Dear HCC Colleagues,
We are pleased to release the 2026 Bridge Project RFA. Please note that there have been some eligibility changes that should be noted. Full applications are due by 10AM ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13th, 2026.
The Bridge Project, a collaboration between MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research (KI) and the Harvard Cancer Consortium (HCC), 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.
Eligibility
- Teams must be composed of at least one Principal Investigator (PI) from MIT and at least one PI from HCC institutions: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Each named applicant must have PI status at their host institution and must meaningfully participate in the project as part of their team. Preference will be given to teams employing unique and highly innovative approaches and technologies.
- 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 may be awarded with preference for projects focused on drug discovery and development, brain cancer research and/or immunotherapy.
- We further encourage applications in the Expansion category of award types; such teams normally have been funded previously via Traditional or Footbridge awards from the Bridge Project, but this is not required.
- Priority will be given to new teams or previously-funded investigators who have demonstrated an ability to conduct work, spend awards, and submit updates on time.
Eligibility Restrictions*
- To maintain strong, collaborative teams, investigators can be listed as a PI on no more than 2 Bridge Project applications per cycle, with a maximum of 1 Traditional or Expansion, and 1 Footbridge, application.
- PIs currently ending the 1st year of a Traditional Award can apply only for Footbridge awards.
- PIs with current Footbridge or Expansion Awards, or in the 2nd year of Traditional Award, are welcome to apply.
- PIs with missing progress reports from previous Bridge Awards, still outstanding as of the application deadline (regardless of the makeup of current or past teams), cannot apply.
*Please verify that all PIs on the team conform to these restrictions before applying; applications not in compliance will be withdrawn from consideration.
Award Types
Footbridge Grants 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 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.
Traditional Bridge Grants 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 HCC. Funding may be requested for up to a two-year period. Renewal at the end of Year 1 is subject to performance review.
Expansion Bridge Grants 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. Expansion projects may be based on research funded previously via Footbridge or Traditional awards, but this is not required.
Submission information
Submit applications to ki-bridge@mit.edu (cc all involved PIs) by 10 AM Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Please review carefully the text under Acceptance of Terms on pages 4 and 5 of this document—by submitting an application, PIs agree to abide by these terms.
Application Format
All materials should be submitted as a single PDF document Use 12-point Calibri, or 11-point Arial font and margins of 0.5 inches or greater.
Contact Information
Additional information about the Bridge Project can be found here. Please direct questions to ki-bridge@mit.edu or, if appropriate, to the Bridge Project Directors, Tyler Jacks tjacks@mit.edu and James DeCaprio James_DeCaprio@dfci.harvard.edu.