Modification and Renovation of Vivarium for the Advancement of Institutional Biomedical Research - The proposed project will renovate North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s (NCA&T) 38- year-old vivarium for use as a core research facility serving the university community and the Piedmont Triad region in central NC. This renovation is critically needed to address the vivarium’s structural and design issues that make it challenging to meet the needs of biomedical researchers, a group whose numbers are increasing at our institution. The requested funding will help drive this increase in biomedical research, breaking the Catch-22 predicament that limits faculty submission of federal grant proposals for research with animal subjects and constrains further expansion of our institution’s biomedical research enterprise. As a result of the vivarium’s outdated status, our researchers are using other facilities or changing their research agendas to alternative models. To reverse this trend and align with the university’s strategic plan and stated intent to attain R1 status, the project goals are to (1) renovate and redesign the existing vivarium to provide a modern environmentally-controlled unit, with noise reduction and an efficient cage washing facility and traffic pattern and (2) to create a near barrier facility with fixed exhaust ventilated cages and biological safety cabinets. Long-term impact of the proposed renovation will enable the expansion of biomedical, life science, and agricultural research at NCA&T and the Piedmont Triad region, which is home to a growing number of companies in the biosciences, pharma, and healthcare; and increase the advancement of undergraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral research training to increase regional, statewide and national diversity within biomedical sciences and careers. Renovation of the vivarium will enhance research programs across the institution by providing the resources needed to conduct biomedical research projects on campus in a core research animal facility versus seeking animal housing and ancillary support at other facilities. The renovated facility will also support increased research productivity by encouraging faculty to seek targeted external funding to grow their biomedical research portfolios incorporating animal models and by promoting recruitment of new research faculty with biomedical research interests. Additionally, the project will help us accomplish our long-term goal of achieving AAALAC accreditation. Per the four criteria at U.S.C. 42 Section 283k(c)(2), NCA&T declares its status as an Institution of Emerging Excellence (IEE). The renovated vivarium will help NCA&T elevate its status from an NIH- designated IEE to a research-intensive institution.
