SC IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The SC-INBRE program unites 31 academic institutions in South Carolina in a common effort to develop our biomedical research infrastructure. The University of South Carolina (USC), the State's flagship research institution, located in the geographical center of SC, serves as the Lead Institution. Our three Comprehensive Research Universities (CRU) have formed a team of researchers with a focus on inter-institutional collaborations to develop research programs in the thematic area of "developmental biology and applied bioengineering" encompassing a broad range of research, from valve and joint materials at Clemson University (CU), tissue engineering at USC, and stem cell technology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The Bioengineering Theme complements the recent award of three Chairs in Regenerative Medicine, one at each of the CRUs, endowed by a total of $6,000,000 by the South Carolina Lottery Commission. In addition to the CRUs, six Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI) have been selected in a competitive process to provide support for graduate programs in bioengineering by providing students trained in biotechnology (Claflin University), biochemistry (College of Charleston, Furman and Winthrop Universities) and neurosciences (Benedict and Wofford Colleges). Two of these schools are our larges public PUIs (College of Charleston and Winthrop) and four are private, including two HBCUs (Benedict College and Claflin University). A Bioinformatics Core provides support for development of statewide bioinformatics capacity, with emphasis development of computer resources and a communications network along the 1-26 Corridor, linking the CRUs from Charleston (MUSC), through Columbia (USC), to the Greenville-Spartanburg (CU) area, with gradual expansion to other academic and research institutions in South Carolina. The Outreach Core provides a range of programs reaching out to PUIs throughout the state, a total of 22 additional PUIs, with emphasis on student involvement in research and minority outreach initiatives. An Evaluation Core, based on the graduate program in Program Assessment at USC, will provide for continuous assessment of the activities of the SC-1NBRE program. The SC-INBRE will provide unique opportunities to recruit and develop faculty and enhance productive interactions among academic and research institutions throughout the State and thereby accelerate the growth of biomedical research in South Carolina.