In November 2001 the University of
Idaho received a three year $6 million award from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) to create a statewide biomedical research
network between the UI, ISU and BSU. This program was called BRIN
for Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network. BRIN funds were used
to enhance research facilities at the three universities, provide
seed money for new research projects, graduate and undergraduate
student support, faculty release time from teaching and supplement
to research start-up costs. Our initial success was rewarded by two
supplements totaling $2.3 million to continue these projects plus
expanding the network to other colleges and universities throughout
the state.
In July 2004 through a competitive
review process the UI received a five year award of $16.1 million to
expand the network and enhance opportunities for faculty and
students at the other colleges and universities throughout Idaho.
This is the largest grant for biomedical research in the state’s
history. The title as well as the scope of the project has changed.
While BRIN focused on enhancing infrastructure at the three largest
universities in Idaho, the Idea Network of Biomedical Research
Excellence (INBRE) Program is designed to provide greater research
opportunities for faculty and students at every college and
university in the state. Thus the complexity of the program, as well
as the goals, has increased several fold. The mission of INBRE is to
increase the amount of NIH-funded biomedical research in Idaho. The
vision of INBRE is to provide all faculty and students in Idaho who
has an interest in biomedical research the opportunity to pursue
that goal in the state. In pursuit of our mission and vision we have
established several overlaying projects and networks throughout the
state.
Idaho INBRE Vision Statement
The vision of the
Idaho INBRE Program is:
v
To provide every student in Idaho who has a talent for research
the opportunity to develop that talent thorough a coherent
integrated “pipeline” to a science career.
v
To provide every science undergraduate student with
state-of-the-art facilities and instruction and opportunities
for research.
v
To support the most promising science graduates in biomedical
graduate programs followed by postdoctoral fellowships; and to
provide access to comprehensive core research and bioinformatics
facilities
v
To provide opportunities for faculty at any college in Idaho to
be productive researchers, who are successful in generating
federal support
v
To create novel opportunities for new interdisciplinary
collaborations involving students and faculty across the
Network.
v
To create a biomedical research environment in Idaho and a
scientifically educated workforce that will attract a biomedical
research industry to the State
Overarching Goals of the Idaho INBRE Program
To achieve this
vision we have established five overarching goals that will allow us
to focus our efforts over the next five years and allocate resources
accordingly. The Idaho INBRE Program will have four cores:
Administrative, Bioinformatics, Research, and Outreach. We have
placed descriptions of our four cores within the context of our
overarching goals:
1.
We will
continue to build and establish an Interdisciplinary Research
Network under the theme of Cell Signaling. We will
extend the network to our partner undergraduate and masters
degree-granting colleges and research institutions that are
planning greater efforts in biomedical research. (Page 262).
2.
We will
accomplish the first goal by creating a “Network of Research
Partners.” This network will consist of two groups: a)
undergraduate colleges whose faculty desire significant
commitment to research, and b) research institutes or facilities
with senior researchers who will serve as mentors to faculty and
students. (Page 276).
3.
We will
continue the “Pipeline to Graduate Education” that we
established under the BRIN Program. This includes K-12
students, undergraduate students, and continues through graduate
education. Students move through the pipeline with
progressively greater exposure and experience in biomedical
research (Page 298). Under INBRE the Pipeline will be
extended to include postdoctoral fellows.
4.
The Outreach
Network that we established under BRIN focused particularly
on the “Outreach Colleges” where teaching excellence is the
primary mission (Page 300). This network will be expanded to
include more opportunities for faculty and student research,
improved laboratory facilities, and the introduction of
bioinformatics and modern biomedical concepts to the curriculum.
5.
An Educated
Workforce is key to creating a scientifically literate
populace, as well as attracting the biomedical industrial
sector to the state. We propose community outreach programs
through our community colleges. We will continue and expand the
“Pipeline” programs, and we plan to establish Idaho’s first
Industry/University Collaborative Research Center through NSF
under the research focus of Cell Signaling.
