NIH Grants $33 Million in Institutional Development
Awards to Three States
Three New Awards Foster Health-related Research and Increase
Competitiveness
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today it has provided
nearly $33 million to fund three new Institutional Development
Awards (IDeA). The awards support multidisciplinary centers — each
concentrating on one general area of research — that strengthen
institutional biomedical research capability and enhance research
infrastructure. The IDeA program is designed to improve the competitiveness
of investigators in states that historically have not received
significant levels of competitive NIH research funding.
The new centers are being established at the University of Oklahoma
Health Sciences Center to study diabetes (especially in the Native
American populations); Rhode Island Hospital to study cartilage,
joint health, and repair mechanisms; and University of Kansas Medical
Center to study molecular regulation of cell development and differentiation.
"By bridging the research funding gap in IDeA states, we
are building innovative research teams, strengthening partnerships
with the community, and leveraging the power of shared resources — ultimately
improving the nation's health," said NIH Director Elias A.
Zerhouni, M.D. "It is through this multidisciplinary approach
that we can reduce health disparities and improve our disease prevention
efforts in states that have limited resources."
Through the IDeA program, NCRR supports institutions and communities
in 23 states and Puerto Rico with grants that fund multiple areas
of biomedical research and reach out to unique populations. Each
grant fulfills five goals:
- To build and strengthen the research capabilities at participating
institutions by hiring staff and purchasing research equipment;
- To support faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students;
- To provide research opportunities for undergraduate students;
- To develop outreach activities; and
- To enhance the science and technology knowledge of the state's
workforce.
Each award includes a principal investigator with established
credentials relevant to the center's research theme; three to five
individual research projects that share that theme and are supervised
by a single junior investigator; and a development and mentoring
plan that will prepare these investigators to secure competitive
federal research funding.
"For states to compete on a national level for federal research
dollars, we need to lay the foundation at the undergraduate level
as well as partner with the local community to effect change," said
NCRR Director Barbara M. Alving, M.D. "By funding 'intellectual
development' and enhancing research infrastructure in these IDeA
states, we are producing a pipeline of homegrown researchers who
will become future leaders in competing for these federal dollars."
New IDeA Awards:
For full descriptions of the following IDeA centers, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov/news/2007_IDeA_Awards.asp.
University of Kansas Medical Center (Kansas City, Kan.)
$11 million
Molecular Regulation of Cell Development and Differentiation
Principal Investigator: Dale R. Abrahamson, Ph.D.
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (Oklahoma City,
Okla.)
$11 million
Mentoring Diabetes Research in Oklahoma
Principal Investigator: Jian-Xing Ma, M.D., Ph.D.
Rhode Island Hospital (Providence, R.I.)
$11 million
Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for Skeletal Health and
Repair
Principal Investigator: Qian Chen, Ph.D.
For more general information about the IDeA program, visit www.ncrr.nih.gov/IDeA.asp.
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) provides laboratory
scientists and clinical researchers with the environments and tools
they need to understand, detect, treat, and prevent a wide range
of diseases. With this support, scientists make biomedical discoveries,
translate these findings to animal-based studies, and then apply
them to patient-oriented research. Ultimately, these advances result
in cures and treatments for both common and rare diseases. NCRR
also connects researchers with one another, and with patients and
communities across the nation. These connections bring together
innovative research teams and the power of shared resources, multiplying
the opportunities to improve human health. For more information,
visit www.ncrr.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
|