Proposal for Developing and Improving Animal Research Infrastructure at Vanderbil

描述（由申请人提供）：范德比尔特大学（VU）的研究项目近年来保持稳定或增长，即使在不确定的金融时代和国家的医疗保健系统的变化面前。在2011财政年度，超过479名研究人员得到了NIH的资助，来自所有外部来源的竞争性研究赠款超过4.49亿美元。基准显示，到2020年将继续保持温和增长。因此，似曾相识发现自己面临着竞争和极具挑战性的增长和基础设施维护的需求在收入流下降的气候。 该申请要求资金解决动物研究基础设施的需要，目前被认为是最高优先级。具体而言，要求提供资金，以加强范德比尔特的普雷斯顿研究大楼（PRB）啮齿动物设施的遏制做法和运作效率。未充分利用的饲料储存/制备、尸检和走廊空间将用于扩大PRB脏笼清洗区。这样做将提高PRB啮齿动物设施的效率，并提供更大的遏制污染笼子，降低病原体传播的风险之间的范德比尔特的独特和宝贵的小鼠模型。此外，将购买新的隧道和机架清洗机，以取代能源效率低且难以维护的老化设备。新设备将可提升公共关系科设施内的处理量，并可与校园内的其他洗笼设施共用。技术的进步将提供显着的水和能源节约（每年约82%的节水和51%的节能），从而减少VU笼清洗操作对环境的影响。 这些改进将用于直接支持132生产VU教师调查人员的正在进行的研究，总共超过8800万美元的NIH奖励（年度总成本）来自18个研究所。 如果获得资助，该应用程序将为范德比尔特提供一种机制，以维持其基础设施，同时继续投资于支持新举措和成功研究计划增长所需的空间和设备。此外，所要求的设备更加节能和节省空间，这符合该机构保护自然资源和减少碳足迹的举措。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Vanderbilt University (VU) research programs have remained stable or grown in recent years, even in the face of uncertain financial times and changes to the nation's health care system. In fiscal year (FY) 2011, over 479 research investigators were funded by the NIH and support for competitive research grants from all external sources exceeded $449 million. Benchmarks suggest continued modest growth through 2020. Thus, VU finds itself faced with the competing and extremely challenging demands of growth and infrastructure maintenance in a climate of declining revenue streams. This application requests funds to address the animal research infrastructure need deemed currently to be the highest priority. Specifically funds are requested to enhance containment practices and operational efficiency of Vanderbilt's Preston Research Building (PRB) Rodent Facility. Underutilized diet storage/preparation, necropsy and corridor space will be used to expand the PRB dirty cage wash area. Doing so will improve efficiency of the PRB rodent facility and provide greater containment of soiled caging, reducing the risk of the spread of pathogens among Vanderbilt's unique and valuable mouse models. In addition, new tunnel and rack washers will be purchased to replace aged equipment that is energy inefficient and difficult to maintain. The new equipment will improve through-put within the PRB facility and provide for redundancy with other cage wash facilities on campus. Advances in technology will provide significant water and energy savings (approximately 82% water savings and 51% energy savings per year), thereby reducing the impact of VU cage wash operations on the environment. The improvements will be used to directly support the ongoing research of 132 productive VU faculty investigators with a total of over $88 million in NIH awards (annual total costs) from 18 institutes. If funded, this application will provide a mechanism for Vanderbilt to maintain existig infrastructure while it continues to invest in space and equipment required to support new initiatives and growth of its successful research programs. In addition, the equipment requested is more energy- and space-efficient, which is consistent with the institution's initiative to conserve natural resources and reduce its carbon footprint.