Montana Network of Biomedical Research Excellence

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Montana is the nation's fourth largest state, but with fewer than one million people it lacks resources to invest in biomedical research infrastructure. Researchers, and hence their students, have limited opportunities in biomedical research. With NCRR-BRIN support, a network of Montana universities, colleges, and tribal colleges is working together to break this cycle. Through BRIN investments, Montana established a network of researchers poised to significantly advance the education, research, and employment infrastructure of the state. INBRE will build on this foundation to position Montana as a national leader in research on both the epidemiology and pathogenesis of infectious diseases and on the increasing health issues related to the environment, while developing a Montana workforce to meet the biomedical research and economic development challenges of the future. INBRE partners have committed over $2 million in institutional dollars to support progress toward this goal, signaling the importance of the INBRE goals to the future of biomedical research and education in Montana. The specific aims of the MT INBRE are to: 1) Increase the number of infectious disease and environmental health investigators at four-year colleges and universities to achieve the critical mass necessary to sustain a productive and competitive research network. This will be accomplished by supporting Montana investigators at baccalaureate colleges, hiring new faculty, and developing the research infrastructure of Montana colleges. 2) Elevate the research programs of Montana faculty members to cutting-edge science. An extensive mentoring program will link college faculty with established, NIH-funded investigators, positioning INBRE investigators to become competitive for their own NIH funding. 3) Develop a pipeline to careers in health research and increase the scientific and technological knowledge of the state's workforce by expanding and enhancing research opportunities for students. Undergraduates and graduate students will be involved in all INBRE research projects, ultimately improving both educational opportunities as well as prospects for biomedical careers in Montana. 4) Enhance scientific education and provide a pipeline to health careers for students at Montana's Tribal Colleges. INBRE will add life science faculty and infrastructure at remote two-year tribal colleges and support a model research collaboration to assess environmental health issues facing native communities.