This application requests funds to support the Eighth Comparative Medicine Resource Center Directors'Meeting, as well as two subsequent biennial meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to provide a forum for Directors of Resource Centers funded by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) to discuss common issues and problems relevant to fulfilling the mission of NCRR, to receive input and guidance from NCRR, and to share ideas for common solutions. The initial (Eighth) meeting will be held in Bethesda at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda for 2 days in May, 2010. The subsequent biennial meetings will also be held in Bethesda. Previous meetings have been held in 1999 (University of Miami/Rosenstielhl School of Marine and Atmospheric Science), 2000 (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, VA), 2001 (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME), 2002 (San Antonio, TX/Southwest Regional Primate Research Center), 2004 (Bethesda Maryland);2006 (University of California, Davis), and 2008 (Bethesda Maryland). The discussion and follow up action items of these meetings have helped Resource Directors recognize the commonality of many of the issues they face and helped them to deal with a variety of common concerns. Topics to be discussed or presented at the Eighth meeting will include: (1) approaches to enhance CTSA programs and ARRA projects- NCRR resources interactions;(2) updates from Resource Directors on their programs;(3) synopses of new NCRR-funded programs;(4) approaches to better manage intellectual property matters;(5) bioinformatics;and (6) how to enhance Resource Centers by improving websites, electronic MTAs and mass e-mails. The subject matter of the subsequent biennial meetings will be developed by the Steering Committee that has representation of the diverse resources.
This grant will support three conferences over the next five years to convene the Directors of Resource Centers funded by the National Institutes of Health National Center for Research Resources (NIH NCRR). The objectives of the conference are to provide a forum for Directors to discuss common issues and problems relevant to fulfilling the mission of NCRR, to receive input and guidance from NCRR, and to share ideas for common solutions.
