Research Centers in Minority Institutions

NCRR's Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program enhances the research capacity and infrastructure at minority colleges and universities that offer doctorates in health sciences. Because many investigators at RCMI institutions study diseases that disproportionately affect minorities, the program serves the dual purpose of bringing more minority scientists into mainstream research and enhancing studies of minority health.

RCMI support is provided by the NCRR Division of Research Infrastructure. It provides funding to recruit established and promising researchers, acquire advanced instrumentation, modify laboratories for competitive research, fund core research facilities, and other research support.

Graduate institutions eligible to apply for the RCMI grants must award doctoral degrees in health-related fields and have a 50 percent or greater enrollment of students from minority communities underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. These communities include African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

RCMI Translational Research Network

The RCMI Translational Research Network (RTRN) is a national consortium of clinical and translational researchers in the RCMI Centers, working in collaboration with investigators from other academic health centers, community health providers, and the public to focus their collective efforts on addressing health disparities. READ MORE >>

Centers of Clinical Research Excellence

The RCMI Centers of Clinical Research Excellence (CCRE) augment and strengthen institutional clinical research capabilities in specific research areas. READ MORE >>

Clinical Research Education and Career Development

The DRI also administers the Clinical Research Education and Career Development (CRECD) awards, which help develop and implement curriculum-dependent programs in minority institutions, to train selected doctoral and postdoctoral candidates in clinical research. READ MORE >>

Clinical Research Infrastructure Initiative

The RCMI Clinical Research Infrastructure Initiative (RCRII) supports clinical research activities at institutions that have RCMIs to encourage minority scientists to participate in clinical investigations. READ MORE >>

Contact Information

For further information about NCRR support for research in minority institutions, please contact:

Shelia A. McClure, Ph.D.
Director, RCMI Program
Division of Research Infrastructure
National Center for Research Resources
National Institutes of Health
One Democracy Plaza, Room 932
6701 Democracy Boulevard, MSC 4874
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4874 (20817 for express mail)
Telephone: 301-451-6536
Fax: 301-480-3770
E-mail: McClurSh@mail.nih.gov