U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and his colleagues from Rhode Island’s congressional delegation — U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, and U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo — have been very supportive of the program.

“This is good news for Rhode Island that builds on previous federal investments in growing the state’s research infrastructure,” Reed said. “I commend Brown University’s commitment to advancing discovery and building collaborations across academic and healthcare systems in ways that translate research from the laboratory into data-driven best practices that improve the lives of patients and communities. This funding will help prepare the next generation of researchers and health professionals and help tackle major healthcare challenges.”

Advance-RI CTR functions as an essential start-up engine for health research in the state, said Dr. Sharon Rounds, the principal investigator of Advance RI-CTR and the associate dean for translational science at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. 

Over the past 10 years, $11.2 million in program funding to Rhode Island researchers has led to a subsequent $132.4 million in additional funding from private as well as government sources — a 12-time return on investment, Rounds noted. The program has funded 141 investigators, led to six secured commercial patents and provided training for more than 340 research mentors.

“The program has greatly expanded the research ecosystem in Rhode Island, not only by funding investigators and their work but also by training research mentors, all while fostering community partnerships and helping to create connections among institutions across the state,” Rounds said.

Expanded collaborations

In its third phase, Advance RI-CTR will build on its strong foundation by making collaboration an even more deliberate part of the research infrastructure, said Dr. Methodius Tuuli, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School and the executive chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Care New England.

“Through intentional networking and collaboration, Advance RI-CTR will create more opportunities for researchers to connect with clinical and community partners, access expertise and resources, and develop multidisciplinary teams capable of tackling complex health challenges,” said Tuuli, who will co-lead the program and guide the next generation of the program’s statewide research infrastructure.

The next phase will evolve established programs and introduce new opportunities to accelerate clinical and translational research by providing investigators with expert consultation services in quantitative, qualitative, implementation science, AI and digital health methodologies; enhance existing partnerships while expanding the network to regional and national partners; fund the next generation of research leaders through multiple award mechanisms; advance community-engaged research by incorporating community expertise and priorities into the process; and expand access to data and research resources to help investigators identify opportunities, answer important health questions and move discoveries to implementation.

Advance RI-CTR’s strength comes from its statewide network of academic, clinical and community partners, Tuuli said.

“The third phase of the award will deepen these relationships while creating new pathways for collaboration,” Tuuli said. “The focus is on what we can now accomplish together.”