Q: What is ICRSER?

A: The Indiana Center for Rehabilitation Sciences & Engineering Research (ICRSER) is a permanent collaboration among strategic partners whose combined expertise in science, engineering, technology, and health care will create a powerful, focused infrastructure in Indiana. ICRSER is structured to submit grants and contracts for research and application in the arena of rehabilitation, to strengthen Indiana's world-class orthopedic industry, and to improve quality of life and employability of people who suffer from disabling conditions related to mobility.

Q: What are ICRSER's GOALS?

A: The Center has intellectual goals, market goals and societal goals.

Intellectual Goals
Establish a national Center of Excellence in rehabilitation science and engineering research through the interdisciplinary intellectual expertise of the collaborating partners.

Attract renowned researchers to enhance Indiana's intellectual capital and the economic contributions of its rehabilitation industry.

Market Goals
Strengthen Indiana's economy by advancing rehabilitation sciences, rehabilitation engineering, technology transfer, and evidence-based research for rehabilitation practice.

Enhance commercialization and business development.

Compete successfully for a significant share of federal research and training grants in rehabilitation research. The government awards up to $450 million dollars yearly in federal funding for rehabilitation research.

Societal Goals
Improve human health and quality of life. Building the collaborative infrastructure for rehabilitation research will advance the health of Hoosiers by reduced physical discomfort, lower workers' compensation costs, increased productivity, and less absenteeism.

Q: What will the Center research?

A: The Center will focus on Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Research. ICRSER aims to translate basic and applied research to improve human health and enhance quality of life by addressing mobility limitations associated with musculoskeletal conditions. Areas of research currently are focused on, but are not limited to, pathology and impairment, functional limitation and health services research as related to therapeutic interventions for musculoskeletal conditions.

Q: Why is the Center needed?

A: The Institute of Medicine estimated that 1994 medical care expenditures (direct costs) for people with disabilities amounted to approximately $160 billion, and indirect costs (lost productivity) amounted to approximately $155 billion annually, or more than 4 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

In 1997 approximately one in five (56 million) Americans manifested some type of disabling musculoskeletal condition and were responsible for medical care expenditures amounting to $240 million or about 2.9 percent of the country's gross domestic product. One-third of that group has a disabling condition so severe that they are unable to carry out the activities of daily living such as attending school or working.

In Indiana there are approximately 1 million people with disabilities, of whom more than 500,000 have a mobility limitation with over 33,000 occupational injuries that require rehabilitative care.

While the cost of rehabilitation is significant, early intervention programs can dramatically reduce the costs associated with disabilities.

Q: How will the Center be funded?

A: Funding for the Center will be sought from a variety of sources, including private gifts, corporate sponsorships, state economic development funds, federal earmarks, research contracts and grants.

Q: What is the Center's potential Return-On-Investment?

A: It is estimated that every $1 invested in rehabilitation returns $11 in benefit back to the state through the recapture of lost wages and productivity gains related to an increase in mobility. Every $1 invested in a research center typically returns $5 in external funding to the state.

There is a $450 million pool of federal money for rehabilitation research of which only approximately $45,000 came to Indiana in 2002. Assuming that within five years the Center will be generating $4 million per year for research in the areas of medical device development and evidence-based practice, the Indiana economy will benefit through new jobs, technology transfer and reduced worker disability costs.

Q: Who is collaborating on the Center?

A: Founding partners include Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, the Indiana University Foundation, the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center and corporate partners Robot One, Inc., Cook Biotech, Inc., Vivo Metrics, Inc., and Tech Point. Affiliates committed to participation include Purdue University Discovery Park, and Ball State University's Human Performance Laboratory.

Q: How can I support the Center?

A: Click here for more information on how you can support the Indiana Center for Rehabilitation Sciences & Engineering Research.