EXCEED THE SPACEPROVIDED.This proposal will expand biomedical research capacity in Arkansas via creation of the Arkansas IDeANetwork for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE). The Arkansas INBRE will build upon infrastructuredeveloped during the BRIN Phase, and features the three research-intensive institutions in the statetheUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and the University ofArkansas at Little Rockwhich will provide scientific leadership. Fourteen investigators from sevenundergraduate institutions, with their mentors from the lead institutions, will conduct research within theoverall theme of Cellular Signaling, Growth, and Differentiation. The Administrative Core will coordinate allArkansas INBRE activities. The Arkansas INBRE will continue its commitment started in the BRIN Phase toexpand opportunities for underrepresented groups. The UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs will assist theAdministrative Core in identifying promising minority faculty and students, and will offer courses to minorityundergraduate students to improve their performance on standardized entrance examinations for graduateand professional schools. Communication among INBRE participants will be facilitated by Access GridStudios linked through Internet2. The Bioinformatics Core will be a statewide research and educationalresource to give undergraduate faculty and students access to the computational tools needed formultidisciplinary biomedical research. The Arkansas INBRE will also support a Science Research Coreconsisting of genomics, proteomics, and digital microscopy facilities. These will provide investigators accessto sophisticated instrumentation and expertise difficult to establish at a small institution. The Mentoring Corewill facilitate interactions between undergraduate researchers and their mentors via regular meetings of theneuroscience and cancer research focus groups, and an annual conference attended by all INBRE facultyand students. The Outreach Core will provide mentored summer research opportunities to additional non-INBRE undergraduate faculty and students throughout the state. Through further enhancement of researchinfrastructure, particularly at undergraduate institutions, the Arkansas INBRE will improve the ability ofacademic researchers to compete for federal funding, increase the number of undergraduate students whochoose careers in biomedical research, and stimulate the growth of biotechnical industries in Arkansas.
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