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Bridge Internal Grants (BIG) Program
About
The Office of Sponsored Programs & Research Integrity’s (OSPRI) Bridge Internal Grants (BIG) Program provides funding to support faculty, staff, and students in the pursuit of research, scholarship, creative activities, and community outreach projects. Projects supported by the BIG should strive to adhere to one or more of the following:
● align with UCM’s strategic goals and objectives,
● expand student-involved and faculty-lead sponsored projects,
● enable new, non-tenured faculty to gain practical experience with the grant proposal
and project management processes,
● encourage senior, tenured faculty to explore initiatives that may lead to externally
funded projects,
● introduce faculty, staff, and students to community-related opportunities to enhance
the broader impact of research and scholarly-driven public outreach
● advance cooperative efforts between UCM and other institutions, businesses, and
industries.
The BIG Program and funded through OSPRI's portion of indirect cost recovery.
For questions, please contact Katie Brunkhorst by email at ospbridge@ucmo.edu.
BIG Program Opportunities:
1. Proposal Enhancement Grant (PEG):
● Award Ceiling: $6,000
● Project Duration: 6-24 months
● Eligibility: UCM faculty, staff, or bargaining unit member
● Purpose: Provides support for pilot studies, feasibility studies, and the collection
of baseline data in support of externally funded grant applications with an emphasis
on student engagement.
● Annual Awards: 3-5
● Application Limit: 1 per cycle
● Award Limit: 1 award per PI/PD every 5 years
● Application Deadline: October 15th
● Earliest Start Date: January 1st
2. New Faculty Exploratory Grant (NFE):
● Award Ceiling: $6,000
● Project Duration: 6-24 months
● Eligibility: Full‐time, non-tenured faculty, within 3 years of their initial employment
and without prior experience as a PI/PD or Co-PI/PD on a funded grant.
● Purpose: Provides support for pilot studies, feasibility studies, and the collecting
of baseline data in support of an externally funded grant application.
● Annual Awards: 3-5
● Application Limit: 1 per cycle
● Award Limit: 1 award per PI/PD
● Application Deadline: October 15th
● Earliest Start Date: January 1st
3. Community Outreach Proposal (CoOP):
● Award Ceiling: $6,000
● Project Duration: 12-24 months
● Eligibility: UCM faculty, staff, or bargaining unit member in collaboration with
a community organizational partner.
● Purpose: Developing and/or creating ideas to establish and strengthen a meaningful
and lasting relationship with community partners.
● Annual Awards: 3-5
● Application Limit: 1 per cycle
● Award Limit: 1 award per PI/PD
● Application Deadline: April 15th
● Earliest Start Date: July 1st
4. Student Opportunities for Academic Research (SOAR):
● Award Ceiling: $5,000
● Project Duration: 12-24 months
● Eligibility: UCM Student in collaboration with a UCM faculty, staff, or bargaining
unit member.
● Purpose: The SOAR grant provides funding to graduate and undergraduate students
to encourage research endeavors under the supervision of a full-time faculty member.
Funding may be used for necessary equipment, supplies, or travel needed to gather
data (but not for presentation purposes).
● Annual Awards: 3-5
● Application Limit: 1 per cycle
● Award Limit: 1 award per PI/PD
● Application Deadline: April 15th
● Earliest Start Date: July 1st
Resources:
BIG Program Information
Attachment Requirements
Please make a copy of all BIG forms/templates and save your copies with a file name of: “BIG (insert document type) - Project Title - Principal Investigator (PI)’s Last name, PI’s First Name”. (Ex. [Budget Form - Dinosaurs and the End of their World - Doe, Jane]) If there are two PIs for the grant, please list both PIs’ LAST NAMES at the end of the title rather than both of the PIs’ full names.
After making your own forms, please delete the top two paragraphs and use this new document for your project’s narrative. You could even use the format of the forms/templates and add your paragraphs under the headers as provided. You don't need to use our format, but it is a great way to submit BIG proposals. The format helps you keep track of what you have covered, and the reviewers know exactly where to look for specific information.
Required Attachments:
Rubrics - For Reference Only
BIG Proposal Submission:
Use this form to upload your attachments and submit your proposal to UCM's Bridge Internal Grants Committee.
