$31.3 million for biomedical research

The National Institutes of Health has renewed its investment in the Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (DE-INBRE), the University of Delaware and its partners announced Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.

Delaware INBRE is a collaborative network of five partner institutions in the state: University of Delaware, Delaware State University, ChristianaCare, Delaware Technical Community College and Nemours Children's Health.

This marks the program's fifth renewal, bringing $21.3 million from the National Institutes of Health to Delaware, with an additional $10 million in State of Delaware support, for biomedical research over the next five years. This funding supports faculty research, core facilities, data science capacity, research mentoring and undergraduate research internships.

Laura Carlson, UD interim president, called Delaware INBRE an excellent example of the power of collaboration between government leaders, community partners and higher education, and an embodiment of UD's commitment to research as a "fundamental responsibility to the state of Delaware and its residents."

"The cutting-edge research that results from the INBRE partnership translates into profound discoveries that explore and solve real-world health challenges, from infertility to dementia," Carlson said at a celebratory event on UD's Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. "INBRE's value is also evident in our classrooms and labs, where UD faculty are preparing students for careers in Delaware's life science and biotech sectors."

Over the past 20 years, Delaware INBRE has supported the research of over 100 faculty members, who are leaders in Delaware's biomedical research community, and more than 1,000 undergraduate researchers, a majority of whom are pursuing biomedical and medical careers. In fact, about 85% of INBRE summer research scholar alumni still work in biomedically relevant fields, and one in three have continued their education in graduate school.