Research Support & Services: Funding: Intramural Funding Opportunities
BMRC Bridging Support Program for Basic Science Research
Deadlines: January 15, May 15 and September 15 each year.
The Bridging Support funding program provides support to continue federally funded basic science research projects with a demonstrated likelihood of continued federal funding after resubmission. Applications should demonstrate a bridge between existing research effort and eventual external support, rather than requesting funding for a project repeatedly denied support and with no existing foundation from which a bridge to eventual external funding can be built. The bridge must be established from an existing federal grant to a continuing federal grant, and there must be evidence that the PI has applied for continued federal funding for the same project. Examples of federal agencies are: NIH, NSF, VA Merit, etc.
Eligibility:
All full-time, on-campus instructional and research track faculty with primary appointments in the Medical School are eligible to apply. Applications from the following are not accepted: postdoctoral fellows, projects to be performed while the PI is away on sabbatical, visiting professors, faculty without evidence of investigative independence, and faculty whose future work will not continue at the University.
Grants to be bridged must reside in the Medical School.
Grants not eligible for bridging:
- A PI applying for an R01 for the first time EXCEPT:
- a new R01 that is a continuation of a federal grant that is not renewable such as an R21 or a K08.
- a new R01 that is a continuation of one component of a Program Project grant that was submitted but not funded.
- a new R01 that is a substitute for a related R01 with a recent termination date (approximately 12 months) that the PI has refocused in a new direction. The new R01 must have been reviewed and scored. Please submit a copy of the summary statement from this review.
- a new R01 that is a continuation of a federal grant that is not renewable such as an R21 or a K08.
- A gap in funding created between the end of a funded grant and a delay in submitting the renewal of that grant.
- Grants funded by Foundations. Example: The American Heart Association.
- Internally Awarded Pilot Projects.
Funding Amounts:
- BMRC: Up to $40,000 is available to maintain projects over a short duration (one year or less). The length of a BMRC bridging period can be up to one year or up to the start date of a new federal grant including the 3 month NIH pre-award mechanism. BMRC will fund up to two bridges with a federal resubmission between the bridge, i.e. up to the A2. If the A2 is funded, a bridge could exist to the A2 start date. If the A2 is not funded, bridging funds will not be approved. However, investigators with clearly fundable scores are expected to use NIH pre-award mechanisms available through DRDA that can provide funding up to 3 months prior to the grant start date.
- PI's Department: An equal amount of matching funds (up to $40,000) is REQUIRED from the PI's department. These matching funds may include up to 10% of the PI's salary effort and corresponding fringe benefits within the NIH cap.
- OVPR: Previously a concurrent proposal to the OVPR's Research Maintenance for Sponsored Projects Funding Program was required. However. the OVPR suspended this funding program effective May 1, 2008 until further notice.
Submission Process:
Please submit the following materials electronically to (BMRCsubmit@umich.edu). PLEASE NOTE THAT E-MAIL SUBMISSIONS ARE NOT ERROR-PROOF. WE ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF ALL ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS. If you do not receive a response from us by the end of the next business day, please call us at 734-615-8802.
Grant Application:
Application materials should be submitted in a single PDF document in the order listed below.
- Application Form including completed signature pages, budget and budget justification.
Download the Application Form (Word)
- Requests should be limited to the minimum funding necessary to maintain a defined project over a short duration and are not expected to cover maintenance of an entire lab.
- Awards may not cover budget reductions in existing awards from external sponsors, cost overruns, or travel.
- Budgets may cover up to 10% of the PI's salary effort and corresponding fringe benefits within the NIH cap. These 10% PI salary costs may be included in the department's matching budget and/or the BMRC budget, but the combined total may not exceed 10% effort.
- Budget Justification (Not to exceed one page)
A narrative should be attached to this form which fully explains and itemizes the costs to the proposed activity and the basis for cost estimates. If salaries are included, please itemize the salary and fringe benefits for each person.
- Requests should be limited to the minimum funding necessary to maintain a defined project over a short duration and are not expected to cover maintenance of an entire lab.
- The following pages taken from the submitted grant application for which bridging is requested. If the reviewer requires further information a PDF of the entire NIH grant may be requested.
Abstract
Specific Aims
Summary of previous work related to proposal (1 page maximum)
- Summary Statement from the recent Study Section review, including score and percentile.
- Response to the Summary Statement, indicating how the resubmission will address the criticisms of the study section. (2 pages maximum) This should be equivalent to the "Introduction to a Revised Application" which directly addresses the critiques of the prior review.
- Experimental plan for use of the requested funds. (2 pages maximum)
- Biosketch
- Other support pages (NIH style) listing all current and pending research support to the PI’s laboratory.
