Project Summary/Abstract Overall Component The goal of the INBRE-4 Program is to continue to augment and strengthen Idaho's capacity to do and sustain biomedical research. The Overall Component describes the organization and management plan for an Administrative Core, a Bioinformatics Core, a Student Program, a Developmental Research Project Program and an Alteration and Renovation request. These Components will assist investigators to obtain independent grants and provide research experiences to students as a pipeline to health research careers. Cell Signaling continues as the scientific theme because it promotes broad inclusion of developing or multidisciplinary research. The PI/PD, CH Bohach, has 17+ years of experience in INBRE, an active distinguished scientific research career, and serves on the executive committee of the National Association of IDeA PIs. The Program Coordinator, SA Minnich, has served since 2009. He has a strong record as a biomedical researcher in Cell Signaling. The professional management team provides seasoned administrative, financial, and evaluation support. The Program and Core Directors have the experience, time commitment, resources, and authority to manage their respective scientific responsibilities. All 11 Network institutions are represented on the statewide Steering Committee. An expert External Advisory Committee, chosen for their mentoring, research expertise, grantsmanship, and administrative skills, will help identify best practices and guide the Program. Every participating institution has made up-front commitments to support INBRE-4. Such diverse institutional cooperation across Idaho was unprecedented before INBRE and has far- reaching positive significance for the INBRE Network to continue research capacity building. It demonstrates that INBRE is maximizing the potential to catalyze institutional changes that improve biomedical research and education on each campus. Undergraduate and graduate educational improvements will include science course/program modernization, integration of research and bioinformatics into the curriculum, scientific seminar programs, visiting experts, and purchase of key laboratory equipment. Resources will contribute to faculty start-up funding and salary augmentation. A new alliance forges interstate opportunity with the Montana and New Mexico INBREs to reduce program redundancy, maximize Core use, expand faculty and student research and educational opportunities, and promote multidisciplinary research. INBRE-4 will continue to share and leverage resources with other INBREs, COBREs, CTRs, additional appropriate NIH programs (Bridges, SEPA, NRMN), NSF-EPSCoR, the Idaho STEM Action Center, Idaho industries, and National Labs. Our commitment to continue and expand the Network through these interactions is evidenced by the 70 Letters of Support and ten institutional MOUs that accompany this proposal. Each supporting document outlines collaboration, partnering, and/or leveraging programmatic strengths. Overall, this INBRE-4 plan encourages competitiveness that will continue to have an enduring impact on biomedical research and training in Idaho.

PROJECT NARRATIVE INBRE-4 will increase Idaho's competitiveness in biomedical research and education. The statewide scientific Network will generate, complement, and enrich Idaho's research capacity by mentoring new investigators, supporting research Cores, fostering regional collaborations, and providing student research opportunities.