# Louisiana Biomedical Research Network (LBRN)

> **NIH NIH P20** · LOUISIANA STATE UNIV A&M COL BATON ROUGE · 2020 · $140,499

## Abstract

OVERALL Project Summary
The overall goal of this INBRE renewal application is the facilitation of quality biomedical research activities
throughout the State of Louisiana with an emphasis on building research capacity and workforce development.
Starting with 2016, overall operations have been re-organized to maximize effectiveness and impact. Briefly,
these include: 1) Direct engagement of the Steering Committee members by having bi-annual retreats and
written reports provided by each Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI). 2) The appointment of Core Liaison
Officers (CLO) in each PUI to directly evaluate individual projects and faculty needs and referral to the LBRN
Cores, Bioinformatics Biostatistics and Computational Biology Core (BBCC) and Molecular Cell Biology
Resources Core (MCBRC). 3) The creation of a “Core Bucks” funding mechanism to support access to cores
for all PUI faculty. In this application, additional major changes are proposed to further improve the currently
successful LBRN program: 1) Expansion of the number of PUIs from seven to eight by adding the University of
New Orleans (UNO) campus. 2) We will expand undergraduate research experiences to include entire
academic year, as well as summer experiences in both academic and industrial settings. Importantly, the
Louisiana Board of Regents (LABoR) has recognized the major impact of LBRN in state-wide biomedical
research and training and will provide match funding of approx. $1.2 million over five years for the LBRN
summer research program. Significant support is also provided by LSU including the LSU School of Veterinary
Medicine (SVM) and the Center for Computation & Technology (CCT). 3) For the first time, we have initiated a
campaign to solicit additional financial support for the LBRN program from not-for-profit-institutions, as well as
from for-profit institutions. We expect that this effort will provide additional summer stipends for undergraduate
students, as well as new hosting institutions and contribute to the expansion of biomedical workforce in
Louisiana. The major objectives of this application will be accomplished through the following specific aims:
Specific Aim I: Maintain and expand the previously established state-wide infrastructure and
intellectual research network supporting interdisciplinary biomedical research.
Specific Aim II: Expand and improve the critical mass of biomedical investigators at PUI campuses
through the support of mentored research and enhanced communication.
Specific Aim III: Increase undergraduate student interest in biomedical research careers throughout
Louisiana by providing summer and academic year research opportunities to all PUI institutions within
the state.
Specific Aim IV: Evaluate, assess, and continuously monitor the progress within LBRN through
detailed tracking of research accomplishments, the development of human resources, and productive
collaborations among participating institutions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10154598
- **Project number:** 3P20GM103424-19S2
- **Recipient organization:** LOUISIANA STATE UNIV A&M COL BATON ROUGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Urska Cvek
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $140,499
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2001-09-25 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10154598

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10154598, Louisiana Biomedical Research Network (LBRN) (3P20GM103424-19S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10154598. Licensed CC0.

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