Misson Statement

The Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN) was established when the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded almost $6 million to the University of Hawaii (UH) over a three-year period (Sept. 30, 2001 to Jun. 30, 2004). The primary mission of BRIN was to increase the competitive ability of the state in the field of biomedical research. In order to achieve this goal, the resources and talents of the smaller academic institutions, as well as other biomedical research organizations of the state, were organized in a network to increase the active research base.

Building upon the network foundation established by BRIN, IDeA Networks for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) proposes to expand and to develop Hawaii’s competitive biomedical research capacity. The expansion will center on three thematic projects exploring the cellular basis of immunological and neurological diseases from the perspective of immunology, cell biology, and developmental biology. Each project will be led by a well-established senior investigator who will mentor junior investigators at both the lead and the affiliated baccalaureate institutions. This will extend into the state’s community colleges where participating faculty will collaborate with established researchers at the lead institution. Each investigator, senior, junior, and Outreach will recruit and mentor undergraduate and graduate students as well. The development will concentrate on not only individual research careers but also the network’s overall approach to competitive research. This involves the establishment of rigorous standards and performance expectations coupled with attentive mentoring to assist network investigators and students in meeting these challenging criteria.