National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence - NISBRE

PROJECT SUMMARY The congressionally mandated Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program builds biomedical research capacity in the 23 IDeA eligible states and Puerto Rico, which have historically low levels of NIH funding. Through its various funding mechanisms, the program supports all facets of competitive biomedical research including but not limited to basic, clinical, behavioral and translational research in addition to supporting faculty development, and infrastructure improvements. These mechanisms are designed to strengthen an institution’s ability to support biomedical research, enhance the competitiveness of investigators in securing nationally research funding, and enable clinical and translational research to meet the needs of medically underserved communities. There are five main components of the IDeA program: (i) Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), (ii) the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), (iii) the IDeA Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA- CTR), (iv) STTR Regional Technology Transfer Accelerator Hubs for IDeA States, and the (v) IDeA Co-funding. Each is designed to enhance research infrastructure and faculty development in IDeA-eligible states. Each program has common needs and similar challenges. The current proposal will enhance the success of these programs by providing a unique forum for the exchange of ideas and solutions to common problems, as well as foster collaborations among IDeA institutions. In partnership with the IDeA community, NIGMS IDeA officials and Louisiana State University serving as the Meeting Contractor, this renewal application requests support for multi-year conferences in response to NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (Parent R13/U13) (PA-20-207). The goal is to organize and convene the next three National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE) conferences planned for 2022, 2024 and 2026. These highly impactful biennial symposia provide an important platform to showcase the scientific achievements of the 252 IDeA program-funded centers. In addition, the NISBRE conferences provide unique technical workshops, working groups, and forums to promote best practices across IDeA states that enhance mentoring of junior basic and translational scientists and their career development. It will significantly enhance the collaborative interactions among IDeA community partners scientists and positively impact future funding opportunities. The Specific Aims are: Aim 1. Plan and organize a biennial scientific symposium to showcase research and enhance communications among all IDeA programs. Aim 2. Provide educational workshops to expand technological repertoire and career skills that Improve competitiveness. This aim will seek to promote the development of best practices and publish guidelines based on the extensive expertise of IDeA researchers in mentoring and research infrastructure. Aim 3. Provide training of scientific skills and career development for student/trainees Aim 4. Provide opportunities for concurrent parallel programs/organizations that enhance communication and sharing of best practices.