NIGMS has conducted an assessment of the outcomes of its Large-Scale Collaborative Project Awards (glue grant) Program.
The purpose of the glue grant program is to provide resources for currently funded scientists to form research teams to tackle complex problems that are of central importance to biomedical science and to the NIGMS mission, but that are beyond the means of any one research group. A high level of funds may be requested to allow participating investigators to form a consortium to address the research problem in a comprehensive and highly integrated fashion.
Glue Grant Definition, FOA History and Budget Information.
NIGMS has invested $368 million over the past 11 years in this program. The goal of this assessment is to determine whether the outcomes of the five awards that have ended or are nearing an end have been commensurate with the scope of these awards and the investment in them. The specific projects evaluated were:
The objective is not to judge the success or failure of any particular project, but rather the outcomes of the glue grant program as a whole and to consider potential future options for support of collaborative research.
The report consists of five major sections: