Submissions accepted November 1 - January 2

The mission of SPR is to cultivate a diverse network of child health researchers through collaboration, community, mentorship, and advocacy. Implicit in our mission is our foundational commitment to supporting the success of young investigators in child health research through activities that include facilitating connections with peers, potential collaborators, and national mentors.

The SPR Bridging to Success Award, a program initiated in 2016, supports transitioning pediatric physician-scientists and other researchers involved in pediatric research, who have submitted a NIH funded Career Development Award in the K08 and K23 categories, AHRQ-funded Career Development Awards in K08 and K01 (must be an MD), PhD scientists in K99 and R00 categories, or previously submitted A0 or A1 grant, which although not funded, may be potentially competitive on resubmission (including a 3rd submission) to the NIH.

The support mechanism consists of $40,000 awarded to the sponsoring institution with no indirect costs. The sponsoring institution and Department match the $40,000, thereby constituting $80,000 of the awardee's support for two years. Salary support is the preferred mechanism of support though alternative uses of awarded funds may be considered on a case-by-case basis if justification for the use of funds for non-salary-related costs (which must be provided by the awardee) is approved by the SPR Awards committee. In all cases, at least 75% protected research effort must be assured. The award does not allow for fringe or indirect costs and these costs should be covered by the institution from separate sources. The $40,000 from SPR will be disbursed in two installments: $20,000 the first year starting on July 1, and the second installment of $20,000 the following year on July 1, dependent on the K not being funded as of June 30^th of that year.

Eligibility 

• MD or MD/PhD, MPH, DO, MS, DDS/PhD, DVM applicant who is an SPR Active member, SPR Emerging to Established (E2E) member, or must have applied for SPR E2E membership by January 2 (if they meet the E2E eligibility requirements). Rolling admission for SPR E2E applicants is available. NOTE: there is no limit to the number of applicants from a single institution.
• This award is meant to serve as a bridge for applicants who have applied for the following funding opportunities:
  • NIH funded Career Development Awards in the K08 and K23 categories
  • AHRQ-funded Career Development Awards in the K08 and K01 categories
  • PhD scientists in the K99 and R00 categories

• Eligible candidates must have submitted a previous A0 or A1 application which has been fully reviewed with the application’s Summary Statement. That Summary Statement must be dated within the 2-calendar years of this Request for Application (RFA), dated January 1, 2023, or later. Please submit a summary statement. Unfortunately, we are not able to consider applications which lack a Summary Statement.

• Intramural K Award program applications, such as the K12 and KL2 Programs, are not eligible.

Main Round Application

• A Letter of Intent signed by the applicant and sponsoring department chair includes:
  • Agreement by the sponsoring department/institution to match the SPR award and to contribute the total amount (i.e. SPR award plus department/institution match) to salary and/or research program of the awardee.
  • Agreement that the awardee will have 75% effort protected for research during the award years.​
• Specific Aims page of the supporting K08, K23, AHRQ K08, K01 (must be an MD), K99, R00, A0 or A1 application.
• Summary Statement from the review of the supporting NIH funded Career Development Awards in the K08 and K23 categories, AHRQ-funded Career Development Awards in K08 and K01 categories, PhD scientists in the K99 and R00 categories, within the 2-calendar years of this Request for Application (RFA), dated January 1, 2023, or later. The most recent summary is a requirement. If you have submitted a revision and have not received the summary, then you are not eligible to apply.
• Commitment from the applicant to provide SPR with requested updates on the outcome of the revised K08, K23, AHRQ K08, K01, K99, R00, A0 or A1 application submitted by the applicant after receipt of this award.

Final Round Application

Based on Main Round review, in late-Jan/early-Feb finalists will be chosen to submit a full package which should include the entire application of applicant’s most recently revised K-Award and:

• Cover letter describing the applicant's current position and how the support will be used for the next 1-2 years.
• K-Award Application - please provide the entire application of your most recently revised K-Award, including the introduction section with the applicant's response to reviewers. It should be the newest version with a response to the criticism raised during the review process.
• Specific plans - please provide a 1-2 page document describing how the applicant plans to respond to the criticisms and revise the K-award application.

Awardee is expected to attend the PAS 2026 meeting.

Questions?

See FAQ for additional information.

Please email info@societyforpediatricresearch.org.