Emergency Bridge Funding Guidelines

These guidelines apply to emergency bridge funding for graduate students or SOM investigators who have experienced any of the following:

1. Delayed Notices of Award (NOA; defined as >60 days), for active federally-funded research grants to the School of Medicine (SOM)*
2. Termination of SOM federal research or training grants resulting from federal executive orders or actions by a joint task force of federal agencies
3. Support for SOM faculty following a lapse in extramural funding (R01 or equivalent)

Category 1: Stipend Support for SOM Graduate Students:

The SOM will provide assistance to SOM predoctoral students who are supported by an NIH institutional training grant (e.g., T32), individual predoctoral fellowship (e.g., F30, F31, F99), or R01 Diversity Supplement should the funding mechanism receive a termination notice or if an expected NOA is delayed. The SOM will provide up to 100% of the grant-funded costs to cover:

• Student stipends
• Tuition and fees
• Health insurance

This support will extend from either the date of award termination or the expected Budget Start Date (for delayed NOAs) until June 30, 2026, until the Project End Date as indicated in the original NOA, until the trainee receives another source of funding, or until the student has submitted their dissertation to the UNM Office of Graduate Studies—whichever comes first.

Funding is limited to expenses not already charged to the award prior to its termination or delay. This support is intended only to replace lost funding due to cancellation or delay.

Students receiving temporary SOM support must be engaged in appropriate research duties related to their dissertation and must apply for F award funding if eligible.

If the grant is restarted, SOM support will end on that date. If a delayed NOA is received and back-dated, SOM funds must be reimbursed on a prorated basis from the adjusted start date.

Category 2: Emergency Bridge Funding for SOM Faculty:

If a SOM faculty member receives a delayed NOA or termination notice for an active research grant (R01 or equivalent), or is losing final grant funding within the next fiscal year (i.e. going from 1 to 0 NIH R01 or equivalent grant), the SOM will consider providing up to $7,000/month. Funding would begin on either the award termination date or the expected Budget Start Date, for a duration of up to 6 months (maximum of $42,000) or until the Project End Date (as indicated in the original NOA for terminated or delayed grants), whichever comes first.

Faculty who mentor postdoctoral fellows on affected NIH training (e.g., T32, IRACDA) or fellowship (e.g., F32) awards may also apply for bridge funding to support the fellow under these same terms. Applications that include requests to support graduate students or postdoctoral fellows previously funded through other mechanisms (e.g. research grants) will also be considered.

If the supporting grant is restarted, SOM bridge funding will end on that date. If a delayed NOA is received and back-dated, SOM support will be reimbursed on a prorated basis.

Eligibility Requirements:

To qualify, the applicant must:

1. Have a primary appointment as a SOM regular faculty member with a 1.0 FTE position
2. Be losing final grant funding within the next fiscal year as PI (i.e. going from 1 to 0 NIH R01 or equivalent grant) either as a result of a delayed NOA (> 60 days), a grant termination notice resulting from federal executive orders, or a lapse in extramural funding
3. Be in a department (or UNM Center, if applicable) that has expended all uncommitted departmental non-restricted funds (including reserves)
4. Have expended internal funding sources, including pilot funding from SOM RAC, HSC Pilot Awards, CCC, CTSC, Signature Programs, and all non-restricted (FOM, residual) accounts held by the PI

Application and Funding Requirements:

1. Applicants may request up to $7,000/month for eligible expenses (see below)
2. Department or Center must submit a plan to cover salary obligations for tenure-track faculty members, or a plan for covering salary of non-tenure track faculty with bridge and departmental/Center funds
3. A letter of support from the department chair (or from the SOM Senior Associate Dean for Research [SADR] if the applicant is a chair) must accompany the application and discuss criteria to help with prioritization if multiple applications are submitted from an individual department
4. Confirmation from both the Department Chair and SOM Finance office that departmental and individual reserve accounts have been expended or will be expended in the current FY
5. If funding is restored (e.g., new NOA is received), unused bridge funds must be returned on a prorated basis
6. If a delayed NOA is backdated, full reimbursement to the SOM may be required

Eligible Expenses:

1. Non-tenure track faculty salaries
2. Staff salaries
3. Postdoctoral stipends and fringe
4. Graduate student stipends, tuition, and health insurance
5. Laboratory animals
6. Research supplies
7. Facility fees
8. Service contracts
9. Publication costs

Ineligible Expenses:

1. Tenure-track faculty salaries
2. Administrative/office supplies
3. Telephone fees
4. Business meals, hospitality, alcohol
5. Travel
6. Equipment (both capital and non-capital)
7. Items typically covered by indirect costs
   

Application Components:

1. A letter from the PI providing justification for the request that includes one or more of the following scenarios:
   1. A delayed NOA (>60 days) on an active federal research grant (R01 or equivalent) or for an active NIH training grant (T32, F32, IRACDA) that supports postdoctoral fellows
   2. A termination notice (resulting from federal executive orders) for a research grant (R01 or equivalent), or for an NIH training grant (T32, F32, IRACDA) that supports postdoctoral fellows
   3. A lapse in grant funding (i.e. going from 1 to 0 NIH R01 or equivalent grants)
2. Plan from the department chair or center director to cover salary obligations for tenure-track faculty members, or to cover salary of non-tenure track faculty with bridge and departmental/center funds
3. Letter of support from department chair with prioritization if multiple applications are submitted from an individual department (or from SADR if the applicant is a chair). If there is more than one applicant from a department, the chair will prioritize the applications
4. Confirmation from department chair, (and UNM Center Director, if applicable), and SOM Finance that uncommitted departmental, center, and individual reserve accounts have been expended or will be expended in the current FY
5. Grant termination notice (if applicable)
6. Most recent NOA
7. Budget and Budget Justification
8. Description of planned use of funds
9. For terminated or lapsed grants:
   1. Description of pending submissions and review dates
   2. Timeline for future submissions
   3. Funding history (last 3 years)
   4. Score on previous grant submission for applications involving lapses in funding
   5. Description of how bridge funding will support future competitiveness for NIH (or equivalent) funding

Funding Considerations:

1. Awards are subject to the availability of SOM funds
2. A review committee may be appointed by the SOM SADR to evaluate and prioritize applications