Goals and Action Items
Goals
Increase patients enrolled in clinical trials by 50% and increase submission of collaborative grants by 25%
- Increase the number of clinical research coordinators and administrative personnel to assist with pre- and post-submission tasks for large awards
- Improve retention and promotion pathways for research coordinators and research administrators
Collaborate with the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation to improve core laboratories to align with research priorities
- Modernize core facilities used by multiple investigators in line with strategic initiatives
- Decrease investment in expensive technologies used by a few or single investigators
Upgrade high-performance IT systems and support
- Integrate School of Medicine research computing networks with new and existing VCU and VCU Health IT systems
- Increase total data storage to 4 petabytes
Continue to seek new innovative collaborations across our medical school, with other colleges and schools on both campuses, with VCU Health and with external partners to serve our community and the commonwealth
- Use research databases to connect researchers across units
- Encourage collaborations through internal and external funding mechanisms
Address historical underrepresentation and structural barriers in scientific studies
- Screen research proposals to ensure that they satisfy inclusiveness criteria
- Require investigators to complete mentorship of diverse trainee courses
Ensure departments and graduate programs are structured, and faculty are provided with resources, to support a full range of biomedical research
- Reverse attrition in research areas when it aligns with our mission