K-INBRE celebrates 25 years of networking and collaboration

Twenty-five years ago, University of Kansas Medical Center was chosen as the lead institution in Kansas for a statewide effort to support networks focusing on biomedical research. Today the Kansas Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) celebrates a strong history of collaboration with 10 universities across two states, all working together to shape the future of medical research. To date, K-INBRE has received more than $93 million in federal grants.

The regional network provides mentors for undergraduates, new faculty and young researchers. The mission is to create a stronger workforce for the future of research and science jobs.

“As a young professor, I benefited from K-INBRE by serving as a mentor for undergraduate students,” said Doug Wright, Ph.D., professor of anesthesiology, pain and perioperative medicine at KU School of Medicine, who has been principal investigator of the program since 2011. Wright has been responsible for the renewal of the program for three five-year periods.

“With the support of K-INBRE, the primarily undergraduate schools in the network have transformed their universities into active research institutions,” Wright said. “Our support has allowed them to provide faculty the infrastructure and equipment to carry out NIH-level research. We’ve also supported the efforts of 1,672 undergraduate students.”

Besides KU Medical Center, the other K-INBRE participants are the University of Kansas, Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Haskell Indian Nations University, Kansas State University, Langston University (Oklahoma), Pittsburg State University, Washburn University and Wichita State University.

These collaborations help researchers discover what best practices other schools are employing, what mechanisms other groups use to award grants, how to support faculty in the process and more. “I’m proud of the consistency and longstanding involvement of our network,” Wright said. “And because of this program, we’ve seen many talented trainees become successful faculty in academia.”

Wright noted that over the years, program successes have multiplied. “K-INBRE’s support of faculty and trainees has generated an additional $260 million in research dollars awarded within our network,” he said.

Anna Zinovyeva, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at Kansas State University and K-INBRE campus coordinator there, received K-INBRE grants and mentored students in the program for 10 years. She has seen first-hand what the grants have meant to the students. “We have a fairly large cohort of undergraduate research students supported by the scholarships,” she said. “I have seen them grow as young scientists and become outstanding medical or scientific professionals. K-INBRE support in its many forms has also contributed to graduate student and postdoc development — not only through direct postdoc fellowships, but also through opportunities for them to grow as mentors.”

John Stanford, Ph.D., associate dean for research and graduate studies and professor of cell biology and physiology at KU School of Medicine, received several awards from K-INBRE. In 2015, he became K-INBRE project coordinator at KU Medical Center. “I joke that Doug asked me to be program coordinator because I would no longer be eligible for funding,” he said.

As a faculty member and administrator at a research-intensive medical school, Stanford said seeing the program first-hand has been motivating. “Site visits to our undergraduate institutions always restore my excitement for what we do specifically, and for academia generally. Seeing the students present their research at our annual symposium is especially rewarding, as is discussing research ideas with colleagues across our network.”