The Nebraska IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (NE-INBRE) has been renewed by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health at a higher rate than its previous grant and for an additional year, principal investigator Paul Sorgen, PhD, reported.
Because the NIH going forward will assign different renewal cycles to INBREs across the country, rather than reviewing all of them at once, the NE-INBRE has, in essence, picked up a bonus year before starting its next five-year term a year from now, Dr. Sorgen explained.
NE-INBRE will be funded at $2.75 million per year for the next six years, up from $2.5 million per year under the previous grant.
Dr. Sorgen thanked everyone involved with NE-INBRE for their contribution to a successful renewal.
“Your input, data and collaborative spirit were crucial in shaping a strong proposal, and I appreciate the time and energy you invested in making it possible,” he said. “This renewal will ensure we continue to provide resources, mentorship and opportunities for students and researchers alike, helping us sustain and grow our collective impact in the years to come.”
“I want to congratulate Dr. Sorgen and the many faculty, staff and scholars whose hard work and dedication have made NE-INBRE such a success over the past 25 years,” said UNMC Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD. “This renewal reflects the strength of our partnerships across Nebraska and our shared commitment to opening doors for students to pursue careers in science. Together, we are building a stronger foundation for research and a brighter future for our state.”
NE-INBRE is a federally backed program to bring together primarily undergraduate institutions and PhD granting research institutions to stimulate and develop biomedical research capacity at institutions of higher education in Nebraska. Nebraska’s INBRE was established in 2001. UNMC, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Creighton University Medical Center serve as its research institutions.
This next, renewed grant period will see a new batch of research institution faculty investigators stepping forward to mentor undergraduates from the participating primarily undergraduate institutions. NE-INBRE also has added three additional participating PUIs – Bryan College of Health Sciences, Nebraska Indian Community College and Nebraska Wesleyan University. (See the sidebar or the complete list of NE-INBRE participating institutions.)
NE-INBRE is perhaps best known on UNMC’s campus for its two-year INBRE Scholars program, which helps serve as a pathway for undergraduates to continue in health research careers by providing hands-on lab experiences and research opportunities at PhD-granting research institutions, including UNMC. The program has capacity for up to 30 scholars per class and 60 over the program’s two-year period.
More than 500 undergraduate students have completed the INBRE Scholars program since its inception in 2001, and 90% of scholars from the most recent grant cycle, 2020-25, are pursuing a career in science. Chibawanye Ene, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the department of neurosurgery/division of surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, an alum of the inaugural class of scholars, took part in last year’s NE-INBRE conference.
NE-INBRE also contributes to meaningful PUI research programs by awarding developmental research program project grants to faculty from the undergraduate institutions and mentoring of faculty on their home campuses. It also works to develop campus infrastructure to enhance research capacity at the institutions.
NE-INBRE focuses its research strengths on the themes of cancer biology, cell signaling and infectious disease, while also taking advantage of UNMC’s and Creighton University Medical Center’s core facilities and infrastructure.