Bridging-the-Gap Awards

The 2011 ‘Bridging-the-Gap’ Awards for translational research at QB3

The 2011 cycle is closed. Applications for next year will be accepted in the fall of 2012.

A major mission of QB3 is to strengthen the California life sciences industry by catalyzing the translation of basic scientific discoveries to practical benefit. To help achieve this goal, an award has been created with generous support from the Rogers Family Foundation and other sources.

The Bridging-the-Gap Award is designed to encourage translational research to speed the delivery of medical and non-medical benefits to society. Applications are requested for support that would allow a team of investigators led by a faculty member at UCSF, UC Berkeley or UC Santa Cruz to execute a line of research that should lead, within a reasonable period of time, to practical benefits.

QB3 plans to make four awards in the amount of $100,000 per year, for a fund year beginning 2012. Funding is on a competitive basis, with support going to research project proposals that best fit the following criteria:

  1. The research must be novel and capable of yielding practical benefit to society within a reasonable timeframe. Projects that can yield benefit in 3 to 5 years are preferred.
  2. The principal investigator must be a faculty member at a QB3 campus.
  3. The research must not currently be funded by other sources, although matching grants and gifts in kind are encouraged.
  4. While not required, collaborations with other QB3 scientists, clinicians, engineers, computer scientists, or industry scientists are encouraged.
  5. The principal investigator should provide specific milestones that will allow the Award Committee to assess at the end of the year whether its support has achieved its goals. To encourage investigators to set feasible benchmarks, an additional $25,000 award of discretionary funds will be made to a principal investigator who achieves his or her goals within the predicted timeline.
  6. The Awards Committee plans to set aside funding sufficient to provide awardees with a second year of support at the same level. However, for this funding to be released, the principal investigator will have to re-apply at the 2013 call for proposals and provide clear evidence of concrete progress towards the first year’s milestones. A PI who contemplates applying for a second year must state in the proposal what he or she hopes to achieve in nine months that will verify progress for the Awards Committee.
  7. The ideal outcome of Bridging-the-Gap support will be the filing of an intellectual property patent, the creation of a new company or the equivalent based on the funded research. If such an outcome is a possibility then the principal investigator should draw attention to it. It will also strengthen an application if one or more of the team have increased their familiarity with the challenges of taking an idea through to a practical benefit by attending some form of entrepreneurship classes.
  8. Experience with Pfizer and Gates funding of translational research has shown the importance of having project management. QB3 is now capable of providing project management service through its Innovation Toolkit. Proposals should state if they see value in working with QB3 project management staff to track progress, find resources (eg collaborators, core facilities, etc.) or develop a business plan, where appropriate.
  9. Awarded funding must be spent within one year of the beginning of the award date. Unexpended funds will be retrieved and used to support the next round of funding. Funds cannot be used to support faculty salaries or pay for capital improvements.

QB3 has three staff scientists, Drs. Douglas Crawford, Neena Kadaba, and Marc Shuman, whose primary task is to encourage cross-disciplinary, collaborative research that will benefit society. They are available to help faculty assemble teams, prepare proposals and discuss how to best apply for Bridging the Gap funding.

How the awards will be made

The seven applications that best fit the goals of this award will be selected by a QB3 scientific committee made up of representatives of all three campuses and venture capital associates of QB3. The five finalists will give an oral presentation to the Awards Committee, who will make a final decision. The winners will give an oral report on their work to the Awards Committee at the end of their projects to determine eligibility for the bonus discretionary funding award.

How to apply

E-mail complete application by the deadline in one pdf to grants@qb3.org.

Presentations to the Awards Committee will be made on a date TBD. PIs, or their designated representatives, may make the presentations.

Complete application (4 pages maximum) includes:

  • Title of project and name of PI
  • Abstract
  • Project narrative including milestones
  • Budget
  • Bibliography
  • Short biosketch

Special notes:

  • Complete all application materials in no smaller than 10-point type. 12-point preferred.
  • Only complete applications will be considered in the review process.
  • Contact Millo Mau Pasquini (415-476-3175, millo.pasquini@qb3.org) with any questions.

Detailed application instructions

  1. ABSTRACT
    The abstract must state the applicant’s immediate and long-term objectives and specific aims. Avoid summaries of past accomplishments. The abstract is meant to serve as a succinct and accurate description of the proposal when separated from the application. Underline 5-10 key words that categorize and identify the major thrust(s) of the project.
  2. PROJECT NARRATIVE
    Including answers to the following questions: What do you intend to do? What are your specific aims? Why is the work important and how novel is this work? Why is the proposed research relevant to a need of society? Is there a potential translational impact and in what area is it relevant (diagnosis, prevention, prognosis, treatment, etc.)? What have you and others already done in research related to the application? How are you going to do the work? The suggested format is as follows:
    1. Specific aims: State concisely and realistically what the research is intended to accomplish and/or what hypothesis is to be tested. List measurable objectives for the proposed project.
    2. Significance and background: Describe the proposal in terms of its significance, reviewing the most significant previous work and current status of related research. State the rationale behind the approach. Include relevant long-term goals and implications of possible results.
    3. Experimental design/brief methods of procedure: Give condensed information sufficient to allow Awards Committee to assess feasibility. Briefly describe the facilities and resources currently available to the investigators for conduct of the study.
    4. Timeline: List milestones to be achieved by end of first year. If planning to apply for a second year, list milestones that will be achieved by date of re-application. Describe if project might lead to intellectual property, new company formation or the equivalent.
  3. BUDGET AND JUSTIFICATION
    All proposals must be accompanied by a budget.
    1. Personnel: Expenses with appropriate justification will be considered. This may include salary support for postdoctoral fellows and technical or laboratory personnel. It is not the intent of this funding mechanism to provide additional salary support for established PIs.
    2. Other expense lines: Equipment, travel, and supply items are allowed. This award is not intended to fund capital improvements.
  4. BIBLIOGRAPHY
    List key publications relevant to the proposed project. The list need not be long.
  5. BIOSKETCH