Administrative Core

The primary goal of the Administrative Core is to enhance the research environment by building on the synergy among the Project Leaders, Core Director, and Industry Partners and provide integration of the goals of the program project grant (PPG). The Administrative Core will be responsible for the overall administrative management of the program, providing data management infrastructure and biostatistics support. The core will make these services available to all investigators participating in the PPG. Project Leaders, Core Leaders, and Co-Investigators of the PPG will closely interact with the Administrative Core Director and Program Manager to provide the infrastructure and resources needed to complete all the goals and objectives of Projects 1-3. The Administrative Core will facilitate the scientific exchange among investigators by scheduling and coordinating frequent and regular meetings of the PPG members. Oversight will be provided through these regular meetings and through meetings with the Scientific Leadership Group. The Administrative Core will provide additional services to ensure scientific progress at the annual meeting with NIH Program and the Scientific Advisory Board. The Administrative Core will maintain records and documentation for local and federal requirements, maintain budgetary oversight for the PPG, assist with progress report submission, coordinate travel and meetings of advisory committee members, coordinate implementation of INTERACT meeting with the FDA, and track and coordinate manuscript submissions with all PPG investigators at the primary institution (UAB) and the sub-contract institutions (University of Oxford and Duke University). The Administrative Core will establish consistent and high-quality data collection, management, and sharing procedures and will establish high-quality and state-of-the-art biostatistical analyses that will be applied across all projects and scientific cores. Specifically, the Administrative Core will provide guidance on the appropriate data standard, format for data sharing, and public repository(ies) for data sharing. The Core will also advise investigators on rigorous experimental design and execution (including power analysis to ensure sufficient planning), provide world-class biostatistical and bioinformatics expertise, and assist in the dissemination of data with presentation/publication of results to ensure the highest standards of rigor and reproducibility.