PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Research Services Core will advance the Center's research in population science by providing state-of-the-art statistical, technical and methodological expertise, a sophisticated, versatile and robust computing environment, and access to professional staff with a range of different skills that contribute to the production, analysis and dissemination of data. A successful Research Services core will contribute directly to the overall aims of this research infrastructure program by supporting identification, testing, adoption, and diffusion of new approaches and methods in the population sciences and by managing a group of professional IT and programming staff who make it possible for Fellows to take on new challenges with the confidence that a sophisticated well-organized and professional team is backing them up. Specific activities of the Research Services Core include provision of an IT environment that supports high performance computing, specialized software, and a secure computing environment; supporting the collection of primary data, acquisition of secondary data, and management of large and complex data; and programming support, and maintaining and enhancing CPC's data portal for safe and easy dissemination of data we collect. Additionally, this Core provides researchers with access to statistical, research design, and methods consulting and will identify and mainstream innovations in research developed by specific projects so that they are broadly available to other faculty. The core places a high priority on providing services to junior faculty because assistance at this career stage can be crucial. The center provides junior faculty and Early Stage Investigators with full access to Research Services support, and the Core and unit directors work closely with these faculty.