Code of Maine Rules › 94 - INDEPENDENT AGENCIES › 630 - MAINE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH BOARD › Chapter 1 - RULES FOR THE MAINE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM › Section 630-1-1 - Purpose and Definitions

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
A.
Purpose
The Maine Biomedical Research Program is established to
				  promote economic development and jobs in the State primarily by making state
				  investments in organizations with successful results in attracting biomedical
				  research funds from specified grant sources. As a secondary purpose, the Maine
				  Biomedical Research Program is intended to provide incentives for small
				  eligible institutions to grow. The program shall disburse program funds from
				  the Maine Biomedical Research Fund to eligible institutions. An eligible
				  institution receiving program funds under this program may use those funds for
				  any of the following purposes: project funding; facilities funding, including
				  debt service; equipment used in research, including debt service; or ancillary
				  support. The purpose of the rule is to define the criteria and proposal process
				  for applications to the fund, consistent with 5 MRSA section13103.
B.
Definitions
"Academic medical center" is a Maine-based nonprofit
				  clinical, educational and research organization with a critical number of
				  hospital beds, with multiple and independent residency and fellowship programs,
				  with a significant number of residents and fellows and that is affiliated with
				  but independent of a medical school.
"Affiliate" means a corporation, limited liability company or
				  other entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with
				  the applicant. A majority of the membership, stock ownership or other voting
				  authority is conclusively presumed to establish control.
"Ancillary Support" shall mean support for research services
				  provided by the Eligible Institution that enhance its capacity to conduct Peer
				  Reviewed Biomedical Research, such as, but not limited to, DNA
				  sequencing.
"Biomedical Research" shall mean scientific research,
				  investigations, experiments, demonstrations, and studies whose primary purpose
				  relates to the biology, causes, diagnosis, treatment, control and prevention of
				  physical and mental diseases or impairments afflicting humans.
"Board" shall mean the Maine Biomedical Research Board
				  established pursuant to 5 MRSA section13104.
"Department" shall mean the Department of Economic and
				  Community Development.
"Eligible institution" means a Maine-based private nonprofit
				  biomedical research institution or academic medical center or medical school
				  that, as of July 1, 2001:
1. Performs
				competitive biomedical research in on-site, wetbench biomedical research
				laboratories in the State, as evidenced by publications in recognized peer
				review journals; and
2. Receives or
				expends funds in the State from federal agencies or specified grant sources for
				the purpose of producing peer-reviewed biomedical research in on-site, wetbench
				biomedical research laboratories.
Until July 1, 2009, any one or more of the requirements of
				  this definition may be satisfied by an applicant created after July 1, 2001 if
				  that requirement is satisfied by one or more affiliates of the applicant and if
				  at least one affiliate of the applicant received funding from the fund prior to
				  July 1, 2005. After July 1, 2009, an applicant that has established eligibility
				  pursuant to this must itself meet all other requirements of the
				  definition.
"Fund" shall mean the Maine Biomedical Research Fund
				  established in 5 MRSA §13103.
"Grant Allocation Committee" shall mean a committee
				  designated by the Board to review and recommend qualifying Eligible
				  Institutions. The Grant Allocation Committee may include qualified persons with
				  expertise in biomedical research grants administration, non-profit finance
				  budget and administration and at least two persons with experience in Peer
				  Reviewed Biomedical Research. None of the Grant Allocation Committee members
				  may come from a Qualified Institution.
"Qualified institution" shall mean any Eligible Institution
				  that applies for Program Funds and is determined by the Board to have met 5
				  MRSA §13103.
"Peer Reviewed Biomedical Research" shall mean any biomedical
				  research that either has already resulted in, or is intended to result in,
				  publication in national recognized peer review journals such as those listed in
				  the Index Medicus, published by the National Library of Medicine, Nation
				  Institutes of Health.
"Program funds" shall mean funds allocated from the Maine
				  Biomedical Research Fund.
"Specified grant sources" means a federal agency, a nonprofit
				  foundation, private company or corporation, a voluntary membership organization
				  such as the American Cancer Society, or an out-of-state educational university,
				  that, as of July 1, 2001, issues grants or contracts for the purpose of
				  producing peer-reviewed biomedical research when the grantee retains complete
				  editorial control over the content of the research performed.
"Wetbench" shall mean generally what is ascribed to that term
				  by the biomedical research community and refers to laboratories that use
				  solutions or cell extracts and biological reagents.