The ARC agreement was signed in October 2022 and outlined Brown, Care New England, and Brown University Health's commitment to a unified approach to conducting health and medical research. It outlines the formation of the four-member Joint Executive Council that oversees the organizations’ work to unify research operations. It enabled the institutions to move forward in operationalizing the shared vision. The execution of the agreement marked the end of Phase 1 to align research across the Division of Biology and Medicine, CNE, and Brown University Health, and the beginning of the planning stage of Phase 2.

The voting members of the Joint Executive Council are the Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences (Chair); Brown University Vice President for Research; CEO of Brown University Health; and CEO of Care New England.

i. Adopting and amending the financial model

ii. Adopting and amending the operational model

iii. Recruiting and recommending potential candidates for the positions of chief scientific officer and chief administrative officer

iv. Changing the members of the JEC

v. Altering the committee and council structure

• Financial analysis and projections aimed at understanding current investments in research, reducing research deficits where possible, and growing research revenues
• A budget process and a coordinated plan for intellectual property
• BIRCH's annual budget

The operational model will comprise work plans that address the following for each office of BIRCH:

i. Staffing and organization structure

ii. Performance and service levels

iii. Relevant facilities utilization

iv. Research informational technology platform

v. Other research support infrastructure

Given the very detailed nature of the required analyses, and the interdependence of the financial model and operational work plans, it is estimated to take 18-24 months (depending on the priority of the operational area) from February 2023 to complete this phase.

No. Those investments will be determined in the same way they are currently—that is, by the institution and, in coordination with others according to the applicable Affiliation Agreements or practice.

• Brown committed to a $20 - $25 million investment in the collaborative biomedical and health sciences research effort over the five years following the signing of the ARC Agreement.
• Brown will consult with the JEC about how that investment will be deployed, and will make the investment in a way that is most advantageous to the collaborative initiative.

Not yet. The School of Public Health has paused administrative integration into BIRCH at this time. Attention is currently focused on integrating the hospital-based research infrastructure with Brown.