Dartmouth, UNH to head $15m biomed effort

Dartmouth Medical School and the University of New Hampshire, along with eight other New Hampshire colleges, are leading a New Hampshire biomedical research network, funded with help from a $15 million grant.The grant, an award from the National Institutes of Health, will “expand the infrastructure and expertise in the state of New Hampshire supporting regional biomedical research,” said W. Kelley Thomas, Hubbard professor in genomics and director of the Hubbard Center for Genome Studies at UNH.Called the Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, the goal will be to open up research opportunities to undergraduates, said Ronald K. Taylor, professor of microbiology and immunology and the director of the Dartmouth Medical School’s Microbiology and Molecular Pathogenesis Program and principal researcher for the Idea Network.Taylor said the network “changes everything. This provides the opportunities for students to conduct real experiments well beyond just experiencing the typically pre-choreographed lab course.”He also said the network will provide a channel for New Hampshire researchers “who haven’t had the experience to get preliminary results that would allow them to compete for research grants on a national level.”As the lead institutions, UNH and Dartmouth Medical School, will oversee grants and fellowships awards for then network, with the support of NIH’s National Center for Research Resources.The other colleges and universities in the network include: Plymouth State University, Keene State College, Colby-Sawyer College, St. Anselm College, Franklin Pierce University, New England College, River Valley Community College in Claremont and Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth. – CINDY KIBBE/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW