ACT 4: CENTER FOR INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE IN RESEARCH

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The main goal of the Center for Information Architecture in Research (CIAR) was to enhance collaboration between researchers at the University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus and researchers in other institutions within and outide Puerto Rico through the application of computing and telecommunications technologies. This initiative built on resources established by the RCMI Research Informatics Unit during the 1996-2001 funding cycle, thus providing further development of institutional research support infrasctructure. Based on the experience gained during the previous four years, four specific aims were identified: 1) To facilitate access and stimulate the use of high performance computing and biotechnology research resources available through the Internet; 2) To create or enhance web sites, news groups or list servers for interdisciplinary research initiatives at the MSC that collaborate actively with investigators at te regional, national or international level; 3) to create portals to research resources available at the MSC or online through the Web, and 4) To update the telecommunications infrastructure in some areas of the MSC. These aims were meant to be accomplished by: a) Providing salary for 2.0 full-time equivalent technical support personnel, b) Providing salary for one Research Associate that would apply computer technologies to address specific biomedical research problems, c) Acquiring the software necessary to enable collaborative activities and to exploit the Internet as a medium for disseminating research findings, d) Acquiring telecommunications/computer hardware necessary to substitute older equipment, and e) Hiring experienced consultants that would assist in the development of current and future web resources. In order to maximize the impact of this activity, this project initially focused mainly on research initiatives, programs, projects or teams at the MSC with active collaborations outside of Puerto Rico. We identified the following: the RCMI Program, the RCMI Clinical Research Infrastructure Initiative, the Latino Research Program Project, the Minority Biomedical Research Program, and the Behavioral Sciences Research Institute. We hoped that facilitating collaborations through this activity would strengthen research initiatives developed to reduce health disparities in the nation.