DE-INBRE The impact of a state-wide mentoring network on biomedical research capacity

This case example demonstrates the impact of targeted and sustained investment in research infrastructure and mentoring on a research ecosystem. The Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (DE-INBRE) is a statewide partnership funded the National Institutes of Health IDeA program and the State of Delaware which seeks to broaden the geographic distribution of biomedical research activity across the USA to better prepare students for biomedical research careers. DE-INBRE aligns with existing research on mentoring's role in professional development, faculty success, and workforce diversification. Studies show that structured mentoring and research engagement increase persistence in STEM fields. Faculty development models emphasize the importance of early-career support, grantsmanship training, and infrastructure investment in fostering sustainable research programs. DE-INBRE's approach builds on these theories, creating a self-sustaining mentoring network that enhances research capacity and institutional competitiveness. The DE-INBRE network includes the University of Delaware (R1 institution), Delaware State University (HBCU R2 institution), Delaware Technical Community College (community college network), Nemours Children's Health (pediatric healthcare system) and the Christiana Care Health System (large non-profit hospital system). As students need training sites, DE-INBRE also supports early career faculty with mentored research funding, grantsmanship training, and new technologies to build sustainable research programs that train the next generation of biomedical researchers. Since 2002, DE-INBRE has trained over 1,000 undergraduates and supported more than 100 faculty members who have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in additional research funding and published 100s of related scientific papers. Program alumni contribute to Delaware's biotechnology, public health, and academic sectors, while faculty beneficiaries now mentor the next generation of researchers. DE-INBRE underscores how sustained investment in mentoring and training fosters the self-sustaining research ecosystem needed to strengthen the biomedical workforce.