Idaho INBRE celebrates 25 years of statewide biomedical research and education
University of Idaho-led network has empowered thousands of students and faculty across 12 institutions, driving innovation, collaboration and over $100 million in NIH funding
August 5, 2025
Moscow, Idaho — The Idaho IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), led by University of Idaho, is celebrating 25 years of advancing biomedical research and education statewide.
Since its launch in 2000, Idaho INBRE — housed in U of I’s College of Science — has connected students and faculty at 12 institutions of higher learning across Idaho, delivering hands‑on research experiences, millions in federal funding and new career opportunities in science and health.
INBRE’s initiatives include summer fellowships, faculty seed grants, access to core research facilities and professional development programs — all designed to bolster Idaho’s competitiveness in biomedical sciences.
“INBRE created an unprecedented network of faculty researchers and STEM educators from all public and private schools in the state,” Idaho INBRE Director Carolyn Hovde Bohach said. “No matter our home institution, we respect each other as valued colleagues with a common goal to improve the health of Idahoans and the nation. INBRE is the model of inter-institutional cooperation for the good of students and faculty.”
Almost 6,000 undergraduates, 616 graduate students, 53 postdoctoral fellows and 697 faculty members have participated in INBRE over the past 25 years — many advancing into careers in medicine, the science industry, academia and public health.
Idaho INBRE has also channeled more than $100 million in National Institutes of Health funding into Idaho’s scientific community, driving research and innovation across the state.
In honor of a quarter century of educating scientists and medical professionals in the state, Gov. Brad Little this summer signed a proclamation declaring August Idaho INBRE month.
“One in 10 high school students graduating select the health care fields,” Little said. “So, whatever you’re doing, it’s working.”
Approximately 38% of INBRE students follow paths into research, 43% choose medicine as a career path, 8% go into allied health, 2% become teachers and about 9% go into other fields.
The statewide INBRE network includes 12 educational institutions: University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University, Brigham Young University‑Idaho, Lewis‑Clark State College, College of Idaho, Northwest Nazarene University, North Idaho College, College of Eastern Idaho, College of Southern Idaho, College of Western Idaho and the Idaho Veterans Research and Education Foundation.
Notable alumni include Jenny Durrin, former director of U of I’s Seed Potato Germplasm Program; Moscow physician Dr. Adam Kappmeyer; NIH researcher Catherine Brands; and Austin Viall, associate professor of clinical pathology at University of California, Davis.
This project was funded to University of Idaho/INBRE by NIH under award P20GM103408. The total project funding is $25,507,537, of which 100% is the federal share.
About Idaho INBRE
The Idaho INBRE program is part of National Institutes of Health’s Institutional Development Award (IDeA) initiative, based at the University of Idaho’s College of Science. Its mission is to build statewide biomedical research and education capacity, preparing the next generation of scientists and strengthening health outcomes across Idaho. For more, visit inbre.uidaho.edu.
Media contact
Carolyn Hovde Bohach
Idaho INBRE director
208-596-1747
cbohach@uidaho.edu