Bridge Funding

UCSF

Overview

The UCSF School of Pharmacy’s Center for Collaborative Innovation (CCI) invites eligible School faculty members to apply for research bridge funding, which provides temporary (up to 12 months) and partial support for faculty members experiencing a temporary loss of significant funding. The program is intended to support applicants who face a funding gap between two extramural research grants (usually R01 or equivalent). Typically, applicants have been unsuccessful in a recent attempt to renew or replace a federal grant but are likely to be funded upon submission of a revised application, based on scores and reviewers’ comments.

A faculty committee will evaluate applications. Applicants must demonstrate that their research program is jeopardized due to lack of extramural funding, that they have one or more rounds of well-scored but unfunded federal applications, and that they will have exhausted all available discretionary or start-up funds within one year of applying for bridge funding.

Timeline

Eligibility

Applicants must be faculty members who have a full-time, salaried appointment in the School of Pharmacy and have been faculty members for over 3 years.

UCSF full-time faculty in two categories are eligible for bridge funding:

1. Established investigator (more than 8 years as a UCSF faculty member)
   who has lost or will lose >40% of all extramural funding in their research portfolio and anticipates a deleterious effect (e.g., loss of research personnel or research participants). Bridge funding applications may be submitted up to six months prior to the expected loss of funding. Established investigators must have independent research programs with continuous, peer-reviewed, extramural funding during the previous three-year period. Applicants must include the reviews for at least one well-scored but unfunded application. (Note: discretionary fund balances must be less than $60,000 before bridge funds may be used.)
2. New investigator (8 years or less as a UCSF faculty member)
   who has an independent research program that is supported, at least in part, by extramural funding. The applicant must be facing a significant gap in this funding, and applications must include the reviews for at least one well-scored but unfunded new or renewal application. Bridge funding in the new investigator category is intended for faculty during the early post-mentored phase of their careers. Faculty members who have mentored K awards are not eligible to apply in this category, and bridge funding cannot be used to support the transition to the first independent extramural research grant. Startup funding for this transition is the responsibility of the department. (Note: discretionary fund balances must be less than $60,000 before bridge funds may be used.)

Reapplication restrictions

Applicants who receive bridge funding awards are not eligible to reapply for bridge funding until six months after their award period has ended. For example, an investigator who received an award in Cycle 17, which ended on 7/31/16, would be eligible to apply for a second award no earlier than Cycle 20 (award period: 2/1/17 – 1/31/18).

Review criteria

The applicant has an independent research program; applicants with laboratory-based research have independent laboratory space.

1. The applicant has demonstrated conscientious efforts to establish and maintain extramural funding and to diversify funding streams.
2. Support of the Department Chair, including documentation of the department’s financial commitment to the applicant and a statement that the department will provide 25% of the bridge award.
3. Quality of the applicant’s research portfolio and research productivity.
4. Recent grant applications (last two years) that received favorable scores (close to the funding range); the applicant should explain how the reviewers’ comments will be addressed.
5. For applicants who are awarded bridge funding, they must rely on discretionary (including start-up) funds until the discretionary fund balance is <$60,000. When the discretionary fund balance is less than $60,000, award recipients may begin to use bridge funds.

Awards

1. Awards are granted for 12 months. Faculty members have 12 months to use the bridge award AND to find new awards to support their project. All unspent funds must be returned to the Bridge Funding Program.
2. Awardees must notify the SOP Dean’s Office within two weeks of receiving notice of any funding, from any source, to support any project within their research portfolio (e.g., extramural, intramural, industry, and foundation awards, startup, gifts, discretionary funds such as an endowed chair, etc.).
   • If the new award is larger than the balance of the bridge funding grant at the time the grant is reported, the bridge funding award will end as soon as the new funding begins.
   • If the amount of the new award is less than the balance of the bridge funding grant, then the balance of the bridge funding award will be reduced accordingly.
   • The total amount of any bridge funding award will not exceed $150,000.
   • Funding for the award will be distributed from the following sources over 12 months:
     • 25% or up to $37,500 from the PI’s home Department,
     • 25% or up to $37,500 from the Dean’s Office, and
     • 50% or up to $75,000 from the Chancellor’s Office

Budget restrictions

Evaluation process

The CCI director and a committee with representatives from the departments will evaluate the applications.

Application submission requirements

Using the required templates and samples (see download link below), please submit all completed application items and documentation/attachments directly to your department chair via email, by the deadline above.

Application items

1. Cover sheet and required attachments
   1. All investigators: Attach the summary statement of award or application to be bridged.
   2. New investigators: Attach reviews for at least one well-scored but unfunded application for extramural funding.
2. Applicant statement
3. Budget
4. Biosketch

Application deadline

The completed application, with all documentation and attachments, must be received by your department chair by the deadline above. Please use the bridge funding checklist to ensure the information you provide to the chair is complete.

Questions?

If you have questions about your application, please email your department chair and [email protected] directly.