2008 Woodie Awards
Dunn foundation gives $3 million to CRC
Jocelyn Wright
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
Students interested in assisting professors and researchers with biomedical research at the Collaborative Research Center will now have a greater opportunity to do so. Over the next ten years, the CRC will receive $3 million from the John S. Dunn Research Foundation. The money will be used to fund grants for medical research done by Rice researchers working in collaboration with other institutions, Charles Hall, president of the John S. Dunn Research Foundation, said. Although this money will not go directly to students, Provost Eugene Levy said the grant money would benefit students by giving them the opportunity to participate in more research projects.
Hall said the money would be used to fund seed grants for open-ended projects, allowing researchers to have as much free rein as possible in biological research.
"Part of the idea is not to say, 'Go find the cure for cancer,'" Hall said. "It's to take a risk and be innovative and do something that you think might be really helpful, but is not solid enough yet, for example, for the federal government to sponsor."
The CRC, which began construction in 2006 and is expected to be completed in 2009, is designed to enhance biosciences and biotechnology research collaboration between Rice and Texas Medical Center. TMC institutions contributing to the CRC include Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
The John S. Dunn Foundation will donate $300,000 each year to the CRC. This annual fund will be divided into six to ten grants for research primarily focused on biomedical sciences and technology, Levy said. Faculty members and researchers will be able to apply for a grant each year, and the specific number and size of the grants will be determined by a selection committee.
Levy said the grant money will also enhance student research opportunities.
Hall said the money would be used to fund seed grants for open-ended projects, allowing researchers to have as much free rein as possible in biological research.
"Part of the idea is not to say, 'Go find the cure for cancer,'" Hall said. "It's to take a risk and be innovative and do something that you think might be really helpful, but is not solid enough yet, for example, for the federal government to sponsor."
The CRC, which began construction in 2006 and is expected to be completed in 2009, is designed to enhance biosciences and biotechnology research collaboration between Rice and Texas Medical Center. TMC institutions contributing to the CRC include Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
The John S. Dunn Foundation will donate $300,000 each year to the CRC. This annual fund will be divided into six to ten grants for research primarily focused on biomedical sciences and technology, Levy said. Faculty members and researchers will be able to apply for a grant each year, and the specific number and size of the grants will be determined by a selection committee.
Levy said the grant money will also enhance student research opportunities.
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