Developmental Research Project Program

Developmental Research Project Program (Faculty Fellows Program, FFP) Summary/Abstract During the previous award period, SD BRIN initiated a Development Research Project Program that we refer to as the Faculty Fellows Program, or FFP. The program was designed to address two goals of the INBRE program: 1) development of faculty at primary undergraduate institutions (PUIs) and tribal colleges (TCs) and 2) providing a research environment for undergraduate students. The FFP yielded 15 awards during the 5-year funding period, with 2 pending final approval by the NIH (see list below), and this program benefitted SD BRIN in a number of significant ways. First, it helped achieve the aforementioned goals of the program; developing both faculty and undergraduate researchers in biomedical sciences. Second, it helped to create a culture change at the PUIs that has not been seen previously in South Dakota. Specifically, there was buy-in from the PUIs for faculty release time, with the successful use of adjunct faculty to cover teaching.