Bridging the Gap
Rice launches new funding program to sustain research amid federal shifts.
Fall 2025
By Sarah Rufca Nielsen ’05
Federal funding is the backbone of academic research. So when governmental priorities and policies shift and vital research funding vanishes overnight, institutions struggle. To adjust to recent abrupt grant reductions or cancellations, Rice has launched a new Bridge Funding Program aimed at preserving research continuity and graduate training.
Designed for current Rice graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty whose funding has been unexpectedly reduced or terminated, the bridge program provides financial support for up to 12 months to ensure stability in training and research processes. According to Amy K. Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, the initiative demonstrates Rice’s broad institutional resolve to advancing its research mission.
Even short-term bridge funding creates a positive ripple effect, as dedicated researchers — and their students — now have breathing room to continue their work uninterrupted, ensuring Rice’s research ecosystem remains resilient.
“Rice is committed to research, scientific discovery and creative works,” Dittmar says. “This Bridge Funding Program protects the long-term sustainability and impact of Rice’s research and creative endeavors. Importantly, it ensures continuity for graduate students as they make progress toward their academic goals.”
As of July 2, the university has approved five requests from across the schools of Engineering and Computing, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, representing just under $400,000 in committed funding. Funds are sourced from a combination of administrative funds and contributions from departments, schools and faculty themselves, with a central oversight committee meeting weekly to evaluate ongoing applications. Everyone is pitching in to keep scientific progress alive.
Even short-term bridge funding creates a positive ripple effect, as dedicated researchers — and their students — now have breathing room to continue their work uninterrupted, ensuring Rice’s research ecosystem remains resilient. True to its mission, Rice is proactively investing in mechanisms to preserve excellence and protect the next generation of scholars.