Montana Biotechnology Center
Center Review Recommendation 3-13-08
(Academic
Policy 103.o)
A. Written Report Summary:
1. Purpose: Stimulate applied
and basic research in biotechnology; coordinate efforts between public and
private sector research and enterprise; increase collaboration state-wide in
the field of biotechnology.
2. Objectives: Seeks to further
basic and applied research in biotechnology, which is the collection of
biological methodologies that enable discovery and translation of research
knowledge towards useful applications. Provides core services and
instrumentation to support basic research. Serves as point-of-contact for
biotechnology research and development.
3. Anticipated activities:
a.
Establish, collaborate in and
administer centralized resources that broadly support research infrastructure.
This includes a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory and related specialized equipment,
inventory, and reagents serving 38 principle scientists on campus.
b.
Provide a one-stop point of contact for
biotechnology-related interests.
c.
Conduct high-impact funded research in
area(s) related to Center objectives.
4.
Other organizations involved: Grant funding over
the years has come from the National Institutes of Health, American Foundation
for AIDS Research, the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the Murdock
Foundation, The James Pendleton Trust, and Wyeth Corporation, and the Rocky
Mountain Regional Center for Biodefense. The center also collaborates with the
biopharmaceutical company SIGA (Corvallis, OR).
5.
Reporting line: The
Director reports to the Vice President for Research and Development.
6.
Relationships with institutional mission and contribution to
academic programs: The
Center supports biotechnology and biomedical research across academic
departments, disciplines and colleges, through its research and services. See
attached letters of recommendation.
7.
Similar programs: None
8.
Budget:
a.
See attached budget form
B. Review and
Approval Process
2. The Faculty Senate through its Chair, who in turn shall distribute
it to ECOS and other committees, and approve or disapprove the proposal by a
vote of the Senate.
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.
Review in terms of the University’s
mission.
§ 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?
No.
§ Is the relationship with academic units beneficial? Yes. The Center has made improvements in this area
since the last review (2005-2006). The
Center provides a critical service through its Invitrogen Supply Center that is
used by many research groups on campus.
In addition, at least one research group outside the Center is making
regular use of the BL3 facility maintained by the Center.
§ Is the program revenue neutral or does it consume more
resources than it generates? If so, is the use of University resources
justified? In the last fiscal year,
approximately 44% of the Center funding was from state funds. The majority of state funding is for the
director’s salary and fringe, and some of this is provided by indirect costs
from extramural funding. In the next
year extramural funding is slated to increase and the percentage of state
funding will decrease to 36%. Extramural
funding is expected to continue over the next five years.
§ Is the entity making progress toward objectives? Yes.
Recommendation: Approve
the Montana Biotechnology Center for five years.
Justification: The MBC is well
funded, collaborates widely among on-campus researchers, and is engaged with
several national granting institutions.