INBRE EVALUATION

这个子项目是众多研究子项目之一

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. In 2004, the University of Hawaii received a five-year, $14 million award from NCRR/NIH under the IDeA Networks for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program to develop competitive biomedical research in Hawaii. This evaluation covers the third year of the five-year INBRE award and builds upon the previous evaluations of the BRIN award funded by NCRR/NIH. This year all three critical positions in the administrative core, including that of the Principal Investigator, were vacant for lengthy periods of time due to resignations and subsequent recruitment difficulties. Very little activity emanated from this core during this period. This changed dramatically, however, when all three positions were finally filled at the end of 2006. The Hawaii INBRE relies heavily on informal mentoring by senior scientists as a means of developing research expertise among young researchers. This year, as in years past, the evaluators noted a great deal of variation in mentoring. Several of the Junior Investigators from baccalaureate campuses tend to experience sparse and uneven mentoring. Discrepancies in reports between mentors and the prot¿g¿s were also noted. Mentors were more likely to report that they provided assistance on scientific activities rather than on career development. Junior Investigators from campuses outside the University of Hawaii system were also less likely to have received their funds from INBRE on a timely basis. Two of the investigators must now expend their entire year of funding in less than three months. The Outreach Director had no administrative support during most of the year. Perhaps as a result, managing the travel awards and organizing the summer institute were the Cores primary activities. Students from the summer institute who responded to the follow-up survey rated the workshop positively. Based on this feedback, the Outreach Director has already initiated improvements for next years institute. After devoting several years to acquiring the necessary equipment and personnel, the Bioinformatics Core appears well-poised to carry through on programs for students and researchers. Plans to make the bioinformatics technology more widely available are underway, undergraduate and graduate courses and degree programs are being developed, and good progress is being made in surveying user needs and providing continuing education to meet those needs. An in-depth case study of one of the partner baccalaureate campuses was conducted to assess the impact of BRIN/INBRE funds on the campuss research mission. Results suggest that NIH funding has had a catalytic effect by spurring development of their scientific research program. Student enrollments, faculty hires, a new graduate degree program, and infrastructure development for scientific research reflect a growing interest in scientific research on this campus. Hawaii experienced a sharper decline in NIH funding than the U.S. as a whole, dropping from $84.5 million in FY 2005 to $53.7 million in FY 2006. Hawaii ranked 40th in NIH funding in FY 2002 and improved to 35th in FY 2005 before dropping to 41st in FY 2006, its lowest since the advent of BRIN/INBRE grants to Hawaii. Data on success rates were compiled for FY 2001 -2006 for new, competitive research proposals. Although the number of research awards received has not increased dramatically since 2001, the number of submissions from Hawaii researchers has more than doubled. Funding from non-NIH sources dipped to a seven-year low of $5.31 million in FY 2006, compared to a high of $9.3 million in FY 2004. In a pattern similar to other funding sources, there was a gradual increase in funding from other academic institutions until FY 2005 ($3.3 million), which was then followed by a pronounced drop to $2.5 million in FY 2006.