The Institutional Development Award (IDeA) is a congressionally mandated program that builds research capacity in states that historically have had low levels of NIH funding. It supports competitive basic, clinical, and translational research, faculty development, and infrastructure improvements. The program aims to strengthen an institution’s ability to support biomedical research, enhance the competitiveness of investigators in securing research funding, and enable clinical and translational research that addresses the needs of medically underserved communities. You can review a complete list of projects funded by the IDeA program here.

IDeA Funding and Capacity Building Strategies:

• IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE): The IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program supports a statewide biomedical research development network in each IDeA-eligible state that provides multiple grant opportunities for research intensive and primarily undergraduate institutions. More details about opportunities in Idaho below.
• Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE): The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program supports the establishment and development of innovative biomedical research centers through awards for three sequential five-year phases.
• IDeA Clinical and Translational Research Programs: The IDeA Clinical and Translational Research Programs support clinical and translational research through programs that develop research infrastructure and human resources, enhance the ability of investigators and institutions to develop competitive clinical research programs, and strengthen collaborative research that addresses health conditions prevalent in IDeA states.
• IDeA Co-funding: IDeA Co-funding supports R01, R15 , and MIRA35 applications from investigators in IDeA-eligible states assigned to any NIH institute or Center (IC) that received meritorious score during peer review but fell beyond the pay lines of the IC’s submitted to.
• IDeA Regional Entrepreneurship Development (I-RED) Program: The IDeA Regional Entrepreneurship Development (I-RED) Program supports small business concerns in IDeA states to develop educational products that promote entrepreneurship in IDeA states' academic institutions. Educational efforts utilizing these products are expected to build biomedical researchers' and students' entrepreneurial skills needed to translate scientific discoveries and innovative technologies into commercial products.

IDeA States:

IDeA-eligible states include: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico. (Source.)

The Idaho INBRE Program is a statewide scientific network of research and educational collaborations. The aim is to improve the health of all Idahoans by augmenting and strengthening Idaho’s capacity to do and sustain biomedical research and education. Idaho INBRE affects biomedical research at every level and in all regions of Idaho. The program delivers unique, innovative, state-of-the-art biomedical research that contributes to improving human health. Additionally, the program invigorates faculty careers by sponsoring mentored, collaborative research while providing rich, intensive, competitive research experiences for students who are training as Idaho's and the nation’s next generation of biomedical scientists. Through our innovative Industry Intern program, the program is developing pathways to employment in Idaho industries. The image below shows all participants of Idaho's INBRE network. (Source.)

Professor Lizabeth de la Cruz

In 2024, I was awarded the Pilot INBRE grant, which affirmed the significance of my research and provided the resources necessary to initiate key experiments. These efforts are now supporting my applications for larger NIH and NSF grants to advance research in the aging and glucose metabolism field and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at ISU. This grant also allowed me to advance the careers of three graduate students at ISU, who attended and presented their work for the first time at the Biophysical Society Conference in Los Angeles.

Learn more about Professor de la Cruz's research here.

ISU is Eligible for Funding Opportunities from Idaho INBRE

Idaho INBRE has annual funding opportunities designed to help researchers begin their journey. A complete list of oppertunities are below:

Annual Funding Opportunities Currently Open:

• Supplementary FOA: Travel & Seminar Series. Funding from this program can be used to support travel to conferences and seminars.
• April 1st annually (travel/seminar occurs May-October)
• October 1st annually (travel/seminar occurs November-March)
• Data Science Core Technology Access Award: The Idaho INBRE Data Science Core is excited to continue its Technology Access program. This program is open to biomedical investigators for projects that utilize core facilities. A broad array of biomedical research projects will be supported, including metabolomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, genomics, imaging and molecular characterizations. The technology access program will also support training at national centers for students and faculty that need to perform advanced analysis of big data sets, such as those encountered in transcriptomics or proteomic experiments. Successful applications will receive funding to cover core facility costs for data collection and analysis, consulting, or travel costs for training sessions. Typical funding levels are $3,000-6,000 but can be more (or less) depending on the project and budget justification.

Annual Funding Opportunities Currently Closed:

• Regional Alliance of INBRE Networks (RAIN) Collaborative Research: The purpose of the Regional Alliance of INBRE Networks (RAIN) FOA is to stimulate collaborative, competitive biomedical research between two researchers in two Western IDeA states of Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The goal of RAIN is to increase interdisciplinary research collaborations among faculty and broaden research and education opportunities for students. The research projects are intended to:
• Stimulate interstate collaborative research project development for researchers from Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
• Stimulate research collaborations with outcomes that include new lines of competitive funding that lead to publication and successful proposals for non-IDeA federal funding.
• Project Leaders are encouraged to take advantage of INBRE Core resources and to include student.
• Coming again in the fall of 2025
• Idaho INBRE Developmental Research Project (DRP): This program stimulates research at Idaho's educational institutions. The DRPP grants will create opportunities for scientists and institutions to contribute to the Nation's biomedical and behavioral research effort by supporting small-scale research projects proposed by faculty members of eligible institutions. There are two competitive funding levels in the DRP Program:
• Developmental Research Project (RP): Developmental Research Projects funded up to $100,000 for one year with the possibility for a second year of funding. Research Project Leader (RPL) require 50% effort (6 months).
• Developmental Pilot Project (PP): Pilot Projects funded up to $50K for one year with the possibility for a second year of funding. Pilot Project Leaders (PPLs) require 25% effort (3 months)
• Coming again in the fall 2025.

Learn more about INBRE funding opportunities here.



Idaho INBRE Supports Student Researchers

The Idaho INBRE Program is offering paid research awards for students interested in biomedical research. The Idaho INBRE Undergraduate Fellowship is a competitive monetary award for students (INBRE Fellows) to conduct mentored research. The program pays each awarded INBRE Fellow to work full-time in an established faculty laboratory for 10 weeks during the summer. In addition to conducting guided research, INBRE Fellows will attend professional development and scientific seminar presentations and will prepare a poster highlighting their work to be presented at the Idaho INBRE Statewide Research Conference in Moscow.

Learn more about the INBRE Fellowship Program here.

INBRE Campus Leadership Transition at ISU

The Idaho State University INBRE program is pleased to announce that Dr. Heather Ray of ISU’s Department of Biological Sciences has been named the ISU INBRE Campus Leader effective May 1, 2025. In this role, appointed by University of Idaho and Idaho State University leadership, Dr. Ray oversees ISU INBRE activity and serves on the statewide INBRE Executive Committee.

As campus leader, she guides the ISU INBRE program and assists in statewide strategic decision making. She will also oversee ISU’s INBRE Undergraduate Fellowship Program. “As a new faculty member, getting involved with the Idaho INBRE program was invaluable to my own professional growth, as well as that of the students working in my lab who received fellowships. Now, I am excited to take on this new role where I can help others to get involved and gain everything that INBRE has to offer, as well as promote the biomedical research enterprise in Idaho,” said Ray recently.

Dr. Ray takes the baton from ISU’s Dr. Jim Groome, who led ISU’s INBRE program for a number of years. Dr. Groome spearheaded ISU’s efforts to expand INBRE to include more faculty and more students each year. Under his leadership, several dozen ISU students participated in learning sessions, conferences and federally-supported research grants designed to build the capacity and professional research skills of undergraduate students. “Dr. Groome is a tremendous advocate for student-engaged research. I look forward to his continued research leadership at ISU,” said Martin Blair,

ISU’s vice president for research and economic development.

Please join ISU in welcoming Dr. Heather Ray to her new ISU INBRE campus leadership role.

Learn more about Dr. Ray's research here.

Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)



The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program is an NIH initiative that supports the development of research infrastructure and faculty expertise at institutions in IDeA states. It aims to build sustainable, competitive biomedical research centers by providing resources for junior investigators, core research facilities, and mentorship. COBRE directly advances the IDeA program by helping these underrepresented states enhance their biomedical research capabilities, ultimately fostering geographic equity in NIH research funding and improving public health outcomes nationwide. The COBRE program supports the establishment and development of innovative biomedical research centers through awards for three sequential five-year phases. Dr. Michele Burmley, ISU's Associate Vice President for Research, is currently leading efforts to develop a grassroots, faculty-driven proposal for the COBRE program.

Learn more about the COBRE program here.

IDeA Clinical and Translational Research Programs

​​The IDeA Clinical and Translational Research Programs support clinical and translational research through programs that develop research workforce and infrastructure, enhance the ability of investigators and institutions to develop competitive clinical research programs, and strengthen collaborative research that targets health conditions prevalent in IDeA states. Funding programs include:

IDeA Clinical & Translational Research Network (CTR-N) Award program

Formerly named the IDeA Networks for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA-CTR) program, CTR-N funds statewide or multi-state regional networks that support biomedical research capacity building in IDeA states that have been conducting significant levels of clinical and translational research, to further enhance their capacity to enable and strengthen research on health challenges faced by the populations they serve. The program provides support to: expand existing infrastructure for clinical and translational research; develop the research workforce and enhance the network organizations' abilities to design and implement clinical and translational research programs; and coordinate clinical research activities across one or more IDeA states.

IDeA Clinical & Translational Research Development (CTR-D) Award program

CTR-D supports clinical and translational research, workforce development, and infrastructure enhancement at health research organizations in IDeA-eligible states that have limited clinical and translational research capacity. CTR-D awards are intended to build a foundation of clinical and translational research expertise and infrastructure that will enable recipients to conduct research on diseases and health challenges faced by the populations they serve.

IDeA Clinical Research Resource Center (I-CRRC)

The IDeA Clinical Research Resource Center (I-CRRC) was funded in summer 2023 and aims to increase the capacity in IDeA states to conduct clinical trials and complex observational studies by 1) strengthening communication and developing collaborations between health research institutions in IDeA states and clinical trial sponsors; and 2) developing clinical research coordinators with the knowledge and skills to manage clinical trials and complex observational studies.

Learn more about the CTR programs here.

NIGMS provides co-funding to support research project grant applications from investigators in IDeA states whose proposals received meritorious scores through the peer review process but fall short of the Institute’s or Center’s (IC) payline.

Eligibility Criteria

• R01, R15 and MIRA R35​ applications (either new or competing continuations) submitted by investigators from institutions in IDeA states and assigned to any NIH IC are eligible to be nominated for funding consideration.
• All PIs and performance sites must be in IDeA eligible states. If a PI moves to a non-IDeA state, the co-funded portion of the grant will be terminated.

Contacting the IC the application is assigned to

• The NIH IC that has the primary assignment for the application determines which applications it will nominate for IDeA co-funding and should select meritorious applications that just fall short of the IC’s payline.
• A PI wishing to be nominated by an NIH IC for IDeA co-funding consideration should first contact the Program Officer of the eligible application and the IDeA Co-Funding Coordinator at the NIH IC the application is assigned to.

Award Information

• The IDeA program anticipates providing up to $35​0,000 in total costs for each of the first two years of a selected co-funding application.
• IDeA co-funding is conducted once per year. The nomination period typically opens in January or February and closes in early April.
• Co-funding selections are typically made in June or July.

For further details or questions about the IDeA Co-Funding initiative, contact Yang Zhou, Ph.D.

Source.

I-RED helps Researchers Blend Science and Entrepreneurship

The IDeA Regional Entrepreneurship Development (I-RED) Program supports small business concerns in IDeA regions to develop educational products that promote entrepreneurship in IDeA states' academic institutions. Educational efforts utilizing these products are expected to build biomedical researchers' and students' entrepreneurial skills needed to translate scientific discoveries and innovative technologies into commercial products.

Learn more here.