The NICHD, through the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, has funded six grants to build research infrastructure by providing access to expertise, technologies, and resources from allied fields such as neurosciences, engineering, applied behavior, and the social sciences.  Additional funding was provided by the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB).

Medical rehabilitation involves basic and clinical studies in the domains of pathophysiology, impairment, functional limitation, disability, and societal interaction. Increasingly, research breakthroughs and potential therapeutic strategies are the result of integrating expertise from allied fields, as well as building up a core understanding of rehabilitative mechanisms and clinical outcomes.  Researchers in medical rehabilitation are invited to access these funded core infrastructure sites. 

Opportunities facilitated by this R24 funding mechanism include:

• Research training
• On site sabbaticals
• Pilot project funding
• Core services

Access to technologies and approaches from allied fields is key to promoting multidisciplinary collaborations and developing research opportunities. It is the goal of this program to demonstrate that centralized research infrastructure will enhance the capability of medical rehabilitation investigators to understand mechanisms of functional recovery, develop therapeutic strategies, and improve the lives of people with disabilities.

For more information, visit http://www.ncmrr.org/.