Institutional Development Award

NCRR's Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program broadens the geographic distribution of NIH funding for biomedical and behavioral research. The program fosters health-related research and enhances the competitiveness of investigators at institutions located in states in which the aggregate success rate for applications to NIH has historically been low. The program also serves unique populations—such as rural and medically underserved communities—in these states. Supported by the NCRR Division of Research Infrastructure, the IDeA program increases the competitiveness of investigators by supporting faculty development and research infrastructure enhancement at institutions in 23 states and Puerto Rico.

Centers and Networks

The IDeA program has two main components:

• Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) augment and strengthen institutional biomedical research capabilities by expanding and developing biomedical faculty research capability through support of a multidisciplinary center, led by a peer-reviewed, NIH-funded investigator with expertise central to the theme of the grant proposal. READ MORE >>
• IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) enhance biomedical research capacity, expand and strengthen the research capabilities of biomedical faculty, and provide access to biomedical resources for promising undergraduate students throughout the eligible states. INBRE puts the IDeA approach into action by enhancing research infrastructure through support of a statewide system of institutions with a multidisciplinary, thematic scientific focus. READ MORE >>

It is critical to translate the many important advances emerging from basic biomedical research supported through the COBRE and INBRE initiatives into better patient care and improved public health in IDeA states. This is best achieved by fostering productive partnerships between basic and clinical scientists in IDeA institutions and among other NIH-funded programs. The IDeA Program Infrastructure for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA-CTR) initiative encourages applications from IDeA states to develop infrastructure and capacity to conduct clinical and translational research on diseases that affect medically underserved populations and/or diseases prevalent in IDeA states. It further provides for mentoring and career development activities in clinical and translational research. READ THE FOA

The IDeA program also supports IDeANet, an Internet-based network providing connectivity for high-bandwidth science applications. IDeANet enables collaboration among institutions, ultimately supporting all participants in the IDeA program, as well as participants in the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program and other NCRR-supported networks. READ MORE >>

Application Co-funding

In some years, NCRR will co-fund awards made by other NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) to support investigator-initiated research project grants applied for by investigators at institutions within IDeA-eligible states, depending on the availability of funds. When appropriate, NCRR will request the other NIH ICs to submit to NCRR for IDeA co-funding consideration eligible applications that have already been adjudged meritorious by NIH peer-review committees and IC national advisory councils, but are outside the range of applications currently under consideration for funding.

Co-funding Eligibility Criteria

Investigator-initiated applications (either new or competing continuation) submitted by investigators at institutions within IDeA-eligible states and assigned to any NIH Institute or Center may be considered.

Certain populations (Native Americans, Aleuts, Native Alaskans, Hispanics, and Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders) within IDeA-eligible states are disproportionately affected by numerous diseases. Support for studies of diseases that have a disproportionate effect on their health—health disparities—is also provided by the IDeA program.

Subscribe to E-mail Updates

Sign up to be added to an e-mail distribution list for IDeA-related information by using the IDeA program mailing list page on the NIH LISTSERV site, where you also will be able to see messages previously sent to subscribers.

Contact Information

For further information, contact:

W. Fred Taylor, Ph.D.
Director, IDeA program
Division of Research Infrastructure
National Center for Research Resources
National Institutes of Health
One Democracy Plaza, Room 936
6701 Democracy Boulevard, MSC 4874
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4874 (20817 for express mail)
Telephone: 301-435-0760
Fax: 301-480-3770
E-mail: Fred.Taylor