A key element of the NCRC research model is collaboration between investigators who are technology inventors and investigators who are technology users. The idea is to form intellectual partnerships between the two such that the end-users help the inventors improve their technologies and the inventors help the end-users improve their application of the technologies. We call these groups Research Technology Clusters (the inventors) and Research Thematic Clusters (the end-users).
Research Technology Clusters
Research Technology Clusters are collaborations between investigators that feature two objectives. The first is the improvement and advancement of the technology field itself. The second is a mechanism for broadly sharing these cutting-edge advancements with the Research Thematic Clusters. This mechanism, sometimes referred to as a "service center", is different from a traditional core service. Rather than dispense commodity services like a core, NCRC service centers will emphasize the intellectual partnership between the Technology Clusters and the Thematic Clusters. A key benefit to the technologists is the opportunity to test their inventions against real research challenges, and a key benefit to the thematic investigators is the opportunity to leverage cutting-edge technology years before it is "on the market".
Technology Anchors: Biointerfaces and Imaging
The first two Research Technology Clusters to develop at NCRC have been identified. These are sometimes referred to as "anchors" in the parlance of real estate development to signify their important role in the spatial organization of the campus. The first is a world-class program in biointerfaces, which includes an interdisciplinary mix of nanotechnology, microfluidics and sensors, cell and tissue engineering, and biomaterials and drug delivery. The second is a cutting-edge collaboration in molecular, functional, and structural imaging.
Read more about Biointerfaces and Imaging at NCRC.
(Note: The organizational, infrastructure, and space recommendations in the Biointerfaces and Imaging proposals will serve as a starting point for planning. However, there is currently no commitment to organize these groups in the form outlined in the proposals; such decisions will be made after further analysis.)