Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Fund
Make a gift
Additional Info
Contributions can support a wide range of vital needs for the research and education programs in the department, including but not limited to:
Providing Bridge Funding
Researchers are submitting more grant applications than ever, yet funders like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are tightening their standards. That squeeze means basic scientists—and their stellar ideas—might come up short or see a grant go unrenewed.
When that happens, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at IU steps in. Bridge funding, drawn from the operating budget, lasts up to two years. During that period, a faculty member amasses more data to strengthen their pitch and garner stable, long-term support from the NIH or other institutions.
Gifts to the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Fund can ensure that leadership has financial resources to support faculty and keep critical research on a timely track.
Crossing the Valley of Death
In drug development, many researchers come to a critical juncture between discovery and commercializing their findings as a therapy. The scientists often seek private funding—a point called the Valley of Death.
Many firms want labs to provide decisive evidence that their idea is worth funding. However, their benchmarks might be more rigid than those used by the NIH or peer-reviewed journals. If those firms aren’t satisfied, a promising idea stalls.
Donor support gives the department flexibility in backing faculty in this process and can pay for screenings to identify potential small molecules or help a faculty member run tests to see whether existing drugs hit their target—potentially lowering development costs.
Helping the Next Generation of Researchers
Losing funding doesn’t just impact a faculty member—it affects the department’s ability to cover the tuition and costs for the graduate students they mentor. When that happens, the department steps in and taps its budget, a cost that can run nearly $50,000 per year.
Your generosity can keep a future researcher on track to make a difference in countless lives.
Maintaining Infrastructure
A basic science laboratory holds equipment valued at thousands of dollars and it needs to be kept in working order. While some grants cover the cost of buying the latest technology, the department pays for upkeep.
A gift to this fund helps ensure adequate support to keep those devices humming, generating data that goes into papers, earning substantial grant funding, and helping train future researchers.
Your giving matters
We’re working on the frontier of what will be tomorrow’s new targets and mechanisms for treating disease. We don’t repeat what’s been done. Major drugmakers rely on us and our peer institutions to tell them where to go. That’s really exciting and important work worth supporting.
Michael Weiss, MD, PhD Chair, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Distinguished Professor; Robert A. Harris Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Important Disclosures
Please note, the name and purpose of the fund displayed on this page constitute the authorized description of the fund by the Indiana University Foundation, Inc. Your gift supports the fund as described herein.
Gifts will be administered by the Indiana University Foundation, Inc. which represents Indiana University, including the IU School of Medicine. This is not a gift to Indiana University Health, and the Indiana University Health Foundation will not play a role in administering these accounts.