Maine Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence

The Maine Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) strengthens Maine’s capacity to conduct competitive biomedical research. It is a collaborative network of Maine educational and research institutions led by the MDI Biological Laboratory and sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Maine INBRE members also include Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, College of the Atlantic, The Jackson Laboratory, Southern Maine Community College, the University of Maine, the Universities of Maine at Farmington, Fort Kent, Machias, and Presque Isle, and the University of New England.

A professor working in a lab setting

Maine INBRE focuses on the following three areas:

  1. Creating a technically skilled workforce in Maine through biomedical research training for undergraduates.
  2. Providing research support to young faculty to increase their competitiveness for federal (NIH) biomedical research grants.
  3. Improving the research infrastructure available to INBRE institutions through a collaborative network of core facilities with state-of-the-art equipment.

Summer Research Fellowship program

The INBRE Summer Research Fellowship (SURF) program provides undergraduate students with a mentored, hands-on biomedical research experience at one of the participating network institutions. Working in the laboratory of an investigator on an independent project designed by the you and your mentor, you can develop laboratory techniques in molecular biology, physiology, and bioinformatics. Projects focus on a research question in functional genomics and use a variety of comparative models such as such as zebrafish, fruit flies, axolotl, and C. elegans. The summer research experience culminates in a student symposium at the MDI Biological Laboratory where your present your research results to peers and faculty from around the state.

For more information contact Geoff Ganter at gganter@une.edu.

Apply for the SURF Program

Learn more about INBRE