PROJECT SUMMARY
The congressionally mandated Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program builds biomedical research
capacity in the 23 IDeA eligible states and Puerto Rico, which have historically low levels of NIH funding. Through
its various funding mechanisms, the program supports all facets of competitive biomedical research including
but not limited to basic, clinical, behavioral and translational research in addition to supporting faculty
development, and infrastructure improvements. These mechanisms are designed to strengthen an institution’s
ability to support biomedical research, enhance the competitiveness of investigators in securing nationally
research funding, and enable clinical and translational research to meet the needs of medically underserved
communities. There are five main components of the IDeA program: (i) Centers of Biomedical Research
Excellence (COBRE), (ii) the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), (iii) the IDeA
Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA- CTR), (iv) STTR Regional Technology Transfer
Accelerator Hubs for IDeA States, and the (v) IDeA Co-funding. Each is designed to enhance research
infrastructure and faculty development in IDeA-eligible states. Each program has common needs and similar
challenges. The current proposal will enhance the success of these programs by providing a unique forum for
the exchange of ideas and solutions to common problems, as well as foster collaborations among IDeA
institutions. In partnership with the IDeA community, NIGMS IDeA officials and Louisiana State University serving
as the Meeting Contractor, this renewal application requests support for multi-year conferences in response to
NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (Parent R13/U13) (PA-20-207). The goal is to organize
and convene the next three National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE)
conferences planned for 2022, 2024 and 2026. These highly impactful biennial symposia provide an important
platform to showcase the scientific achievements of the 252 IDeA program-funded centers. In addition, the
NISBRE conferences provide unique technical workshops, working groups, and forums to promote best practices
across IDeA states that enhance mentoring of junior basic and translational scientists and their career
development. It will significantly enhance the collaborative interactions among IDeA community partners
scientists and positively impact future funding opportunities. The Specific Aims are: Aim 1. Plan and organize a
biennial scientific symposium to showcase research and enhance communications among all IDeA programs.
Aim 2. Provide educational workshops to expand technological repertoire and career skills that Improve
competitiveness. This aim will seek to promote the development of best practices and publish guidelines based
on the extensive expertise of IDeA researchers in mentoring and research infrastructure. Aim 3. Provide training
of scientific skills and career development for student/trainees Aim 4. Provide opportunities for concurrent
parallel programs/organizations that enhance communication and sharing of best practices.