Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health
Deadline: January 22, 2009
Anticipated Award: Size varies with scope of research education program proposed.
Performance Period: 5 years
Number of Awards: 6-9 nationally, including renewal grants
PROJECT SUMMARY
The Bridges to the Future Program was developed to increase the number of minority scientists
in the fields of biomedical, clinical, behavioral and health services research. Bridges to the
Baccalaureate projects are to increase the transfer rates of students from targeted
groups/populations from associate to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions and from
master’s to doctoral degree granting institutions, and to increase the graduation rates of these
transfer students with baccalaureate and Ph.D. degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences.
The program promotes partnerships and consortia between community colleges and
baccalaureate-granting colleges. The program expects joint efforts to develop a well-integrated
institutional program providing students from targeted groups/populations with the necessary
academic preparation and skills to enable transition and successful completion of the
baccalaureate and subsequently more advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral
sciences. The Bridges program expects that in five years: a) the overall institutional transfer
rate of students from targeted groups from the associate degree-granting institution to the
baccalaureate degree programs in biomedical/behavioral sciences will increase by 50%; b) at
least 70% of the Bridges students, upon or before graduation from the associate degree
program, will transfer to baccalaureate degree programs; and c) at least 75% of the transferring
Bridges students will successfully complete their bachelor’s degrees. Projects must show
substantial progress.
ANALYSIS
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The community college needs to describe the pool of targeted students and must indicate
the number of these students who will participate in the Bridges program during the
academic year and summer. NIH anticipates that a total of 15-20 Bridges (targeted)
students will participate in the student development activities, including summer research
internships, each year and that a minimum of four Bridges students from each community
college will participate in the program to provide a critical mass. Accountability of the
community college to meet NIH’s numerical expectations determines success of the project.
NIH expects Bridges students to conduct their summer research internships in the
laboratories of investigators who are actively engaged in research and publish. Allied
Health areas are not allowable.
The project will need a highly qualified and committed Principal Investigator, with STEM
faculty commitment throughout the campus needed.
The number of funding awards is small and includes renewal applications made nationwide.
Unallowable costs include any salary support or other costs for students who are not from
target groups/populations, students who are not matriculated full-time at the partner
associate institution or from non-US citizens or non-US nationals.
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IMPACTS TO RCCD
 15-20 Bridges target students (minority and underrepresented students) need to transfer to
the four-year university each year from the STEM areas for the project to be successful.
 Full sequences of courses leading to associate’s degrees in biomedical sciences or
behavioral science will need to be in place by the start of the grant.
 There is an employer-employee relationship between the student and the institution.
Students will be RCCD employees performing research work at the partner university. This
type of employment will need to be reviewed with Human Resources and the Business
Office.
 F&A will be reimbursed at 8%, a minimal amount for a large project.
 There is significant complexity involved in the NIH application and grant compliance for the
project implementation.
 Infrastructure in the basic sciences to implement the project needs to be in place, including
a defined partnership and signed MOU with a baccalaureate research institution.
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