REMINDER: The 2023 Bridge Project RFA

September 11, 2023

The Bridge Project, a collaboration between MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research (KI) and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) consortium, brings together the expertise of these two organizations to tackle complex translational problems in cancer research. We fund collaborative approaches in translational cancer research led by teams of engineers, cancer scientists, and clinical investigators from these institutions.

The following is a summary; download the full RFA in the 'Related Files' at the bottom.

Key Dates:

9/18/23 by 10am The deadline for submitting your full proposal is September 18, 2023 by 10am.
12/15/23 Teams that are selected for Round II Review will be notified by December 15, 2023 and invited to present their proposal in front of the Bridge Project Review Committee
1/16/24 by 1pm

Budgets for PIs by institution and the detailed budget and
justification for the entire team (DF/HCC and KI/MIT, together) must be sent to ki-bridge@mit.edu by 1:00 PM Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
2/1/24

If selected, your team must be able to present (virtually) as a group on the date of the Round II Review, Thursday, February 1, 2024.
2/22/24 Awards will be announced by February 22, 2024
3/1/24 The Bridge Project funding term will start March 1, 2024

 

Areas of focus for applications 

Teams may submit proposals focused on any aspect of translational cancer research in any tumor type. Preference will be given to projects addressing significant unmet clinical needs requiring improved or new methods for early detection, more accurate diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, and prevention. A subset of available funding will be awarded with preference for projects focused on drug discovery and development, brain cancer research and/or immunotherapy.

Award Information

There are three types of awards:

  • Expansion Bridge Grant provide up to $750,000 (total cost) per team to support the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial or a clinical application. Funding allocations between institutions for Expansion Bridge Grants are decided on a per-project basis. Applications for this award type are particularly encouraged. Expansions projects may be based on research funded previously via Footbridge or Traditional awards, but this is not required.

  • Traditional Bridge Grant provide $400,000 (total cost) per team per year for up to 2 years ($800,000 total). Funding for the project should be allocated evenly (50/50) between MIT and DF/HCC. Funding may be requested for up to a two-year period. Renewal at the end of the Year 1 is subject to performance review.

  • Footbridge Grant provide $200,000 (total cost) per team per year, for 1 year. Funding for the project should be allocated evenly (50/50) between MIT and DF/HCC. Footbridge grants allow newly formed teams to obtain necessary preliminary data/proof of concept, to develop cohesion as a true team, and to strengthen future Bridge Project applications that may emerge from this work.

Important Notes:

  • Full applications should be submitted electronically to: ki-bridge@mit.edu
  • Download the full RFA in the 'Related Files' at the bottom for more information.
  • As a reminder, all DF/HCC members are eligible to apply for these grants.

Please refer questions to ki-bridge@mit.edu; deborah_goff@dfci.harvard.edu or the Bridge Project Directors:

Related files

Related links