Internal Funding Opportunities

Overview of Ronald S. Kaplan Internal Faculty Bridge Grant Funding Program

Application material for Bridging Grant Proposals (NIH Competitive Renewals or equivalent)

(Submit material requested below as a single PDF)

(Applications due in the Office of Research by October 1, February 1, or June 1; if the date falls on a weekend, the following Monday will be the due date)

1. Cover letter addressed to the Executive Vice President for Research indicating that this is a bridging grant application. A copy of the grant abstract or summary.
2. Copy of the critique sheet from the study section with scores and percentiles.
3. (Critique forms must have been received within the previous 12 month period)
4. A descriptive summary that addresses each point of concern raised by the reviewers (comments from each reviewer should be addressed separately). This section indicates how the PI will address the issues raised by the reviewers.
5. A copy of a current NIH Bio-sketch or CV that shows your publication record and a history of funding for at least the past 5 years.
6. Current research funds available to you during this Bridging Grant Period (no cost extensions, discretionary accounts, etc.)
7. A detailed budget of up to $50,000 to cover personnel and supply expenses.
8. If a graduate student is supported by the laboratory, a request for funds to support the stipend of that student should be listed separately from the $50,000 bridging funds.

(Percentiles and scientific merit will be critical factors considered in the review process)

Monica Ply Research Innovation Award 

This award was established in honor of Monica Ply, an esteemed supporter of research at RFU during her lifetime. Each year one – two awards will be given to support research in the areas of: i) cardiovascular disease and improving cardiovascular health and/or ii) Parkinson’s disease. The amount requested for each award can be up to $60,000 and will be for a term of one year. A call for applications will be announced each year and should be submitted to the office of the RFU Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR). Applications will be reviewed by a committee consisting of a subset of RFU faculty that will be formed by the EVPR. 

Pilot Grant “Seed” Funding

Small amounts of “seed” funding are available to faculty with potentially high impact, preferentially interdisciplinary new ideas that require initial data to support concept validation and refinement and with significant potential to lead to new extramural grant applications. For additional information contact the Executive Vice President (EVP) for Research.

The Schweppe Scholar Award

Available to outstanding junior faculty at Chicago Medical School who have not yet received NIH R01 funding (or the equivalent). The amount of the award is up to $60,000 and competition for this award is announced periodically throughout the medical school on an annual basis.

Equipment Purchase

An informal mechanism exists to assist researchers in the purchase of equipment that is needed by multiple laboratories, but may be beyond their affordability. This starts with a conversation between the faculty, their Center Director(s) (CMS) or Department Chairs (other RFU colleges), and the EVP for Research. It typically involves the pooling of discretionary account funds from faculty and Director incentive accounts with an additional contribution from the EVP for Research.