General Campus Grant Funding

The General Campus Research Grant Committee is currently soliciting research support applications for bridge funding.  Funds will not be provided for expenses incurred prior to the submission deadline date. The purpose of this program is to provide funding to Principal Investigators (PIs) who lost ALL their extramural funding to enable continuance of a research project for an interim period until extramural support can be re-established.

The next deadline for submission of applications is October 11, 2024. Funding for the October deadline will begin January 1, 2025. Late applications will not be considered, no exceptions. If you miss this deadline, the next deadline will be January 10, 2025 (for funding to start March 1, 2025).

Application Process

Applications are created and submitted electronically through eGrants. Information about eGrants is available at /online-tools/interactive-utilities/egrants.

Eligibility Information

This support is intended to assist only those Principal Investigators (PIs) from the General Campus who are Academic Senate members and who (1) are truly broke with regard to extramural funds (that is, without monies available from any extramural source for any research project), and (2) have no more than $50,000 remaining in discretionary intramural funds (e.g., gift funds, startup funds, funds from an endowed chair, departmental or other intramural discretionary or research funds, retention funds, etc.).  Exceptions will be considered on an individual basis in those instances where some grant support remains, but those funds must be unalterably committed to a specific need. (Such a grant might be for equipment, designated travel, or training grant.) Where any such support remains, no bridge grant funds may be used without prior written approval by the Committee.

PIs may be eligible for Bridge Program funding provided they:

• received extramural funding from peer reviewed sources for at least four of the five years prior to their requests. The only exception to this rule will be for Assistant Professors, who should have had funds from peer reviewed sources for at least the last three years.
• have lost all of their extramural funding specified in the call letter applicable.
• have made substantial efforts to re-establish funding, e.g. they have applied for funds and the request has been denied.
• will apply, or have already re-applied, for extramural funding to support the project and will address, or have already addressed, the issues raised by the agencies that denied funding.

Guidelines

1. Expense Categories

   Assistance can be requested for the following expense categories:

   1. Supplies
   2. Animal care
   3. Salaries/benefits
   4. For research support personnel, including graduate student RAs
   5. For PI's salary when his/her base salary is funded totally by extramural monies. Awards can be made up to 50% of base salary provided the individual's salary is not augmented by other funding sources.

   Monies granted in this Bridge Program cannot be used:

   1. For travel. Exceptions may be granted for carrying out essential research and/or attending granting agency workshops
   2. To cover budget overdrafts
   3. For summer salaries of faculty who are allowed to supplement their regular salary with a summer salary from research grants
   4. For indirect costs
2. Awards
   1. Awards will be granted, based on need, for a maximum of one year or until the grantee re-establishes funding from other sources, whichever comes first.
   2. These awards will be for a maximum of $40,000 per year, or the average annual direct costs received by the grantee from peer-reviewed extramural grants for the previous five years, whichever is less. In calculating previous grant support, only funds from federal grant agencies with rigorous peer review will be considered.
   3. Successful applicants will be ineligible for a second Bridge Fund award for a five-year period measured from the start date of the first Bridge grant.
   4. When extramural funding is re-established, all unspent funds must be returned to the Bridge Program to assist other investigators who may qualify for assistance.
   5. Please acknowledge the UCSD Academic Senate in publications benefiting from these funds.

Use of Funds

1. Expenditures of research grant funds must conform to the Committee allocations by categories and purpose (exceptions require the pre-approval of the Committee).
2. The grantee is responsible for the administration of the grant, any overdrafts, and must review the budget.
3. When extramural funding is received, all unspent bridge funds must be returned to the Committee immediately.
4. If funds are needed beyond one year, a written justification for an extension must be submitted to the Committee prior to the end date of the grant.
5. All expenditures are subject to applicable University regulations.