Developmental Core

Northwestern University At Chicago, Evanston IL

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section The Developmental Core (DC) of the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research (TC CFAR) focuses on fostering the next generation of HIV researchers and advancing the center's interdisciplinary research goals. During the past funding period, the TC CFAR DC has substantially enhanced the HIV research community in Chicago by supporting researchers and launching new initiatives with a return on investment more than double the CFAR network average. The DC provides Pilot Awards through bi-annual competitions, Core Subsidy Awards, and other funding mechanisms to support early-stage investigators (ESIs) and established researchers new to HIV research. These awards help collect preliminary data, support new research directions, and encourage innovative, high-impact projects. Over the next five years, a primary focus of the DC is integrating new institutions (University of Illinois at Chicago [UIC] and Rush University [RU]) and involving new community partners into the TC CFAR ecosystem. Including RU and UIC expands the pool of investigators and enhances expertise in comorbidities research, neuroAIDS, and substance use. Special initiatives and ad-hoc requests for applications will be implemented to ensure that the involvement of the new institutions gradually matches the involvement of Northwestern University (UN) and the University of Chicago (UC). Ultimately, this will ensure growth at all institutions within the expanded TC CFAR. To foster new community partnerships, the DC offers Community Collaborative Awards to seed research-practice partnerships and Community Dissemination Awards to fund events that share TC CFAR-sponsored research. Scientific Working Group Collaboration (SWG) Awards will support newly-assembled teams on their way to submitting applications to NIH in two growth areas: HIV geroscience and HIV dissemination science and practice. These mechanisms promote seamless collaboration between new and established institutions, enhancing overall research capacity and impact. Career development is a cornerstone of the DC's strategy, featuring mentorship programs tailored to the needs of ESIs and faculty new to HIV research. These programs leverage partnerships with training centers and prioritize translational science from basic mechanisms to interventions. The new leadership team, comprising directors from NU, the UC, RU, and UIC, brings more expertise in behavioral, implementation, and basic science research. They are committed to expanding interdisciplinary research and fostering new collaborations to address critical aspects of the HIV epidemic. The DC specific aims for the new funding cycle are: 1) support new researchers through seed funding; 2) integrate new institutions and community partners into the TC CFAR network; and 3) enhance career development programs. By supporting new investigators, fostering interdisciplinary projects, and integrating new partners, the DC aims to address the most critical issues in the HIV epidemic in Chicago and advance research in areas identified as high priorities by the TC CFAR leadership and the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR).