ASH Bridge Grant Program

 
 
The application cycle for the Bridge Grant program is now closed.

Research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remains in serious jeopardy. NIH's inflation-adjusted budget today is almost 20 percent lower than it was in FY2003. Because the Congress was unable to reach an agreement on how to reduce the deficit, on March 1, President Obama issued the order implementing the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts known as "sequestration."

Under sequestration, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget will be cut by $1.6 billion over the next seven months.NIH released its operating plan in the event of sequestration, which states each Institute and Center will determine their approaches to meeting the new budget level; additional details from the Agency continue to be released. Sequestration would result in cuts in extramural grants and slowing momentum for the development of new treatments, or even cures, for seriously ill patients with deadly diseases. Now more than ever it is imperative for the Society and the hematology community to fight for hematology funding and the future of the specialty.

As a demonstration of its commitment to protecting the field and those who have dedicated their careers to the specialty, ASH has pledged $9 million to a new, three-year bridge grant program to help preserve the careers of its talented member scientists whose vital research will not be accomplished due to across-the-board cuts to the NIH budget.

Read more about the introduction of the ASH Bridge Grant Program in this ASH press release.

View the complete list of inaugural ASH Bridge Grant recipients.

Read a CNN Money article profiling ASH Bridge Grant recipients.

About the Award

In 2013 and for the next two years, ASH’s new bridge grant program will provide at least 30 one-year awards annually, in the amount of $100,000 each, to ASH members who applied for an NIH R01 grant or equivalent but were denied funding due to budget cutbacks. The long-term goal of the award is to help sustain recipients’ research and contribute to their retention in hematology investigation.

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Additional Details

  • From 2013-2015, ASH will award 90 ASH members (30 per year) with $100,000 bridge grants, for a $9 million total investment.
  • ASH membership is required at the time of application to the Bridge Grant Program and throughout the award period.
  • There will be two award cycles per year.
  • The Society is currently seeking support from individual and corporate donors in order to provide additional awards.
  • Check this page often for new information or join a mailing list to receive an email when new information is posted on this page.

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Research Supported

All applicants must submit proposals to conduct research in hematology.

Basic Research 

ASH considers basic research to include a broad spectrum of studies on genes, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, biochemical and signaling pathways, receptors, hematopoietic cells, and samples obtained from human patients or from vertebrate animal models. For the purpose of this grant, hematology-related basic research is designed to further our understanding of the blood, bone marrow, and related organs and/or the pathogenesis of blood disorders. The emphasis for grants in this category should be on the discovery of new knowledge in a traditional laboratory setting.

Translational Research 

ASH defines translational research as using knowledge of human biology to develop and test the feasibility of relevant interventions in humans and/or determine the biological basis for observations made in individuals with hematologic conditions or in populations at risk. Translational research should be founded on and directly connected to some aspect of human biology and may encompass any form of structural, biochemical, genetic, or other appropriate experimental approaches using human materials.

Patient-Oriented Clincal Research 

Patient-oriented research is defined as research conducted with human subjects and involves an investigator directly interacting with human subjects. Categories of patient-oriented research include: 1) mechanisms of human disease, 2) therapeutic interventions, 3) clinical trials, and 4) development of new technologies.

Outcomes-Based Research 

Options for outcomes-based research include: 1) a decision-analysis or cost-effectiveness analysis of a relevant topic within hematology, 2) survey-based research investigating practice patterns, access to care, quality of care, clinical outcomes, or quality of life among patients with hematologic conditions, 3) retrospective analyses of large administrative databases (e.g., CMS, a large insurer, SEER) that may enlighten health-care policy decisions related to hematologic disease, and 4) large scale epidemiologic or genetic epidemiologic studies that define the incidence, prevalence, prognosis, and natural history or the effects of therapy of blood disorders.

Applications that fall within any of the categories discussed above are encouraged.

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Award Timeline

FIRST ROUND 
Application available: September 7, 2012
Application deadline: January 4, 2013
Applicant notification of acceptance: March 31, 2013
SECOND ROUND 
Application deadline: April 19, 2013
Applicant notification of acceptance: July 5, 2013

ASH intends for there to be four additional rounds of applications with due dates of November 1 and April 1. Check this page on a regular basis or join a mailing list to receive updates and additional information regarding specific application dates.

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Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the ASH Bridge Grant Award all applicants must:

  • Have submitted a hematology-related R01 or equivalent application to NIH in the past 18 months that was scored but not funded.
    • ASH uses the NIH definition of R01 equivalence: “R01-equivalent awards include R01, R23, R29, and R37 activity codes and, beginning in fiscal year 2008, DP2 awards to first-time NIH investigators. Not all of these activities are in use by NIH every year.”
    • The 18 month timeline is linked specifically to the date your R01 was entered into the eRA Commons system
  • Be an ASH member or have a pending application for membership at the time of application. Please click here for ASH membership details.
    • If you have a pending application and are awarded a Bridge Grant Award, your award will be conditional based upon membership approval
     
  • Hold a faculty position in an academic institution or the equivalent position in a non-profit research organization. Employees of independent research institutions are eligible to apply if they have a faculty type appointment and the institution is allowed to independently apply for and receive NIH funding.

Exclusions include:

  • At the time of award activation, the amount of other research funding available to the principal investigator may not exceed $250,000 annually. This amount does not include the applicant’s salary/fringe and funding from within the institution.
  • Hematologists eligible to apply for the ASH Scholar Award are not eligible to apply for this award.
  • Individuals cannot hold an ASH Scholar Award and ASH Bridge Grant concurrently. ASH Scholars can apply if their award terminates before the commencement of the bridge grant.
  • Applicants can apply a maximum of three times over the three-year award program.
  • Previous Bridge Grant award recipients cannot apply for a second award.

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Application Process

ASH requires applicants to submit an application in order to be considered for this award.

Application Format 

  • All submissions MUST include the required documents listed below, in the order below, and be submitted as one PDF file. The file should be named in the following format: BGP Lastname-Firstname 2013 Application.pdf.It is highly recommend that you use Adobe Acrobat to complete the application. 
  • Documents should be formatted with 1'' margins on all sides and a minimum font size of 12 pt. 

Application Content 

The application should include the following:

  • Completed application form, signed by office of sponsored research. 
  • Applicant’s NIH Biosketch (4-page limit). 
    • You MUST use the NIH template (sample biosketch).Please ensure the biosketch includes present position, training, publications, and current other funding.
  • An institutional commitment letter signed by the applicant’s department chair or division chief that attests to:
    • The institutional commitment to applicant.
    • The value of the applicant to the institution.
    • An explicit institutional match of $50,000 in new monies (see detailed discussion below).
    • Commitment to maintaining the investigator’s space and position for the duration of the award.
    • Any training or other professional development opportunities the institution develops that will be available to the applicant during the period of the award.
  • Specific aims page from original R01; please DO NOT include the complete R01 application.
  • Complete summary statement, including the committee recommendations and individual study section member critiques, from the original R01 submission.
    • Please redact all scores and percentiles from this summary statement and all other documents in your application as they will not be used by the Study Section during the review process.
     
  • A response to critiques
    • For applicants whose initial (A0) application was not funded: include a two page response to the study section critiques that address the work to be performed prior to resubmission and how each major issue raised in the critique can be answered in a resubmission (document format should be 1" margins on all sides and a minimum font size of 12 pt.).
    • For applicants whose resubmitted (A1) application was not funded: Include a proposed one-page "specific aims" statement from the next R01 you intend to submit, and give up to two pages that describes how these aims are achievable in the light of the non-funded A1 critiques and your ongoing and near future research plans (document format should be 1" margins on all sides and a minimum font size of 12 pt.).
     
  • Written documentation from NIH confirming that your R01 score fell outside of the fundable range.
  • First-year budget from R01 (used only to confirm the percent effort of the applicant on the original R01 application).
    • If your R01 was built on a modular budget, please also provide a detailed budget breakdown.
     
  • Completed ASH Bridge Grant Budget Form and Budget Supplemental Form.

ASH will perform a preliminary review of these materials to confirm eligibility and completeness. Incomplete applications or applications submitted by ineligible applicants will not be reviewed. Please email application materials to awards@hematology.org. 

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Matching Funds and Budget

ASH intends for the $50,000 in institutional matching funds to complement the ASH support and ensure the investigator has sufficient support for his/her research efforts. The match is also meant to illuminate the institution’s support for the investigator, and documentation of the match will be considered during the study section review. Inadequate documentation of the match may result in a rejection of the application prior to review.

The matching funds can be used to support the investigator's salary and benefits, reagents and other research supplies, and the salary and benefits of research personnel. Purchases of equipment up to $10,000 for use by the investigator can also be credited toward the match.

The Society recognizes that a lapse in grant funding may occur before the ASH award is made. Within reason, funds provided to the investigator following this lapse in funding but prior to the award of the bridge grant may be counted toward the match. The institutional commitment letter should attest to the necessity of accounting these funds toward the match.

The matching funds should be well documented in the application. Ideally, applicants will present a visual description of how the matching funds will contribute to their overall research effort in combination with the ASH Bridge Grant and other available funding.

The following expenses are allowable in the $100,000 ASH Bridge Grant budget:

  • PI salary (the percent effort and related salary from the unfunded R01 should be retained) and fringe benefits.
  • Travel, if well justified.
  • Salary and fringe benefits of research personnel.
  • Research supplies.
  • Equipment (up to $10,000 if required for and justified by the applicant).

ASH will not pay institutional indirect costs under the Bridge Grant Program.

ASH will pay the award in two installments:

1. $80,000 upon acceptance of the award.

2. $20,000 upon receipt of the final report on the award.

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Evaluation, Selection, and Notification

Anyone meeting the eligibility requirements set forth above can submit an application. The review of the bridge grant award applications is based on the scientific merit proposed research and quality of the applicant.

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Transfers

Awards are not transferrable between individuals or across institutions. An award recipient who changes institutions during the award period would forfeit the award, and the institution would need to return all remaining award funds to ASH upon the recipient's departure.

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Reallocation, Extension, Deferral

Awardees may request a reallocation of funds from one expense category to another by submitting the request in writing to the Treasurer at the Society’s headquarters. This written request must specify the dollar amount, which categories are impacted, and a justification as to why this change is necessary. The salary from the ASH award to the investigation must remain within +/- 10% of the original budget proposal submitted with the application.

Funded researchers can apply for no-cost extension.

Requests for deferrals of the commencement of the award for up to three months will be considered. Deferral requests should be noted in the award application, emailed to ASH staff following application but before notification, or emailed within 10 business days of the award notification.

All transfer and/or rebudgeting requests and justifications must be sent to ASH at awards@hematology.org, who will work with the ASH treasurer to make final determinations.

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Termination

Awards will be terminated if the applicant moves to a non-research position, leaves the institution at which he/she worked at the start of the award, or is dismissed from the institution.

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Final Reports

Award recipients are required to submit final progress reports to the Society within 60 days of the end of the award period. Payment of the final installment of the award is contingent upon receipt of a properly completed final report.

The final report should follow the format of an NIH R01 final report with specific notations on:

  1. Number of extramural grants applied for and obtained during the grant period.
  2. Number of patents submitted and awarded during the grant period.
  3. Number of publication submitted and published during the grant period.
  4. Final financial report describing actual expenses and variances to budget.

This report must be sent to ASH awards at awards@hematology.org within 60 days of the end of the award period. Failure to submit the progress report in a timely fashion will render the awardee ineligible for the final installment of the award. 

The recipients will be expected to cite support from the American Society of Hematology in any publication, poster, or presentation describing research conducted during the period of the award.

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Individual Support

Select 'ASH Bridge Grants' when entering your contribution amount on ASH's secure donation site, and visit this page over the coming months for additional opportunities to donate in support of this valuable program.

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Corporate Support

Visit ASH's Acknowledgement of Commercial Support page for more information on support for the ASH Bridge Grant Awards. Corporations interested in supporting the ASH Bridge Grant Award Program should contact the ASH Development Department.

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Bridge Grant Recipients

View the complete list of ASH Bridge Grant recipients. 

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Questions

Access a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the ASH Bridge Grant Program 

For more information about the ASH Bridge Grant Program, please contact ASH at awards@hematology.org or by phone at 202-776-0544

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