At BWH, Science is Part of the Cure.
Established in 2005, the mission of the BRI is to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery by fostering groundbreaking, interdepartmental and interdisciplinary research within the hospital's research community, as well as to provide a clear voice both within the hospital and outside its walls, for all researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Learn about the BRI's upcoming Interdisciplinary Research Workshop on Aging on Friday, December 16.
BRI Research Centers and Programs
The BRI includes eight disease-focused research centers that develop and support collaborative research initiatives not tenable by individuals and single departments alone. The centers are supported by five resource- and technology-based programs, which provide tools applicable across the scientific disciplines. Together, this infrastructure allows our diverse community of clinicians and scientists to communicate more effectively, providing numerous opportunities for them to collaborate on research aimed at curing, treating and preventing a host of human diseases and conditions.
Research Funding Initiatives
The BRI seeded its eight research centers with nearly $900,000 in 2005 and continues to support its centers and programs administratively and financially. In 2007, the BRI teamed up with BWH leadership, departments and the Development Office to jumpstart the Fund to Sustain Research Excellence. This program provides grants in the amount of $50,000, renewable for a second year, to our scientific investigators while they await grant approval from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Thanks to a philanthropic gift of $50,000 from the Partners Healthcare Research Accelerator Program, the BRI also launched the Research Excellence Awards, a multiyear program to recognize junior investigators and trainees whose research is deemed be the most promising and innovating. Recipients receive a $1,000 grant to use for scientific conference travel or for research expenses. Each year, 10 to 15 awards are made based on merit.
For more information on BRI funding opportunities, contact bwhbri@partners.org.
Interdisciplinary Research Workshops
The Biomedical Research Institute's (BRI) Interdisciplinary Research Workshop series is designed to bring together BWH researchers from multiple Research Centers to showcase their expertise, interest and research on a particular theme.
The workshops provide a forum for faculty - particularly junior faculty - to learn about one another’s research, connect with other investigators exploring similar research questions and discover scientific resources available to them at this hospital.
Community Building
The BRI sponsors events, including leadership retreats and scientific poster sessions, to enhance communication with and among its investigators. The BRI also supports several online communication projects, sometimes in collaboration with other BWH departments, including:
(Please note, some links in this section are only available to BWH and PHS employees)