EVMS is one of seven academic research institutions in Virginia that have agreed to share core facilities and resources in a formal effort to advance life sciences and other areas of research.

The project is an initiative of the not-for-profit Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation, now known as Virginia Catalyst. The intent is to accelerate the commercialization of Virginia’s innovations, create start-up companies, boost the number of high-paying jobs and grow the state’s biosciences economy.

“EVMS has a history of collaborative research that addresses healthcare disparities and the medical priorities of our community and the Commonwealth,” says Richard Homan, MD, President and Provost and Dean of the School of Medicine. “We welcome this opportunity to expand collaboration in biomedical research with our partner universities.”

In addition to EVMS, the initiative includes the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech and William & Mary.

In a joint memorandum of understanding, the schools have agreed to provide reciprocal access to shared research and development resources. The institutions have individually made significant investments to acquire specialized equipment and establish unique research laboratories to support basic, translational and clinical research. To further enhance the availability of these existing resources, the institutions seek to share, in an economical manner, specialized technical services and access to equipment and expertise for research purposes.