Research Operations
Bridge Funding
School of Medicine Bridge Funding Request
Purpose: In light of the current national funding climate, and uncertainties surrounding the availability of bridge funding support from the Office of Research, the Vice Dean for Research and Vice Dean for Basic Sciences have prioritized allocating resources for bridge funding. The updated program will provide one-time funding to School of Medicine (SOM) Principal Investigators (PIs) who have lost, or are about to lose, their primary extramural funding. Eligible situations include:
· A scored grant beyond the competitive range that has been or will be resubmitted
· Cancellation of an award no longer consistent with agency priorities
· Unanticipated delays to primary funding that are beyond the control of the PI such as delays in receiving a non-competing renewal, or an award that has been approved for funding but has not yet received a NOA. The funds are intended to support the continuation of a research project during an interim period until extramural support can be reestablished.
To reduce administrative burden, bridge funding applications will be administered, processed, and awarded by the SOM Office of Research. Awards will be granted quarterly for a maximum duration of one year or until the grantee secures alternative funding, whichever occurs first.
Available Funds: Bridge funding requests may not exceed $80,000. When awarded, the Vice Deans, via the SOM Office of Research, will provide 50% of the requested funds. Amounts must be 1:1 matched by the grantee’s department (or departments and/or research center, where appropriate).
For projects with multiple PIs, duplicative requests to support the same program will not be considered. Instead, a joint application may be submitted. In such cases, multiple departments may contribute additional funds at their discretion, but SOM’s contribution will not exceed $40,000. If a grantee secures external funding during the award period, any unspent bridge funds must be returned to the SOM Bridge Funding Program.
Prioritization: The highest priority will be for requests intended to underwrite support for existing trainees (postdocs, graduate students, or MD-PhD students in training) on grants that have been lost, terminated, or are anticipated to end. The program will also entertain requests from PI’s to (partially) support trainees who have lost personal fellowship awards (e.g., F31, F32, K99). Pending the availability of funds, support for other needs of faculty will be considered with priority given to early career faculty. Applicants must justify that they have exhausted all available resources, including carry-forward, start-up, endowments and discretionary funds.
Review criteria: Applications will be judged on the basis of a two-page document that describes planned specific aims and the circumstances that resulted in lapsed funding, including specific plans for reapplication with deadline and funding mechanism. Supporting materials, including (for example) the summary statement for a proposal that was reviewed but not funded, or a cancellation notice, should be appended as appropriate (these are not included in the two-page limit). The project will be evaluated for scientific significance and rigor, and the likelihood for future funding. The program will not entertain requests to support bridging for proposals that were submitted but not scored. All applications will undergo peer review by SOM faculty, and final funding decisions will be made by an SOM Office of Research (SOMOR) committee.
If you have questions regarding the SOM Bridge Funding Program, please contact SOMOR@ucdavis.edu
Submission details: All proposals must be sent electronically through InfoReady portal.
Please make sure that the appropriate InfoReady portal link is utilized for submission.
Visit the School of Medicine Office of Research Initiative page to access the most current submission link.