Bridge Funding Awards

Page updated October 3, 2022

Deadlines

  • Letter of Intent due Friday, December 2, 2022

  • Completed proposal due Friday, December 23, 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the KY INBRE Bridge Funding Award program is to enable NIH-funded faculty to maintain their research program for short periods of time between the lapse of initial grant funding and the start of a new or renewal NIH grant award. Bridge Awards are non-renewable.

Eligibility

  • Faculty at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville are not eligible for KY INBRE Bridge Awards.

  • Other KY INBRE faculty who have an active NIH R15/R16 grant with an expiration date within the current or next KY INBRE fiscal year (May1st – April, 30th) who will be requesting a one-year no-cost extension may apply.

Conditions

  • Institutions must continue to provide sufficient research space and release time from teaching (at least 50%) to support the candidate’s NIH research.

  • The applicant must show evidence of research progress and meeting the expected KY INBRE metrics (e.g., publications, grant proposals, etc).

  • Applicant must have a pending R15 proposal or plans to re-submit by the June 25th R15 application deadline.

  • All publications must acknowledge support from NIGMS grant # P20GM103436.

  • Awardees must submit an annual progress report to the KY INBRE office no later than January 25, 2023.

Awards

  • Requests for funding may include expenses for supplies, equipment, use of core facilities, travel (max. $2500), summer salary, and undergraduate research assistants. Funds (up to $6000 annually of the $40,000 max) may also be requested to partially cover the cost of faculty release time.

  • Initial awards will be limited to a maximum of $40,000 per year in direct costs for up to two years ($80,000 total). The second year of funding is contingent upon research progress and continued NIH funding of the parent grant.

  • Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs will be provided in addition to direct costs. The F&A rate used to calculate indirect costs should be the institutional rate in effect on February 2018.

Applications

Requests for Bridge Funding support should be sent via email as a single PDF file to Dr. Martha Bickford.

The requests should include:

  • the applicant’s current biosketch

  • a one-page narrative summarizing research progress, R15 grant proposal status, and explaining the need for funding

  • an NIH budget page with justification

  • a support letter from the appropriate Chair, Dean, or other authorized university official that must include the institutional commitment to the mandatory cost-share requirements (e.g., release time)

  • updated IRB or IACUC approval, if applicable