Medical Education and Research Cost (MERC) Grant Program - Minnesota Teaching Program

The Medical Education and Research Cost (MERC) Grant Program, initiated by the Minnesota Department of Health, supports clinical medical education across Minnesota. Established in 1996, this program addresses funding gaps for teaching facilities that face challenges in covering overhead costs not reimbursed by standard mechanisms. By providing essential funding, MERC helps sustain high-quality medical training and education, ensuring that Minnesota continues to cultivate skilled healthcare professionals.

NOTE:
Complete Teaching Program Demographics - Deadline August 31Teaching Program - Respond to site questions  - Deadline  September 15Teaching Program - Review and approve site application  - Deadline October 15Teaching Program - Submit Application to Sponsor - Deadline October 20
MERC Program Description
The Medical Education and Research Cost (MERC) Program, authorized by Minnesota Statute 62J.692, provides funding to support clinical medical education throughout Minnesota. Established in 1996 and first funded in 1997, MERC was created in response to a competitive health care environment in which payers became increasingly unwilling to reimburse the additional costs associated with services at teaching facilities.
Clinical education often involves substantial overhead costs that are not covered through standard reimbursement mechanisms. These financial pressures made it increasingly difficult for teaching facilities to maintain education programs without supplemental support.Because teaching facilities compete directly with non-teaching counterparts, they face persistentchallenges in sustaining medical education programs that were historically funded by patient carerevenues.
Since 1998, the Commissioner of Health has administered the MERC program to address this funding gap and preserve Minnesota’s capacity for high-qualify clinical training