NIH grants $33 M in institutional development awards t...( The National Center for Research Res...)

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 nations 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