Purpose
The purpose of this program is to provide funding to Principal Investigators (PIs) who lost
ALL their extramural funding to enable continuance of a research project for an interim
period until extramural support can be re-established.
Eligibility
This support is intended to assist only those Principal Investigators (PIs) from the
General Campus who are Academic Senate members and who are truly broke, i.e., without
monies available from any extramural source. Exceptions will be considered on an individual
basis in those instances where some grant support remains, but those funds must be unalterably
committed to a specific need. (Such a grant might be for equipment, designated travel, or
training grant.) Where any such support remains, no bridge grant funds may be used without
prior written approval by the Subcommittee.
PIs are eligible for Bridge Program funding provided:
- They received extramural funding from peer reviewed sources for at least four of the five
years prior to their requests. The only exception to this rule will be for Assistant Professors,
who should have had funds from peer reviewed sources for at least the last three years.
- They have lost all of their extramural funding.
- They have made substantial efforts to re-establish funding, e.g. they have applied for funds and the request has been denied.
- They will apply, or have already re-applied, for extramural funding to support the project and will address, or have already addressed, the issues raised by the agencies that denied funding.
Expense Categories Eligible for Assistance
Assistance can be requested for the following expense categories:
- Supplies
- Animal care
- Salaries/benefits
- For research support personnel, including graduate student RAs
- For PI's salary when his/her base salary is funded totally by extramural monies. Awards can be made up to 50% of base salary provided the individual's salary is not augmented by other funding sources.
Monies granted in this Bridge Program cannot be used:
- For travel. Exceptions may be granted for carrying out essential research and/or attending granting agency workshops
- To cover budget overdrafts
- For summer salaries of faculty who are allowed to supplement their regular salary with a summer salary from research grants
- For indirect costs
Awards
Awards are granted, based on need, for a maximum of one year or until the grantee re-establishes funding from other sources, whichever comes first. The awards are for a maximum of $25,000 per year, or the average annual direct costs received by the grantee from peer-reviewed extramural grants for the previous five years, whichever is less. In calculating previous grant support, only funds from federal grant agencies with rigorous peer review will be considered.
Successful applicants will be ineligible for a second Bridge Fund award for a five-year period measured from the start date of the first Bridge grant. When extramural funding is re-established, all unspent funds must be returned to the Bridge Program to assist other investigators who may qualify for assistance.
For information on current solicitations, deadlines, and applications procedures, see Academic Senate Bridge Funding Program
