Details on New Research Funding Program

EDIT: The application deadline for the program has been extended to Sept. 30, 2026.

Program Background

The University of Michigan is launching a new research funding program designed to support faculty whose federal grant proposals received strong peer-review evaluations but have not yet been funded. The program is intended to provide a bridge, helping principal investigators (PIs) maintain research continuity, support research staff and remain competitive for future external funding.

For information about the Medical School program, please visit here.

Program Overview

Key features of the program include:

• Level of support: Eligible PIs may apply for up to 35% of the average annual funding requested in their federal proposal, with a maximum award of $150,000 for one year. Central support would cover up to 50% of eligible research costs for up to one year, with units covering the remaining expenses.  
• Purpose of funds: Funding is intended to provide short-term support while investigators pursue new or revised external grant applications. All awarded funds must be spent at the University of Michigan; subcontracts or similar arrangements with other institutions are not permitted.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility is based on evidence that a proposal underwent federal peer review and would likely have been funded in prior funding cycles.

Automatic qualification pathways include:

• • NIH / HHS proposals
    • Unsuccessful R01-equivalent or similar applications with annual direct costs greater than $250,000. 
    • A priority score within the 15th percentile. 

• NSF proposals 

• • • Formal documentation indicating the proposal received strong peer-review evaluations and likely would have been funded in prior funding cycles, or 
    • An average reviewer rating of “Very Good” or better, converted to a 1–5 scale. 

• Other federal agencies 

• • Comparable formal documentation demonstrating that the proposal underwent peer review and was likely to be funded, absent recent changes in federal awards. 

Additional requirements:

• Assistant professors (and other PI-eligible faculty at the assistant rank) within their first three years have no additional eligibility requirements. 
• Other PIs must:
  • Be current University of Michigan faculty with PI-eligible status.
  • Have served as a PI on a federal grant. 
  • Not hold more than $250,000 in discretionary funds or more than $500,000 in externally sponsored support. 
• Applications for support from this program must include a plan for new applications for external grant funding. The subject matter need not be the same.

Accessing the Application

The application is available via InfoReady here. Medical School faculty should apply here.