Montana Network of Biomedical Research Excellence

描述（由申请人提供）：蒙大拿州是美国第四大州，但人口不足100万，缺乏投资生物医学研究基础设施的资源。研究人员及其学生在生物医学研究方面的机会有限。在NCRR-BRIN的支持下，蒙大拿大学、学院和部落学院组成的网络正在共同努力打破这一循环。通过BRIN的投资，蒙大拿州建立了一个研究人员网络，以显著推进该州的教育、研究和就业基础设施。INBRE将在此基础上，将蒙大拿州定位为传染病流行病学和发病机制研究以及与环境有关的日益增加的健康问题研究的全国领导者，同时发展蒙大拿州的劳动力，以迎接未来的生物医学研究和经济发展挑战。INBRE合作伙伴已承诺提供200多万美元的机构资金来支持实现这一目标，这表明INBRE目标对蒙大拿州生物医学研究和教育的未来的重要性。国家传染病研究所的具体目标是：1)增加四年制学院和大学的传染病和环境卫生研究人员的数量，以达到维持一个富有成效和有竞争力的研究网络所必需的临界质量。这将通过支持蒙大拿州学士学院的调查人员、雇用新教师和发展蒙大拿州学院的研究基础设施来实现。2)将蒙大拿州教师的研究项目提升到前沿科学。一项广泛的指导计划将把大学教师与美国国立卫生研究院资助的研究人员联系起来，使INBRE的研究人员在获得美国国立卫生研究院的资助方面具有竞争力。3)通过扩大和加强学生的研究机会，发展通往卫生研究事业的管道，增加国家劳动力的科学和技术知识。本科生和研究生将参与INBRE的所有研究项目，最终改善蒙大拿州生物医学职业的教育机会和前景。4)加强科学教育，为蒙大拿州部落学院的学生提供健康职业的管道。INBRE将在偏远的两年制部落学院增加生命科学教员和基础设施，并支持一项示范研究合作，以评估土著社区面临的环境健康问题。

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.