This application for renewal of the grant supporting the New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biological Research Excellence (NH-INBRE) proposes to 1) Continue to improve the biomedical research infrastructure at the Partners; 2) Continue to increase research opportunities for undergraduates in the state; 3) Continue to build the science and research culture at the Partners that was created during the first period of support; 4) Continue to enhance the science and technology training of the NH workforce; and 5) Continue to enhance the bioinformatics and genomics infrastructure that is required for modern biomedical research. The components and organization of the Network are described as is the progress made during its first 4 years The proposed Lead institution will continue to be the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, which will house the NH-INBRE Administrative Core. The University of New Hampshire at Durham will continue to be the co- Lead institution. The proposed Partner institutions include 6 four-year primarily undergraduate institutions and the Community College System of New Hampshire. The themes of the NH-INBRE will be Microbial Pathogenesis, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Neurobiology and Behavior, and Human Health. NH-INBRE will continue to be directed by a team of accomplished faculty, all of whom direct active, federally-funded research laboratories themselves. This team constitutes the Administrative Core (AC) of NH-INBRE and will be led by Principal Investigator Dr. Ronald K. Taylor. This team concept, as opposed to placing the entire administrative functions in the hands of only the Principal Investigator and Program Coordinator, has proven very effective in establishing NH-INBRE and initiating diverse programs. The team will continue to function as a unit. Different components of NH-INBRE (Cores and the Developmental Research Projects Program) will work collaboratively accomplish the goals of NH-INBRE and to evaluate all NH-INBRE programs. A wide variety of metrics will continue to be utilized for ongoing evaluation and improvement of the NH-INBRE. The NH-INBRE plan is organized around the related ideas that original scientific research is a vital part of scientific training for college students, and expanding the participation of students and faculty at our proposed Partner institutions in original scientific research on their campuses is essential for instilling a culture of biomedical research within New Hampshire’s institutions of higher education and the state overall.
