Five-Year Goals

Continue to address pressing questions in systems biology, cancer, and development

Disseminate and translate VIIBRE and SyBBURE technologies and research results

• Advertise foundry capabilities and device technologies to Vanderbilt faculty and students
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• Accelerate publication and presentation rate
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• Increase corporate collaborations and commercial spin-offs

Expand BioMEMS capabilities at Vanderbilt

• Streamline the translation of technology from engineering and physical sciences to biology and medicine
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• Increase technical and intellectual capabilities for a broader base of instrumentation, analytical techniques, and scientific studies
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• Continue faculty development towards the critical mass of investigators at Vanderbilt required to maintain a nationally competitive program in the application of microtechnologies to biology and medicine
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• Provide a higher level of scientific support to a larger number of VU faculty
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• Consider development of a center that provides core laboratory services

Extend the educational program

• Enlarge the base of graduate and undergraduate students trained in BioMEMS and BioNEMS
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• Develop a funded, fifth-year program for focused post-undergraduate research internships
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• Strengthen the connections to Nashville State Community College
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• Outreach to Meharry and Fisk research in medicine and biology

Broaden the funding base

• Strengthen and diversify external funding base beyond NIH, NSF and DOD
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• Seek funds specifically for shared equipment for both research and education
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• Create an internal microdiscovery grant program to support student dissemination of VIIBRE technologies
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• Establish core discretionary fund to support program development