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TWD Programs GuideResearch training, explained

Program profile

Bridges to the Baccalaureate and Bridges to the Doctorate

The Bridges programs were built around transitions between institutions, the points where many students drop out of the research path.

By the TWD Programs Guide editors · Updated · 2 min read

Not on NIGMS's current list; Bridges to the Doctorate awards reported terminated in 2025 Checked November 7, 2026

Mechanism
R25 research education programs; Bridges to the Doctorate moved to a T32 in 2024
Who it serves
Community college students moving to four-year schools; master's students moving to PhD programs
Today
Neither program is on NIGMS's 2026 list. BURT has a community college partnerships track.

Short answer

Bridges to the Baccalaureate helped community college students transfer into biomedical bachelor's programs, and Bridges to the Doctorate helped master's students move into PhD programs, both through partnerships between institutions. Bridges to the Doctorate became a T32 in 2024 and its awards were reported terminated in 2025. Neither program is on NIGMS's list of current programs as of November 2026.

What were the Bridges programs?

Bridges to the Baccalaureate and Bridges to the Doctorate were NIGMS programs built on partnerships between institutions, designed to carry students across a transfer point: community college to a four-year school, or a master's program to a PhD program. Each award required at least two institutions working together, with shared advising, research experiences and a clear path for students to move from one to the other.

Bridges to the Baccalaureate Bridges to the Doctorate
Transition Associate degree to biomedical bachelor's Master's to biomedical PhD
Mechanism R25 R25, then T32 from 2024
Partners Community college plus four-year school Master's-granting plus PhD-granting institution
Status (Nov 2026) Not on NIGMS's current list Reported terminated in 2025; not on current list

What happened?

Bridges to the Doctorate was among the programs whose directors reported cancellations in spring 2025, alongside MARC, PREP, IMSD and IRACDA. Bridges to the Baccalaureate was not named in that reporting, but it does not appear on NIGMS's list of current training programs as of November 2026.

What's available for transfer students now?

For community college students, the BURT community college partnerships track is the closest current NIGMS mechanism. For master's students aiming at a PhD, the main routes are direct PhD admission with a predoctoral T32 slot or an F31 once enrolled. Program directors who ran Bridges partnerships may find that a parent R25 can support parts of what they built.

Questions people ask

Is there anything like Bridges to the Baccalaureate now?

BURT's community college partnerships track pairs an associate degree-granting institution with a bachelor's-granting one, so a student can be appointed at the community college and continue after transfer. It is a training grant with its own rules, not a renamed Bridges program.

Why did Bridges to the Doctorate move to a T32?

NIGMS issued a T32 version in 2024 that put trainees under the same NRSA terms as other graduate trainees. Notices from that year group it with IMSD and G-RISE as NIGMS T32 training grants.

Sources

  1. NOT-GM-24-051: Updates to NIGMS IMSD, G-RISE and Bridges to the Doctorate T32 applications
  2. The Transmitter: NIH nixes funds for several pre- and postdoctoral training programs (April 8, 2025)
  3. NIGMS: Current TWD programs (October 2026)

This profile is an independent summary, not an official NIH or NIGMS description. Eligibility and deadlines are set by the current funding opportunity; read it before you apply.