The Council on Biomedical Research and Development at The New York Academy of Medicine provides a forum where institutions come together to identify common problems in the creation and maintenance of a thriving scientific community, to identify issues appropriate for institutional collaboration, and to develop strategies to strengthen the biomedical research policy environment in New York. Central to the Council’s activities has been increasing New York’s share of grants from federal sources, notably the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• Research Infrastructure
  The Council is currently assessing the willingness of institutions to share facilities, and is looking at the feasibility of such collaborations.

• Collaborative Prospective Studies
  The Council promotes collaborative biomedical research. In 1998, the Council successfully launched the Biomedical Research Alliance of New York (BRANY), in response to the loss of commercially sponsored clinical research in the greater New York area. BRANY facilitates clinical trials at seven medical centers. Currently the Council is exploring the possibility of a collaborative epidemiological study of the central nervous system along the lines of the Framingham project.

• Biomedical Research Manpower
  After extensive research into the New York State decline in NIH funding share, and with the conviction that the substance of science is developed by talented individuals, the Council concentrates effort into identifying and advocating for new mechanisms for attracting and retaining young research scientists in New York State medical institutions. Jeremiah A. Barondess, M.D., President of The New York Academy of Medicine, published an article in Academic Medicine describing this effort and encouraging municipal support of biomedical research.

• Economic Impact of Biomedical Research in New York State
  The Council continues to update and measure the importance of biomedical research to the economic health of the state. In March 2000, the Council released a report, “Biomedical Research and the New York State Economy”, that examines the economic impact of the federal biomedical research dollar as it moves through New York’s regional economies. This study expands an in-depth study of the downstate region conducted in 1997.

• Technology Transfer
  The transfer of biomedical innovation from academic medical centers to the marketplace is the purview of the technology transfer officer. Technology transfer is an increasingly important and competitive revenue center for academic medical centers. The Council supports an active professional subcommittee comprised of technology transfer officers from institutions throughout New York. This committee has produced the NYBioscience internet web portal for New York State.