Periodic Review of Centers

Montana Biotechnology Center

 

 

A. Written Report Summary:

1.       Purpose:
The purpose of the Montana Biotechnology Center is to stimulate applied and basic research in biotechnology, to coordinate efforts between public sector investigators and private sector enterprises and to increases collaboration between all parties involved in biotechnology within the state of Montana.
 

2.       Objective:
The Montana Biotechnology Center seeks to foster biotechnology –related research and development within the Montana University System, and to facilitate technology transfer to public and private institutions within the state.  Established in 1996 within the office of the Vice President for Research and Development at The University of Montana-Missoula, the Center coordinates efforts across academic divisions of the Missoula campus to enhance opportunities for biotechnology-related research and research training.  
 

3.       Activities:   
The activities of the Montana Biotechnology Center can be broadly subdivided into three areas:

a. Conduct high-impact funded research in area(s) related to Center objectives.
Research in the Director’s laboratory has been funded through the National Institutes of Health and other external sources roughly since the Center’s inception.  These projects focus on understanding the mechanisms of virus entry into its target cells, towards the development of novel antiviral drugs and protective vaccines.  After multiple projects devoted to basic and applied studies of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the laboratory has recently expanded to explore viruses of emerging disease (SARS virus) and biodefense (hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses) importance.  These projects, and the external funding they bring in, provide for a state-of-the-art research enterprise that includes professional research staff, post-doctoral research associates and graduate and undergraduate students.

b. Establish, collaborate in and administer centralized resources that broadly support research infrastructure.  Based on research funding and indirect cost returns, the Center is able to augment the growing research effort on campus.  The Center maintains and provides a safe Biosafety Level 3 laboratory that has been used by several research groups on campus.  It co-purchased and administered the first flow cytometer instrument, the first fluorescent/phosphor imager, and the sole SPR instrument on campus.  Many investigators make use of this shared, state-of-the-art instrumentation.  The Center also administers a Cell and Molecular Biology Reagents program (with Invitrogen Corp) to provide immediate and low-cost access to commonly used commercial reagents.

c. Provide a one-stop point of contact for biotechnology-related interests.  The Center, through its website and research publications, has fielded inquiries from researchers, prospective students and technicians, inventors, entrepreneurs and curious citizens with regard to biotechnology research and development.  Callers are often routed to appropriate expertise on campus or elsewhere.  The Center, through its research on HIV, is also allied with state and local HIV/AIDS interests.  It participates in the county’s First Call for Help, especially for HIV and virus-biohazard issues.


4.       Other organizations involved: 
Research at the Center has been funded by: the national Institutes of Health, AmFAR (American Foundation for AISA Research), the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric Aids Foundation, the Murdock Foundation and Pendleton Trust, and the Wyeth Corporation.  The Director is involved in state HIV/AIDS efforts and participates nationally and internationally in the larger research community.  The Center is involved regularly with researchers and students across campus (Biological Sciences, Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and at St. Patrick Hospital).

 

 

5.       Reporting line:
The Director reports to the Vice President for Research and Development.

6.       Relationships with academic units:
The Center supports biotechnology and biomedical research across academic departments, disciplines and colleges, through its research and services.  The Center also provided undergraduate and graduate research training in conjunction with programs in Biological Sciences and Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

7.       Similar programs:
In its support for biotechnology and biomedical research and training, the Center is most similar to the graduate and research programs in the academic departments of Biological Sciences and Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences.  The specific technology and research focuses differ, yet all share common goals.

8.       Budget:
a.  1. Current faculty and percentage of time:

The Director is the sole faculty member (Professor with tenure in Biological Sciences) at the Center and devotes full time to the Center and research activities.  The Director’s salary is ultimately funded by the Vice President for Research and Development, either directly or in the form of salary savings from the Director’s funded research.

 
 Current staff:

The Center employs an Administrative Associate to perform all administrative and departmental tasks (personnel, finance, logistics, front office, secretarial, etc).  This position is funded through the Center’s indirect cost returns.  Research personnel are funded by external monies and the Center’s indirect cost returns.  Staffing has varied from one to five research professionals (currently one) in addition to Center-funded graduate students (one to two), undergraduate researchers (one to four) and work-study students (one).  Current staffing is in line with current external funding.

 


     2. Need and cost for new faculty (next five years):

No new faculty positions are anticipated.


     3. Need for other personnel:  

Staffing must remain in line with external funding.

                                         
b. Use and anticipated needs (next five years) of University Resources:  
        1. Library:

No specific needs are anticipated.


        2. Technology/equipment:

No specific needs are anticipated.


        3. Facility and space:   

No changes anticipated

        
c. Source of Funding (Provide figures for the last fiscal year):     

In the last fiscal year (FY05), the Center was funded as follows:

NIH Research Grant A1059355 (M24041)

$245,432

NIH Research Grant A1054388 (M24082)

$58,330

Director salary and benefits

$129,938

     Total comprises external funding and MRA007 sources

Total operating budget

$433,700

 

B. Review and Approval Process
 
2.  The Faculty Senate through its Chair, ECOS, and Committees as appropriate shall recommend continuance or discontinuance by vote.

Review in terms of Scope as stated in academic policy 100.0
To provide instruction, scholarship, or service to the University, state or world by:  (1) focusing attention on an area of strength and/or addressing a critical issue, or (2) facilitating collaborative, multi-disciplinary endeavors to combine resources from several programs or institutions to address issues of common interest.

                       

  • Comments: The Center Director has a tenure line in DBS. The Director reports to Vice President of Research Dan Dwyer.

 

  • Does ECOS/Faculty Senate consider this center controversial? Yes.

 

  • Is the relationship with academic units beneficial? The answer here is mixed. Some faculty responding to the ECOS call for comment are supportive of the center while others believe it to serve the purposes of an individual or a very small group of individuals rather than the university as a whole. Those working in the field of HIV studies have commented positively on the contribution of the center to their work.

However, others who responded believe that this unit does not work like a center, that it lacks synergy, and that other faculty members who are not part of the center bring in more research funding and accomplish more research despite having significant teaching and service loads. There is also a belief that such a center should provide an intersection with business and biotechnology. The center’s own report lists this as a purpose, which it seems to meet at best minimally through a clearinghouse website. However the website is not current and has erroneous links. Several university scientists responded to ECOS’s call for comments with the belief that the center serves primarily to support its director.

 

  • Is the program revenue neutral or does it consume more resources than it generates? If so, is the use of University resources justified? Currently 34% of the budget comes from internal sources, but most of that is for the director salary and fringe from MRA007 in the Vice President for Research office. The year one budget shows a decrease in external and internal funding, and no budget at all was provided to ECOS for years 2-5. This is dependent on successful grantwriting.

 

  • Is the entity making progress toward objectives? The center seems to be partially meeting its objectives by conducting research in areas related to its objectives, but only minimally meeting the objective stating “the Center coordinates efforts across academic divisions of the Missoula campus to enhance opportunities for biotechnology-related research and research training.” ECOS did receive a statement from the director detailing a reagent supply service that the center provides to faculty.

 

Recommendation: Review the center again in 1 year. The Center must show better outreach both to science faculty/departments and the business community. It must also develop and implement an outreach and funding plan.

 

Justification: The center has presented no long-term plan; perhaps it will have a funding base by then.