PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT - Administrative and Mentoring Core In Phase I of the Institute for Biogenesis Research (IBR) COBRE, the Administrative Core was able to develop unique and effective administrative strategies in order to coordinate the day-to-day management of the center grant, which accommodates faculty and staff on two separate campuses. Our administrative staff were themselves united into one facility, which enhanced the effectiveness of their daily interactions and allowed them to become a much more efficient management team. Additionally, the Administrative Core successfully designed and enacted a mentoring strategy that evolved with the intensive participation of the External Advisory Committee (EAC), which remains highly dedicated to the development of the IBR as demonstrated by their continued participation in Phase II. In this Phase II application, we have applied this experience to the design of our current strategies for administering the IBR COBRE and to use the resources it provides to maximally enhance the development of the institution and the IBR's research capacity. The overall goal of this core is the same as that of the application as a whole, which is to strengthen and transform the IBR into a multi-disciplinary reproductive biology research center that will become independent enough to be sustained on extramural grant support for its future development. The particular emphasis of the Administrative Core is the coordination of all the resources to mentor the four Project Leaders and to support the transformation of the IBR into a multi-faceted center that includes a strong component of translational and clinical research. This will be accomplished through the following specific aims: (SA1) Enhance the Administrative Core to effectively coordinate and manage the mentoring of the four Project Leaders of Phase II and to promote the continued development of the Project Leaders of Phase I and the IBR. The Administrative Core will be directed by Dr. W. Steven Ward, the IBR COBRE PI. He will also be advised by two other experienced COBRE PIs at UH and the External Advisory Committee. (SA2) Develop individual mentoring plans for each of the four Project Leaders. The Administrative Core with the help of the EAC has developed a detailed mentoring plan the four Project Leaders that is specific for the unique challenge of mentoring junior faculty our remote location. (SA3) Enhance the interactions between all IBR faculty to develop collaborative projects. The major theme of the IBR COBRE Phase II is to enhance and transform the IBR into an institute that will be self sustaining. An important component of scientific success is through collaborations. The Administrative Core will foster the development of collaborative reproductive biology research projects between IBR investigators with each other and with external scientists who interact with the IBR through the Yanagimachi Lecture Series, as mentors, or as External Advisory Committee members. Finally, the Administrative Core will support pilot projects in reproductive biology research to identify new faculty at the University of Hawaii to collaborate on reproductive biology research with the intent of further diversifying the research expertise of the Center.