RI-INBRE: A Statewide NIH Program Grant to Improve Institutional Biomedical Research Capacity in Rhode Island

The overarching goal of the Rhode Island-IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (RI-INBRE) is to improve institutional capacity for biomedical research excellence and expand student experiential training opportunities in the State of Rhode Island. RI-INBRE comprises five major core components: The Administrative Core, the Bioinformatics Core, the Centralized Research Core Facility, the Training Core, and the Developmental Research Project Program Core. Since its inception in 2001, RI-INBRE has made significant investments and marked advancements in the biomedical research infrastructure of Rhode Island. RI-INBRE funding has increased the scale and quality of faculty research and engaged undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows in structured and mentored research training experiences. Over the last 19 years, RI-INBRE has supported 212 faculty researchers and over 533 projects and has provided research-training opportunities for nearly 2,000 students, resulting in 757 publications. Through its student-training program, RI-INBRE has contributed to regional workforce development by engaging students and encouraging them to pursue careers in biomedical fields. Many of these students have been admitted to graduate or medical schools and obtained biomedical industry jobs following graduation. RI-INBRE has been particularly influential in building the research infrastructure at primarily undergraduate institutions, which have seen significant improvements in research quality and output, student training, and research infrastructure.