RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE CORE ABSTRACT The Research Infrastructure Core (RIC) is a distributed core facility that is capable of providing a diverse cadre of services and resources to basic biomedical, clinical and behavioral research projects at Howard University for the support of minority health and health disparities research. To do so, the RIC will connect researchers throughout the institution with facility resources and research support necessary to conduct cutting-edge research in minority health.
The specific aims of the RIC are: 1) provide core research services and resources in the areas of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics (CCBB), Health Informatics (Outcomes Research Center, ORC), Imaging, and Proteomics; 2) systematically distribute this research support to HU RCMI research project investigators, IDC pilot project awardees, and other basic biomedical, clinical, and behavioral science investigators across the Howard University campus; and 3) evaluate utilization and efficacy of the available research infrastructure support. In addition to impacting research across the entire Howard campus, the RIC will specifically enhance the quality and productivity of the pilot projects to be funded through the Investigator Development Core and the RCMI-supported research projects. Additionally, the requested infrastructure support builds upon previously funded HU RCMI resources by consolidating them under a more user-friendly, streamlined modular structure and integrating the health informatics resources of the Howard University Outcomes Research Center. In order to insure that the RIC functions at a level of maximal efficiency, it will be important to obtain feedback from users regarding its operational effectiveness. This will be achieved via annual evaluative assessments of RIC?s contribution to Howard University?s research effort via tracking of pre-established metrics: projects supported, publications and presentations, funded grants, and grants submitted. Each RIC module will be tracked and evaluated individually, and the modular data will then be combined in a comprehensive RIC report. The approach of modular evaluations will allow for strategic interim adjustments to individual modules, as needed.
