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August
13, 2004 Health and the environment will be the focus of research conducted under the North Dakota IDeA Networks for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program. Half of the budget will be used to support research projects at predominantly undergraduate institutions in the state. The statewide network will be administered by the University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine and Health Sciences in collaboration with North Dakota State University. Major projects will be led by researchers at Dickinson State University, Mayville State University, Minot State University, Turtle Mountain Community College and Valley City State University. "This marks another big step in research for North Dakota," said Dean H. David Wilson of the UND medical school. "We are most gratified to fill a pivotal role in coordinating this grant. It will advance the level of scientific inquiry throughout the state and encourage students to pursue meaningful and productive careers in the biomedical sciences." Under a subcontract with INBRE, the North Dakota Association of Tribal Colleges in Bismarck will invest more than $1.2 million in science outreach programs for the five tribal colleges in the state. They are Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Fort Totten; Fort Berthold Community College, New Town; Sitting Bull College, Fort Yates; Turtle Mountain Community College, Belcourt; and United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck. John Shabb, INBRE principal investigator and an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the UND medical school, said the program provides a broad range of benefits in biomedical research and science education encompassing research universities, baccalaureate institutions and tribal colleges across North Dakota. "North Dakota INBRE's goals complement Senator Byron Dorgan's Red River Valley Research Corridor initiative," he said. "It improves the collaborative research environment between UND and NDSU and extends this network to include other colleges and universities across the state. It also compliments workforce training in the biosciences." Donald Schwert, INBRE program coordinator and NDSU professor, said, "The continuing investment into tribal college science programs will lead to enhanced science training opportunities on those campuses and to increased numbers of Native American students pursuing careers in the sciences." The Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) program under the NIH National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) assists states such as North Dakota that have historically received relatively little research funding from the NIH. The objective is to develop an infrastructure that supports biomedical research, creates opportunities for students to pursue careers in biomedical research and assists researchers in becoming more competitive for NIH funding. INBRE is the second phase of an NCRR program that began in October 2001 which was originally known as the Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN). North Dakota was one of 23 states that received a three-year, $6 million grant to help develop biomedical researcher capacity. The BRIN program ended June 30. Shabb said that INBRE enables North Dakota to build on the success of the BRIN program, which has helped bring highly qualified biomedical researchers to the state, assisted in developing student interest in science and involvement in research, and provided the equipment, information and computer resources needed to support these efforts. North Dakota INBRE's emphasis will shift significantly toward capacity
building at undergraduate institutions within the state. The goal
is to improve North Dakota's research competitiveness by increasing
the number of students who continue their education at a research
university - such as UND or NDSU - where they can receive advanced
training in biomedical research fields. To do this, INBRE will fund
research projects at the four-year schools and support their faculty
through mentors and facilities at UND and NDSU (see North
Dakota INBRE fact sheet). Contact information:
John Shabb, North Dakota INBRE director, at (701) 777-4946 or jshabb@medicine.nodak.edu Donald Schwert, North Dakota INBRE program coordinator, at (701) 231-7496 or donald.schwert@ndsu.nodak.edu H. David Wilson, dean, UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, at (701) 777-2514 or hdwilson@medicine.nodak.edu Patrick Miller, public information professional, North Dakota INBRE, (701) 777-6377 or pmiller@medicine.nodak.edu Pamela Knudson, director of public affairs, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, at (701) 777-4305 or pamelak@medicine.nodak.edu |
GRAND
FORKS, N.D. - North Dakota will receive $16.3 million over five
years during the second phase of a