The Interim Funding Program provides short-term relief funding up to $100,000 for laboratories that have experienced a lapse in federal funding. The program provides awards for up to twelve months duration to faculty who fulfill the following eligibility criteria.
  • The program is open to all faculty with a history of a funded, independent research program. However, only renewable awards, awarded to BCM with indirect costs, are eligible for interim funding.
  • Funds will not be provided for wholly new projects with no prior funding history; however, funding for new projects that represent a continuation of a preexisting research program is possible, if fully justified.
  • Applicants must include a letter of recommendation from their academic unit head.
  • Investigators must describe details and results of any interim funding previously received including the following information:
    • The project title, funding agency, award number, and award amounts/dates of the grant for which interim funding was previously received;
    • Dates and amounts of interim funding previously received;
    • A detailed description of the results of interim funding, including papers, grant applications, retained key staff members, etc.
    Include these details as separate page(s) to “Other Support”.
  • Applications for interim funding of an unsuccessful (re)submission of a competitive award renewal will be most competitive if:
    • The applicant received a strong priority score;
    • The applicant can effectively address the concerns outlined in the summary statement; and
    • The need for interim support is well justified.
  • Investigators may hold only one interim funding award at any given time.

It is the purpose of interim funds to maintain research programs. A maximum of $100,000 may be requested to support faculty, graduate students, technicians, postdoctoral fellows, and to purchase supplies. Funding may be requested for the period before a funded award begins. Although faculty salaries are permitted, applicants should first work with their departments to cover salary from departmental resources when possible. Travel, subcontracts, and equipment are not permitted expenses.

Award funds will be transferred monthly in equal allotments into a new designated type one (unrestricted) account, and funds transferred within a fiscal year must be expended by the end of that fiscal year (June 30). Requests that cross fiscal years will have the funding split between both years. Interim funding will cease when the award for which funding was sought begins, or at the end of the approved interim funding period, whichever comes first.

Applications submitted in this portal are for the upcoming fiscal year and will be reviewed after RFA deadline posted on this site (such as for the start of the new fiscal year). Applications will be reviewed by BCM faculty members of the Advisory Committee for Interim Research Support. The Committee's recommendations will be forwarded to the Senior Vice President for Research, who will prioritize the available funding. No written critique will be provided to the applicant.

Documents must be uploaded separately.

Applications should be submitted online at: https://orit.research.bcm.edu/InterimFund/

Application materials must include:
  • Cover Page – This page is part of the online application. Include information on the award for which interim funding is sought, including project title, award number, funding agency, award amount and dates of award.
  • Investigator's Statement – A statement from the applicant with an explicit rationale for interim support, including the investigator’s response to the summary statement. One paragraph must assess the potential for impactful science from this application. Another paragraph must assess the potential for NIH or equivalent funding. This section of the application has a three-page limit, single-spaced, 11 point Arial font with ½” margins.
  • Other Support – A list of all current and completed sources of funds available to the applicant, prepared according to NIH guidelines for information on "Other Support." Also include a list of personnel presently in the laboratory and the source(s) of their salary support. This should include support from departmental sources.
  • Budget – A detailed budget explaining how interim funds will be spent (modeled after the first-year budget page of an NIH application). Include a detailed justification for each requested budget item. Applicants who demonstrate reasoned minimal budgets will be given greater consideration for funding.
  • Biosketch – The investigator's updated NIH biosketch. Sample Biosketch, Biosketch MS Word format.
  • Letter of Endorsement and Commitment – A letter from the academic unit head which includes the level of departmental funding committed to support the applicant, or an explanation for why departmental support is not provided.
  • Grants and Reviews – A copy of the grant for which interim funding is sought, including relevant summary statement and/or reviews, as well as reviews of the previously funded application when applicable.
  • Prior Bridge Funding Outcomes – Summary of prior bridge funding efforts and awards. Prior Bridge Funding Outcomes Template
Printable Format of Application
For more information about this program, please contact Intramural Funding and Awards at awards@bcm.edu.
Application submission is closed.