What are bridging funds?

Bridging funding is available on a competitive basis from the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) in instances where an external research grant has expired but where renewal of funding is expected in the near future.  The funds are used to bridge the funding gap until new grant funds are obtained.  Bridge funding is intended primarily for research personnel whose salaries were paid by the lapsed grant.  A department and/or college generally contributes to the sum made available by the OVPR. Generally, bridge funding will be provided following review on a matching basis with clear commitments expected from colleges and departments.

Process

  1. A faculty member should submit a request to their Departmental Executive Officer (DEO).  The DEO or a designee will review this information and submit a recommendation to their collegiate Dean for review.  The DEO is expected to critically evaluate the merit of the request.
  2. If a Dean decides to support the request (based on its merits), the Dean will forward the request to the OVPR for consideration. 

Bridge proposals should include:

  1. A detailed budget for the bridge period.
    *Allowable budget items include a) salary support for only P&S employees who have been paid from the grant to be bridged and are included on the budget for the competitive renewal and/or resubmission; Include full name and employee ID; b) limited animal costs; and c) limited supplies.
    *Unallowable items include a) faculty salaries; b) stipends for graduate and undergraduate students; c) equipment; and d) travel.
  2. A summary letter from the requestor with a current CV attached.
  3. The face, abstract and budget pages on the grant that was reviewed.
  4. The priority score, percentile and summary statement on the grant review.
  5. A list of current and pending research grants.
  6. A list of funds available in existing research accounts, including University of Iowa Foundation accounts or institutional research funds committed to the principal investigator. The availability of other sources of support for the principal investigator’s program will be considered in the decision.
  7. A list of all current personnel, including graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, in the requestor’s program, and their sources of funding.
  8. A letter of recommendation from the DEO including Department’s commitment to budget.
  9. A letter of recommendation from the College Dean or Associate Dean including collegiate commitment to budget.

Funds

If approved, OVPR will work with the collegiate Dean to allocate the funds.  The source of bridging funds is GEF. Colleges are expected to return unused funds once extramural support becomes available to provide necessary funding for the program to continue on an annual basis.