The UAB Presidential Bridge Funding program is designed to sustain research continuity, retain talent, and provide strategic support to faculty during transitions in federal funding cycles, administrative delays, or evolving research priorities. This program reinforces UAB’s commitment to research excellence by offering temporary, targeted assistance that enables continuity and innovation. The purpose of this bridge funding is:

• To prevent disruption of high-impact research.
  • To support continuity for projects experiencing delayed federal funding due to administrative/ council review or federal agency backlog.
  • To provide temporary support to retain graduate students, postdocs, research staff members and faculty researchers.
  • To support early-career faculty in building and sustaining their self-directed research funding.
  • To enable strategic pivots aligned with emerging federal priorities and opportunities.

Duration: Up to 12 months.

Funds available for request up to $100,000 per award from the Office of the President

Cost-Sharing: Requires match from department or school/college. 

Application will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Personnel Retention: Salaries and benefits for graduate students, postdocs, research staff members or faculty researchers during funding gaps.

Research Continuity: Essential supplies, and other needed direct research related expenses.

Proposal Resubmission Support: Costs for revising and resubmitting proposals, including consulting or pilot data collection.

Strategic Pivoting: Initiating new collaborations or adapting research to align with emerging federal priorities.

Applicants must meet at least one criterion from each of the two categories below.

Category A: Investigator Status (at least one must apply)

• UAB faculty with a strong history of federal funding
• Early-career faculty with demonstrated potential for extramural funding. Early Career Faculty for the purpose of UAB Presidential Bridge Funding Application are defined as full-time, tenure-track faculty members at the rank of Assistant Professor (or equivalent) who are within the first seven years of their initial faculty appointment at UAB. This designation reflects individuals who are in the formative stage of establishing independent research programs, securing external funding, and contributing to UAB’s mission of advancing knowledge and innovation.

Category B: Funding Status (at least one must apply)

• Pending federal proposal (renewal or new) with promising peer reviews indicating strong scientific merit and high likelihood of funding. This may be demonstrated through one of the following tiers:
• Tier 1 – Highly Promising:
  Proposal received top percentile scores or summary statements indicating exceptional merit and a high likelihood of funding.
• Tier 2 – Promising:
  Proposal received favorable scores and reviewer comments suggesting strong scientific merit and a reasonable chance of funding.
• Tier 3 – Moderately Promising:
  Proposal received generally positive but mixed reviews, indicating potential for funding with revisions or alignment to specific program priorities.
• Documented funding delay or disruption (decline or termination) due to external administrative or policy-related factors (e.g., NIH stop-work orders, budget holds), where the project remains programmatically approved or was initially approved prior to disruption.

Additional considerations (not required but strengthen the case)

• Supports current students or postdocs, especially under early-career faculty.
• Research aligned with UAB strategic priorities as outlined in the Research Strategic Initiative Plan.

Required documents:

• Completed application form (includes project summary, funding issue description, and strategic alignment).
• Biosketch of the applicant including: (no longer than 2 pages)
  • A summary of the applicant’s research background and accomplishments.
• If applicable, a copy of pending or recently declined or terminated grant proposal.
• Budget with justification for use of bridge funds. Clearly outline how bridge funds will be used to support personnel, research continuity, proposal resubmission, or strategic pivoting. (may use NIH template)
• Matching commitment letter or a statement indicating a commitment from department/division/school/college.

All applications must be approved and submitted by the Dean of the respective school/college. Each school or college may have its own internal review process to determine which applicants will be recommended for the Bridge Fund. The application form should be submitted to the Project Director of Strategic Initiatives- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Funding Conditions: If retroactive federal funding is restored for the same project period covered by bridge funding, the department will be required to repay the bridge funds provided. This ensures responsible stewardship of institutional resources and alignment with the program’s intent to fill temporary gaps.

Review Process: Applications will be considered by the RSI Investment Committee (Dr. Ray Watts, Dr. Anupam Agarwal, Mr. Tom Brannan, Dr. Chris Brown, Ms. Stephanie Mullins, and Dr. Janet Woodruff- Borden). The Project Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ms. Chandni Khadka will coordinate the review process with the RSI Investment Committee.

The applying Dean and Administrator will receive a notice of the bridge fund award from the Office of the President.

Reporting requirements:

• Final report detailing:
  • Progress made
  • Resubmission outcomes
  • Impact on personnel retention
• Metrics tracked:
  • Number of bridge-funded proposals resubmitted
  • External funding secured post-award
  • Retention of research staff and trainees

For questions related to the bridge fund award process, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..