PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT (OVERALL CORE) The University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) first COBRE: Center of Integrated Biomedical and Bioengineering Research (CIBBR) has substantially improved the biomedical and bioengineering research environment during Phase 1. These gains can be attributed to four major advancements: (a) strategic investments in Research Project and Pilot Project funding for 13 early-stage (plus 4 mid-career) UNH faculty conducting biomedical and bioengineering research; (b) dedicated mentoring of these faculty by the CIBBR Leadership Team and External Scientific Mentors; (c) major gains in research infrastructure, including the acquisition of state-of-the-art instrumentation and creation of the Molecular and Cellular Phenotyping Core, and; (d) the amplification of this infrastructure by institutional contributions to new instrumentation and addition of new technical staff within UNH’s University Instrumentation Center. The overall goal of this Phase 2 application is to further advance biomedical and bioengineering research by implementing a faculty “cluster hire” that—together with a new Data Science Core and other enhancements to research infrastructure—will accelerate rigorous, multidisciplinary research at UNH to advance the translation of biomedical discoveries to applied solutions that improve human health. We will accomplish this through the following specific aims: Aim 1. Expand and strengthen our Center’s research, administrative operations, and evaluation programs to further enhance the research environment at UNH for conducting NIH- funded biomedical and bioengineering research. Aim 2. Create a critical mass of NIH-funded investigators through recruitment of early-stage investigators supported by enhanced multi-component mentoring and career development programs for CIBBR investigators. Upon completion of Phase 2 of CIBBR, we will have strategically increased the biomedical research capacity at UNH through “cluster” hiring of both early-stage investigators and senior biomedical and bioengineering researchers and improved and expanded the mentoring of CIBBR faculty. This will be accompanied by the creation of a Data Science Core and acquisition of additional research instrumentation for the Molecular and Cellular Phenotyping Core. These actions will have a powerful and sustained impact on biomedical and bioengineering research at UNH by expanding the number of faculty performing NIH-funded research. Enhancing the capacity of UNH and external researchers to apply multidisciplinary and multi-omics approaches will increase our knowledge of basic biomedical science and bioengineering, expedite the development of clinically relevant diagnostic tools and treatments, and advance biomedical workforce training capacity in the State of NH.

The University of New Hampshire’s first COBRE: Center of Integrated Biomedical and Bioengineering Research (CIBBR) has substantially improved the biomedical and bioengineering research environment during Phase 1, as evidenced by the number of research project grant awards and publications by CIBBR investigators, the career advancement of CIBBR faculty, and major investments in biomedical research infrastructure. Building upon these accomplishments, the overall goal of CIBBR in Phase 2 is to expand the Center’s research portfolio through continued hiring of new biomedical and bioengineering faculty, creation of a new Data Science Core, acquisition of new instruments in conjunction with a business plan, and enhancements to the mentoring program and administrative operations. These actions will have a powerful and sustained impact on biomedical and bioengineering research at UNH by increasing our knowledge of basic biomedical science and bioengineering, expediting the development of clinically relevant diagnostic tools and treatments, and advancing biomedical workforce training capacity in the state of New Hampshire.