Tulane University Office of Research
Bridge Research Support - FY26
Call for Applications
Purpose
To sustain competitively funded research projects that have temporarily lost extramural support, the Bridge Fund support provides one‐time support to eligible Principal Investigators to assist with re‐establishing external funding.
Recognizing that productive investigators are likely to be “unfunded” for time intervals due to uncertainties in external funding, the purpose of the Tulane University Office of Research Bridge Fund Bridge Support is to improve the success of research faculty by providing some continuing research support to cover research personnel and the generation of new or additional preliminary data.
Eligibility
Bridge Fund support is intended for those Principal Investigators who have experienced a substantial reduction from extramural sources, and who can reasonably anticipate regaining competitive support in the upcoming year.
Priority is given to those Principal Investigators who meet the following criteria:
Have not received Bridge Fund support from the Office of Research previously.
Received continuous extramural funding from peer‐reviewed sources during the five years preceding their request.
Have lost or will lose most of their extramural funding between July 1 and June 30 of the current fiscal year (for FY26, this is July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026).
Can reasonably anticipate re‐establishing funding.
Expense Categories Eligible for Assistance
Bridge Fund support may be requested for the following expense categories:
Salaries/Benefits for research support personnel
Supplies and Equipment
Animal Care
Bridge Fund support may not be used for
Principal Investigator and co‐Principal Investigator salaries (including summer salaries)
Travel
Budget overdrafts on other projects
Administrative costs
How to Apply
Applications should include:
A cover letter summarizing the Principal Investigator’s funding history, including
Dates and sources of funding and the role of the applicant on prior grants/contracts (PI, co‐PI, etc.)
The need for Bridge Fund support and a description of plans to re‐establish funding
A detailed budget of proposed expenditures
An NIH‐style Biographical Sketch
A letter from the Department Chair pledging matching funds (REQUIRED).
The application need not describe in detail the research project for which funding is requested because this funding mechanism does not evaluate scientific merit per se.
Applications should be submitted electronically to: Gail Louis, Assistant Vice President for Research: glouis@tulane.edu The deadline for submission is December 1, 2025.
Awards
We anticipate making six (6) Bridge Fund awards of $15,000 each with associated Department Chairs matching these funds. Funding will begin in January 2026. Awards will be made in consultation with a Tulane University Faculty Review Committee and with academic Deans.
