Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative
CSUN is one of ten BUILD sites across several states, funded by the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit the NIH BUILD website.
"BUILD awards consist of linked grants issued to undergraduate institutions to implement and study innovative approaches to engaging and retaining students from diverse backgrounds in biomedical research, potentially helping them on the pathway to become future contributors to the NIH-funded research enterprise. BUILD awards differ from other NIH-funded training grants in that they aim to achieve simultaneous impact at the student, faculty and institutional levels. Through implementing a variety of innovative approaches to research skill building and training, mentorship and institutional change, the BUILD-funded institutions address various challenges faced by students, faculty and institutions. In addition, by disseminating effective interventions and strategies to diversify biomedical research, BUILD institutions contribute to broader transformational impact at an institutional level.
In FY 2014, 10 5-year BUILD awards were issued to undergraduate institutions across the country. Eligibility for BUILD primary institutions included having fewer than $7.5 million in total NIH research project grant funding, and a student population with at least 25 percent Pell Grant recipients. BUILD institutions serve a geographically and racially diverse population, and include historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian American/Native American/Pacific Islander-serving institutions, and projects with targeted outreach to special populations. Funded BUILD institutions partner with nearly 100 institutions, both pipeline and research-intensive, to broaden the pool of students participating in biomedical research training and maximize opportunities for faculty/staff development. As part of the Diversity Program Consortium, BUILD is a cooperative agreement, in that NIH project scientists and program officials work with each BUILD institution, and the institutions collaborate with each other on planning and sharing ideas for new, creative ways to address their students’ needs in real time. Each site has a core for administration, institutional development, student training, and research enrichment, which helps ensure programming is targeted to each of the three levels."
The BUILD sites and their programs are:
California State University, Long Beach: CSULB BUILD
California State University, Northridge: BUILD PODER
(Promoting Opportunities for Diversity and Education and Research)Morgan State University: BUILD ASCEND
(A Student-Centered, Entrepreneurship Development Training Model to Increase Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce) Portland State University: BUILD EXITO
(Enhancing Cross-Disciplinary Infrastructure Training at Oregon) San Francisco State University: SF BUILD
: Enabling Students to Represent in Science University of Alaska, Fairbanks: BUILD BLaST
(Biomedical Learning and Student Training) University of Detroit, Mercy: ReBUILD Detroit
University of Maryland, Baltimore County: STEM BUILD@UMBC
University of Texas at El Paso: BUILDing SCHOLARS
(Southwest Consortium of Health-Oriented Education Leaders and Research Scholars) Xavier University of Louisiana: Project Pathways
For more information about the BUILD institutions, view the listing.
