)
  • Be endorsed by a Project Mentor.
  • Provide IRB or IACUC approval status, if applicable to the proposed project.
  • Hold an MD, DMD, PhD, or equivalent advanced degree.
  • Have not previously received a Shore Program award. 

Application Process and Timeline 

There are two submission paths for Shore Program awards: 

  1. Through the HMS Office for Faculty Affairs (OFA) Application Portal 
     Faculty applying through the OFA portal benefit from:
    1. Centralized administrative oversight
    2. Issuance of the official award notification
    3. Customer and technical support for applicants and endorsers 

After the application deadline, sponsoring programs will receive submitted materials to conduct an academic review and select awardees. 

  1. Through an Independent (External) Process 
     Some Shore-recognized awards operate outside the OFA portal and follow an independent application and selection process.
    1. Faculty interested in these awards should contact their department or sponsoring program directly for information on eligibility, submission procedures, and timelines. 

Application deadlines and selection timelines may vary depending on the award. Please refer to the OFA website or your department’s faculty affairs office for specific dates and instructions. 

If you are interested in establishing an award, have questions or would like to meet with a member of our program staff, please email us at hmsofa_programs@hms.harvard.edu. 

BENEFITS
A 2017 study of the program, found that funding awards between 1996 and 2011 were associated with shorter times to promotion and faculty retention. To read the article, visit the author's publisher, Academic Medicine.