National Institute of
General Medical Sciences

The Institutional Development Award (IDeA) is a congressionally mandated program that builds research capacity in states that historically have had low levels of NIH funding. It supports competitive basic, clinical, and translational research, faculty development, and infrastructure improvements. The program aims to strengthen an institution’s ability to support biomedical research, enhance the competitiveness of investigators in securing research funding, and enable clinical and translational research that addresses the needs of medically underserved communities.

IDeA-eligible states include: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico

IDeA-eligible states are shaded on the map below:

The IDeA program has five main components:

Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)

The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program supports the establishment and development of innovative biomedical research centers through awards for three sequential five-year phases.

IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)

The IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program supports a statewide biomedical research development network in each IDeA-eligible state that partners research-intensive institutions with primarily undergraduate institutions.

IDeA Clinical and Translational Research Programs

The IDeA Clinical and Translational Research Programs support clinical and translational research through programs that develop research infrastructure and human resources, enhance the ability of investigators and institutions to develop competitive clinical research programs, and strengthen collaborative research that addresses health conditions prevalent in IDeA states.

IDeA Co-funding

IDeA Co-funding supports R01 and R15 applications from investigators in IDeA-eligible states assigned to any NIH institute or Center (IC) that received meritorious score during peer review but fell beyond the pay lines of the IC’s submitted to. NIH ICs select and submit eligible applications to NIGMS for consideration for IDeA Co-funding support.

IDeA Regional Entrepreneurship Development (I-RED) Program

The IDeA Regional Entrepreneurship Development (I-RED) Program supports small business concerns in IDeA states to develop educational products that promote entrepreneurship in IDeA states' academic institutions. Educational efforts utilizing these products are expected to build biomedical researchers' and students' entrepreneurial skills needed to translate scientific discoveries and innovative technologies into commercial products.