Provost Bridge Funding Program: Upcoming Deadline: May 1, 2017

Provost Bridge Funding Program: Upcoming Deadline: May 1, 2017

The Provost's Office provides bridge funding to support faculty to span the gap in critical research programs.

Note that this opportunity is not intended to initiate new research projects. For those needs, researchers should apply to the Royalty Research Fund seed grant program (http://www.washington.edu/research/4researchers/rrf.php).

Eligibility

1. Faculty with a track record of extramural funding who have lost all of their research support at the time of the Bridge application, or who will lose all of their research support within six months of the Bridge application deadline. Exceptions will be made for faculty who have lost or will lose 50% or more of their salary support. Such faculty are eligible for Bridge funding even though they have existing funding. Bridge funds from the Provost cannot be used for salary; required department and/or college matching funds can be used for any expenditure that supports research, including faculty salary. In addition, faculty members who have a grant that is restricted to pay only their salary (such as some NIH K awards) are eligible if they have no other research funding.
2. Junior faculty with a record of productivity who have exhausted their startup funds, but who have not yet obtained their first research funding (including an RRF award) either as a PI or as a co-investigator.
3. A facility providing a key resource to multiple faculty that has lost extramural support. One faculty member should submit the proposal on behalf of the team.
4. Faculty who hold an RRF award are eligible if the amount of the award remaining at the time of Bridge Funding application is less than $30,000. Please note that applicants who apply to both programs (Bridge and RRF) simultaneously will only be given one award. If an individual holds a Bridge Fund award and subsequently receives an RRF award of $30,000 or more, any remaining Bridge Fund monies must be returned.

In all cases, evidence must be provided to demonstrate efforts to establish or re-establish funding. Evidence such as grant reviews with priority scores will be used to evaluate these efforts. In addition, for faculty with joint, adjunct, or affiliate appointments involving the UW and a separate institution, eligibility requires that grants have been processed through the UW. If you process grants through the other institution, you are not eligible for UW bridge funds.

Application Contents and Submission Process

Applications from faculty should be submitted to the applicant's department chair, who should prioritize requests before forwarding them to the dean of the college/school. In non-departmentalized colleges/schools, applications should be submitted to the dean or his/her designee. 

Your submitted application should include the Application Cover Page and  the following five required sections in the order listed:

1. Curriculum vitae, including record of funding for the past 5 years with dollar amounts and funding periods listed for each grant (maximum of 4 pages combined). You may list either direct costs only, or direct + indirect, but indicate which is listed.
2.      Demonstration of attempts to obtain funding (e.g. abstracts of submitted grants, panel summaries, priority scores or other evaluations and comments; do not send complete grant applications).

3.Description of proposed research (maximum of 5 pages including the bibliography). The abstract of a submitted grant is sufficient, if it is appropriate.

1. Budget and justification, including the match commitment (see below).
2. Statement of how this funding will increase chances of future funding.

Maximum Award From the Provost: $50,000

Given for one year, or until extramural funding is re-established. Can include supplies, equipment, lab personnel (technicians, students, and fellows), travel and other research expenses. Salary requests must include benefits. Provost funding cannot be used for the salaries of faculty.

Matching Requirement: All funding requests must be matched 1:1 by the applicant's college/school.

Matching can be in any category that supports the research, including faculty salary, providing it is not currently being supplied by the department, school, or college. Faculty with 11-month appointments cannot use departmental salary as matching. The match must occur in the same time period that the research is carried out. Matching funds must be a new commitment. It cannot be funding that was in place before the faculty member started to lose their funding.

Documentation of the matching commitment and a budget for the match must be included with the request. The matching commitment should be confirmed by the chair or dean who provides the funds. An email confirmation is sufficient.

Submit the budget for the matching amount from the department. If all costs will be split 50:50, just state that under the budget.

Funding Established or Re-established

At the time funding is established or re-established, unspent funds will be returned to the bridge program so that others can benefit.

Deadline and Notification of Award

Deadline for the proposals will be twice each year, November 1 and May 1. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee in the Office of Research and recommendations will be made to the Provost. Notification of award will be made within one month of submission. A total of $500,000 is available for each round of awards

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact Jenny Le: hient2@uw.edu or visit our web site at:  http://www.washington.edu/research/main.php?page=bridge . Please review this site for important detailed eligibility information as well as FAQ’s.