Brown University and the University of Rhode Island said yesterday they will contribute $25,000 to the next phase of the expansion of the Rhode Island Research Alliance, launched in 2006 by the Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council.

The Research Alliance promotes collaboration among the state’s research institutions. It also works to attract additional federal investment and enhance the state’s research and development-related economic opportunities.

The alliance will also begin assisting with the preparation of collaborative proposals to major financing agencies, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, and will support the development and marketing of shared laboratory facilities.

Brown and URI will be the charter members of the alliance, which will add members in the coming months.

“STAC and the Research Alliance have made great progress in strengthening connections across the state’s research institutions and in increasing Rhode Island’s competitiveness as these institutions seek additional federal funding,” said STAC co-chair Clyde Briant, vice president for research at Brown.

“As we move forward, a stronger statewide Research Alliance will play an important role in building collaborative programs and relationships across all of the state’s major research-producing organizations. For Rhode Island, this level of cooperation and collaboration will be critical to leveraging the state’s resources to build a thriving research-and-development enterprise in the state.”

“The Research Alliance has an important role to play in Rhode Island’s effort to create a stronger, knowledge-based economy,” said Peter Alfonso, vice president for research and economic development at URI. “Working together, alliance partners such as Brown and URI can better monitor emerging opportunities and make stronger recommendations to state leadership on policies and programs that support research, encourage collaboration and increase our funding competitiveness.”