Bridge Funding Program
About this opportunity
Campus:
University-wide
Contact:
Alicia Gahimer,ord@iu.edu
Deadline:
open through June 5, 2026 with quarterly reviews
Award cycle:
FY2025-26
Funding available:
Maximum amount: $50,000 Grant plus 50% match
The Bridge Grant program provides support for externally funded investigators who have lost extramural funding in the past twelve months or will lose their extramural funding within six months of the application submission. These funds provide temporary support to retain key personnel and maintain project momentum until funding can be secured again from external sources.
Eligibility
- All full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty
- Clinical faculty
- Research scientists and research center directors
- Lecturers, visiting faculty, postdocs, residents, and emeritus faculty are not eligible
Funding and proposal requirements
- Project funding may not exceed $75,000 ($50,000 Bridge Grant, $25,000 school/department 50% match).
- Projects will be limited to one (1) year in duration.
- Applications for a second Bridge Grant for the same project or research will not be accepted.
- Non-IU consultants and IU collaborators are not allowable expenses.
- IU statisticians, project/lab staff, postdocs, and students are allowable expenses.
- Investigator salary is not supported through this mechanism except for faculty on a 10-month appointment who can request up to one month of support.
- Travel expenses are not allowed unless it is necessary for completion of the proposed work.
- Conference attendance, presentations, and publication costs are not allowable expenses.
- Course release is not an allowable expense.
- Proposals focused on the development of teaching or academic programs are not eligible.
- Priority will be given to applicants with little to no remaining start-up funds.
- Letters of support from the Department Chair or Associate Dean for Research, consultants and collaborators are required.
- Letters of support from each entity providing a match verifying the match amount is required.
- If awarded, no funds will be transferred without applicable IRB, IACUC, IBC or Research Security/Export Control approvals.
Post award requirements
- Grant recipients are reminded to acknowledge receipt of IU Research support in any presentation or publication of work.
- Submit progress reports as follows: end of year Project Status and No-Cost Extension request, a Final Report within 30 days of project completion, and Return on Investment report(s) as requested. System-generated emails with the online reporting instructions will be sent to you prior to each progress report due date.
- Progress report data requested will include: external submissions, external awards, type of student workers, publications, presentations, media contacts, disclosures and patents.
- Unused funds will be returned to IU Research.
- Requests for up to a one (1) year no cost extension must be approved by the Office for Research Development.
- Effective August 1, 2025: Faculty may have one active individual research grant awarded project from Seed, External Resubmission, Bridge, or Micro Grant at a time. Awardees may not apply for any of these four until their Final Report is received on the current awarded project. Faculty may apply as PI on a Conference, Equipment, Emerging Frontiers and Layered Learning Undergraduate Researchers grant concurrent with an individual research grant stated above.
Submission and review of applications
- Submissions are accepted continually until June 5, 2026 based on the availability of funding.
- Download the supporting documents from the Details section.
- Follow the Guidelines and Instructions for content and page limits.
- Use the application form provided or your application will be returned!
- Review deadlines are scheduled quarterly: September 5, December 5, March 6, and June 5. Example: applications received September 6 through December 5 will be reviewed in December.
- Submit your application form and attachments as one PDF document through the InfoReady portal.
- Allow at least 4 weeks to receive the funding decision notification.
Questions should be directed to Alicia Gahimer at ord@iu.edu.