What is a Regional Center of Excellence, an RCE?
Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research are consortiums of research institutions in federally-designated regions. Their goals are to train researchers; to find better ways to detect, prevent and cure infectious diseases, in the form of diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics; to collaborate with diverse approaches and techniques; and to assist in response to local, regional, or national crises involving infectious diseases, whether occurring naturally or caused by terrorists. The Great Lakes RCE is in the federally designated region V consisting of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. It has 26 member institutions — those members are: The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, Battelle Memorial Institute, Illinois Institute of Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute, Illinois State University, Loyola University of Chicago, Mayo Clinic, Medical College of
