Integrated Virginia Research Training Centers in KUH (IGNITE KUH)

- Administrative Core The Virginia Research Training Centers in Kidney, Urology and Hematology (IGNITE KUH) is based on a collaborative partnership involving three main research training centers in the Commonwealth of Virginia - University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - and is committed to developing the next generation of KUH researchers. The IGNITE KUH administrative core will provide a unified structure for the program and will provide oversight and governance. The Administrative Core provides the resource provisioning, scheduling, governing, and reporting functions. The importance of KUH disciplines supported within our own leadership group, including program directors (PD) and Internal Advisory Committee (IAC) members and will continue with selection of future External Evaluation Board (EEB) members. Our governance structure, composed of PD from the 3 core institutions, is based on a transparent process of decision-making and conflict resolution across the administrative leaders. This approach allows for discussion and thoughtful consideration of options and impacts. Outcomes and progress will be measured by grants, publications, trainee career advancement, recruitment to KUH, new collaborations, and awards and other advancements (including patents, patent applications, and the development of new innovative programs). We propose the following specific aims: 1) To facilitate the development of a unified research community among the core institutions to produce a fertile and expansive training environment for pre- and postdoctoral trainees. 2) To channel and manage input through coordinated communication. 3) To facilitate and rigorously evaluate the outcomes of the collaborative structure facilitated by IGNITE KUH. The complexity of the program requires professional expertise in an unbiased, independent review, which will be performed through assistance from UVA’s Center for Survey Research, to assure success of the program. The ultimate long-term goal is to fuel a workforce of highly skilled researchers to advance therapies and impact the care of patients that suffer from KUH-related diseases