Core A: Administrative

Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section The RUSTBELT CFAR Administrative Core (Core A) manages the combined $45 million annual HIV/AIDS research portfolios at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). The Core offers leadership and organizational support to coordinate, support, and enhance the efforts of the 305 members of the RUSTBELT CFAR. It sets rigorous milestones for Core activities to meet the evolving research needs of CFAR investigators. The Core is dedicated to serving the HIV research communities in Cleveland and Pittsburgh fairly by ensuring that core services and research programs are managed transparently and expertly through joint efforts. Core A has created mechanisms to seamlessly integrate the strengths of both institutions, focusing on balancing the use and innovation of laboratory Cores to improve research quality and impact. It will (1) provide shared leadership for the RUSTBELT CFAR; (2) coordinate an annual review and scientific planning process, then implement the plan by enhancing Core services, recruitment, and fostering new research initiatives; (3) improve communication and visibility through an integrated website for both institutions, a trans-CWRU-Pitt community working group represented on the CFAR Steering Committee, and a shared tool for Core usage and charges; and (4) promote training activities across the CFAR via cross-institutional “catalytic awards” supported by institutional backing and developmental awards from Core B. Core A will facilitate the integration and planning of these activities by hosting an annual CFAR retreat, holding quarterly Steering Committee meetings with senior scientific leaders from both institutions, conducting weekly calls or meetings with the Directors and Co-Directors, organizing a Core retreat to update CFAR members on service offerings and best practices, conducting budgeting meetings, mentoring workshops, and mock study sections, and maintaining regular meetings of strategic working groups and the External Advisory Board. Therefore, the Core will ensure that the CFAR remains responsive to the needs of the emerging investigator community and maintains a transparent, fair, and cost-effective process for resource allocation. It will also contribute to advancing the overall mission of the RUSTBELT CFAR by increasing research quality and value, expanding programs to end the HIV epidemic in the US, and training the next generation of researchers.