To encourage infrastructure building, new grant programs were developed that supported the creation and enhancement of biomedical engineering departments and the creation of educational programs, both at the undergraduate- and graduate-degree level. These departments and degree-granting programs will continue after The Whitaker Foundation terminates. They will provide the necessary training for future biomedical engineering students, while the faculty members pursue cutting-edge biomedical research that will lead to major improvements in health care.

Currently, the foundation has three infrastructure development award programs: Special Opportunity Awards in Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Development Awards, and Leadership Awards. In 1998, the first grants were made under the Leadership Awards program, the newest and largest of the academic infrastructure development grant programs. Grants for infrastructure development approved in 1998 exceeded $68.5 million, compared to $12.6 million in 1997.

The principal reason for the large increase in infrastructure development grants was the Leadership Awards program. This program seeks to develop or enhance the biomedical engineering infrastructure at major research universities throughout the United States. The grants are flexible in the duration and amount of the award, but they require substantial financial commitments from applicant institutions. Preliminary applications could be submitted at any time, but the final application deadline is June 30, 1999.

The Johns Hopkins University and the University of California, San Diego, received the initial two Leadership Awards during 1998. The grant to Johns Hopkins was $17 million and the grant to UCSD was $13.8 million. In addition, the University of Virginia and Rice University received awards in the combined amount of $13.5 million to support renovations and construction of facilities for biomedical engineering.

The Johns Hopkins University grant establishes the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and partially underwrites the cost of building a new 42,500 net-square-foot facility for biomedical engineering near the Engineering School on the Homewood Campus. The new biomedical engineering facility will house 13 faculty laboratories, four undergraduate teaching labs, classrooms, and space for visiting scientists. The new faculty will expand research in three emerging areas: creating computer models of human cells and organs for testing of drugs, devices and treatment regimes; improving biomedical imaging systems to allow physicians to gather important information about internal organs without invading the body; and fostering advances in cell and tissue engineering, including new drug delivery systems and engineered tissues and organs.

At UCSD, the Leadership Award grant will enable the university to build on its existing strength in biomechanics, cardiovascular research and tissue engineering and will partially underwrite the cost of a new 47,000 net-square-foot building that will house the bioengineering department. The department will increase from 10 faculty to 18 faculty over five years. In addition, the university will establish the Technology Transfer and Development Center, which will provide laboratory space and business planning support for start-up companies. The award to UCSD will be increased if the university constructs a larger building than initially planned to accommodate anticipated growth in its bioengineering program.

In 1999, the foundation will make its final Development Awards. Leadership Award applications will be considered through the deadline of June 30, 1999. After that time, the Development Awards and the Leadership Awards programs will be replaced by a combined Leadership-Development Awards program. The new program will include many of the features of its predecessors, including support for faculty salaries, start-up funds for new faculty, student stipends, laboratory equipment, and indirect costs. Applicant institutions also will be able to request funds for renovating or constructing facilities.

The new Leadership-Development program will not specify a maximum award amount, but substantial institutional commitment and cost-sharing during the grant period will be required. Where funding for renovations or new construction is requested, at least 50% of the cost must be shared by the applicant institution.

Preliminary applications for the first Leadership-Development competition will be due on March 15, 2000, with the earliest funding date expected to be February 1, 2001. Guidelines for submission will be available at the foundation web site by July 1, 1999. A second competition may be held in 2001-2002.

The Leadership-Development Awards program will be the primary academic infrastructure development program for the foundation during its remaining years. Awards under the program will vary greatly with some closely resembling grants under the Development Awards program, others similar to grants under the Leadership Awards program, and others designed to meet the needs of a particular institution. It is the foundation's intention to maintain maximum flexibility in designing awards under the Leadership-Development Awards program, but in all cases the awards will support development of the academic infrastructure for biomedical engineering.

Miles J. Gibbons Jr. CEO and President

Peter G. Katona, Sc.D. President, Biomedical Engineering Programs