Bridge Funding Grant Program

The Department of Medicine will provide up to $50,000 in bridge funding to individuals who have received competitive scores on grant applications that will not be funded but will be resubmitted.

Eligibility: Applicants with a primary appointment in the Dept. of Medicine who have an unfunded grant application and for whom bridge funding is likely to facilitate achievement of a fundable priority on the next submission.

Process: Applicants should provide the following materials for evaluation in PDF format:

  1. Last score and status (A1, A2) of their grant proposal.
  2. The relevant study section critique.
  3. A one page explanation of how the applicant plans to use the bridge funding to improve their score. Please note that bridge funding can be used to cover the PI’s salary.
  4. A response to the reviewers’ critique.
  5. A revised Specific Aims page reflecting the revised application.
  6. A timeline of work planned for the next submission.
  7. For reference please include a copy of the last grant application (science only) and an NIH biosketch for the applicant.
  8. A plan to achieve financial independence including options such as increasing percent effort on other sources of funding or decreasing total effort.

Priority:

  1. Highest priority for funding goes to valuable individuals who have no funding and might otherwise be lost to the department. Existing funding lowers the priority.
  2. The second consideration is likelihood of being funded in the next round. Please note that the grant is included for reference only should it be needed. It is not part of the evaluation.
  3. Ultimately, awarding of bridge funding will be based on the candidate’s qualifications, track record of securing external support, history of departmental or section support, the needs outlined in the application, the plan to obtain funding and achieve financial independence, the rebuttal to the critique, recent productivity, and programmatic needs of the Section and Department.

Following evaluation of the materials, the subcommittee will forward a recommendation to the Chair of the Department of Medicine (high, intermediate, or low priority) based on the criteria above. This evaluation will be used in discussion with Vice Chair of Research and the Section Chief to make a final decision.

Please submit application electronically to Vanessa Nguyen, Vanessa.Nguyen@bmc.org.