Advancing Biomedical Data Science through Integrated Mentorship, Collaborative Innovation, and Targeted Research Development

About This Grant

ABSTRACT The proposed NIGMS IPERT R25 program, “Advancing Biomedical Data Science through Integrated Mentorship, Collaborative Innovation, and Targeted Research Development”, represents an ambitious and transformative expansion of the highly successful Biomedical Data Science Innovation Lab (BDSIL) model developed at the University of Virginia. This program tackles one of the most pressing challenges in modern science: how to empower a new generation of researchers to bridge the gap between the biomedical and quantitative disciplines that increasingly define today’s data-driven discovery landscape. Combining structured mentorship, creativity training, and hands-on research development, this expanded IPERT program will serve as a national incubator for innovative ideas, interdisciplinary collaboration, and cultivating scientific leadership. Unfolding as a year-long, immersive experience for nationally-selected early-career faculty and senior postdoctoral fellows, the program is specifically designed to equip participants with the technical, conceptual, and collaborative skills necessary to lead the next wave of biomedical data science. Participants will engage in a sequence of carefully integrated activities: virtual “Microlab” seminars that spark ideation and knowledge exchange; advanced mentorship training that transforms experienced scientists into effective interdisciplinary guides; and a culminating five-day, in-person intensive workshop where teams co-develop grant-ready research projects aligned with emerging NIH priorities. Each year, the program will focus on a new, high-impact biomedical theme, such as AI for precision medicine or data-driven approaches in clinical neuroscience, selected in consultation with NIH program officers to ensure relevance and opportunity. What makes this effort unique is its evidence-based integration of creativity science, Team Science facilitation, and structured mentorship - approaches proven to generate high-performing research teams and long-lasting professional networks. An evaluation framework, led by experts in educational data science, will rigorously track participant outcomes through longitudinal career monitoring, network analysis, and project success metrics. Annual program evaluations will assess the BDSIL’s impact through participant interviews and satisfaction ratings, ensuring continuous improvement and effectiveness. An experienced leadership and coordination team is ideally suited and earlier efforts have already demonstrated measurable impact, catalyzing multi-institutional collaborations, new grant awards, and peer-reviewed publications. This major IPERT expansion will amplify that impact by transforming how biomedical data scientists are mentored, connected, and inspired. By uniting the intellectual strengths of data and biomedical sciences within an innovative, human-centered, Team Science-focused framework, this innovative IPERT program directly advances the NIGMS mission to cultivate a broad-based and creative biomedical research workforce prepared for the data-rich challenges of 21st Century bioscience.