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Essential Items that must be included in a Bridges to the Future Program Application

Bridges to the Baccalaureate and Bridges to the Doctorate programs are institutional programs designed to increase the number of community college/master’s degree students from underrepresented groups and/or health disparities populations (URMs) who transfer and complete the baccalaureate/Ph.D. degree, respectively, in biomedical and behavioral sciences. These programs promote inter-institutional partnerships between community colleges granting the associate degree and colleges/universities that offer the baccalaureate degree, and between institutions granting a terminal master’s degree and institutions that grant Ph.D. degrees with the goal of developing a well-integrated institutional program that will provide URMs with the necessary academic preparation and skills to enable their transition and successful completion of the baccalaureate/Ph.D. degrees, respectively, in biomedically relevant sciences.

A Bridges application should contain all the essential elements and should be organized following the instructions in PAR-07-411 or PAR-07-410, as applicable, including:

1) The baseline data (average data for the previous three to five-year period) on : a) the number and percent of URM and non-URM students enrolled full-time in biomedically relevant sciences at each participating community college/master’s degree institution; b) the number and percent of URM and non-URM students who transfer from each participating community college/master’s degree institution to a baccalaureate/Ph.D. degree program in biomedically relevant sciences; and (for renewal applications only) c) the number and percent of Bridges students in the program who transfer from each participating community college/master’s degree institution to a baccalaureate/Ph.D. degree program in biomedically relevant sciences; and d) the number and percent of transferring Bridges students who complete the baccalaureate/Ph.D. degree in biomedically relevant sciences.

2) A clear statement of program goals, specific aims, and measurable objectives relative to the institutional baseline.

3)  A Progress Report (for renewal applications only) that includes: a) the number and percent of URM and non-URM students who transferred (institutional transfer) from each participating community college/master’s degree-granting institution to a baccalaureate/Ph.D. degree program in biomedically relevant sciences; b) the number and percent of Bridges students who transferred from each participating community college/ master’s degree institution to a baccalaureate/Ph.D. degree program in biomedically relevant sciences; c) the number and percent of transferring Bridges students who completed their bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in biomedically relevant sciences; d) the career trajectory of Bridges students  over a 10 year-period; and e) activities that have been institutionalized, added, improved or deleted  as a result of program evaluation.

4)  A clear description of the training and experience of proposed PDs/Principal Investigators (PIs), coordinators, and program faculty and staff, and their roles and responsibilities in the administration of the Bridges to the Future program.

5) A detailed description of developmental activities (with timeline) that would move the institution from baseline to the program’s expectations.

6) An evaluation plan, with timeline to assess the effectiveness of the program in achieving its goals and objectives. The evaluation plan should identify the selected evaluator and present his/her credentials.

7) A plan for training in responsible conduct of research.

8) Evidence of strong institutional commitment for the proposed program from all participating institutions.

9) The consortium agreement in the form of a letter signed by a representative of the institution’s central administration and the program director/program coordinator from each collaborating institution, acknowledging: a) participation in the program, b) awareness of the NIH consortium grant policy, and c) willingness to establish the necessary inter-institutional agreements (s) consistent with NIH policy. This letter must be included in the application (the formal inter-institutional agreement is part of just-in-time).

This page last updated November 19, 2008