12:53 p.m., March 7, 2011----The Delaware INBRE program will hold its annual research symposium and external advisory board meeting on April 28 and 29, respectively, at Delaware State University.

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In addition, the program will issue its annual call for pilot project proposals on May 1, with proposals due on July 17. A special session of the April 28 research symposium will instruct applicants on the pilot project proposal development process.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Research Resources and administered by the University of Delaware, the program supports infrastructure development across a statewide network of academic and clinical institutions to grow biomedical capacity.

In the past, INBRE projects have focused on cancer, cardiovascular health, and neuroscience. Plans are to add a fourth area, rehabilitation sciences, for this coming year.

“Delaware has a very strong presence in rehabilitation research and practice,” said Delaware INBRE program coordinator Steven Stanhope, professor in UD's Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology. “With the establishment of the Delaware Rehabilitation Institute earlier this month, the time is right to add this focus to Delaware INBRE as we expand our scientific impact and supporting infrastructures for biomedical research.”

According to Stanhope, who also serves as chair of the INBRE research committee, 8-10 projects will likely be funded across the Delaware INBRE partner institutions for two years, at a level of $60,000 to $80,000 in direct costs per year.

Delaware INBRE supports (1) early-career researchers who have not yet received independent research support and wish to develop as independent scientists and compete successfully for NIH support within the INBRE award period and (2) investigators who have previously received independent research support but wish to initiate work in new areas.

The research symposium on April 28 at DSU will include breakout sessions for current INBRE investigators as well as for those who plan to submit for the first time.

“We want to provide these researchers with an infrastructure that will prepare them to be successful in the world of competitive grants at NIH,” Stanhope said.

According to Karl Steiner, senior associate provost for research development and principal investigator of Delaware INBRE, new resources for investigators will include grant review, mentorship, and human subjects recruitment.

“We also want to help investigators gain an understanding of what types of research are supported by the various sections of the NIH,” Steiner said. “Our overall goal is to provide INBRE researchers with the strong potential to achieve top scores when they seek external funding a few years from now.”

Delaware INBRE includes six partners -- the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Wesley College, Delaware Technical and Community College, Christiana Care Health System, and Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. The program is housed within the UD College of Health Sciences.

For more information about the upcoming meeting and the call for proposals, visit the INBRE website.

Article by Diane Kukich