Idaho schools given $16.1 million
POCATELLO, Idaho – The National Institutes of Health is giving Idaho universities $16.1 million dollars to build a biomedical research network, education officials announced Tuesday.
The five-year grant is the largest single educational and research grant in state history. It will establish a research network among nine universities and colleges and two research centers, all within Idaho.
School officials said the network would help the state build a biotechnology industry, keeping Idaho graduates within state borders.
“Many Idaho scientists earned reputations as experts in their field, but we lacked critical mass,” University of Idaho President Tim White said in a prepared statement. “This will help us to build a thriving research economy. We want to provide jobs to allow our graduates to pursue careers in Idaho.”
Under the grant, university and college students will work with researchers on several projects, including studying Alzheimer’s disease, viral birth defects, cancer and chemotherapy drugs and alcohol dependence. The network will also fund programs for younger students such as a science and math camp.
The network will be called the IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence, named after the National Institutes of Health Institutional Development Award. It will include the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, Boise State University, Albertson College of Idaho, Brigham Young University-Idaho, the College of Southern Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College, North Idaho College and Northwest Nazarene University, as well as the Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Mountain States Tumor and Medical Research Institute.
“The cooperation among Idaho’s educational institutions helps address vital biomedical research questions and prepare students for careers that will make a difference,” Idaho State University President Richard Bowen said in a prepared statement. “This network will increase our biomedical research capacity.”
The grant will build on the Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network created by the University of Idaho, Boise State University and Idaho State University in 2001.