PROJECT SUMMARY Research Leadership Development Program for Diverse Early Career Scientists This proposed project is an evidence-informed mentoring and leadership development program for early career social and behavioral scientist from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations who show promise in research related to the NIDDK mission but who have not yet received R01 funding and have not ascended to a leadership position in their respective disciplines or professional associations. Three cohorts of 10 postdoctoral scholars from underrepresented populations will be recruited to participate over the course of five years. Each mentee will participate in a two-year mentorship program and will be matched with volunteer mentors who are leading researches in the area of diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases, have expertise in the mentees area of interest, and who have a track record of receiving federal funding. In addition to one-on-one mentoring additional training mechanisms will be used to assist mentees in their career development. These mechanisms will include: 1) online group training sessions focused on critical topics associated with obtaining relevant leadership skills and developing a successful research proposal in the area of diabetes, endocrine or other metabolic diseases. The grant writing topics will be sequenced so that mentees receive critical information about developing grant proposals at key times in the process of developing their own proposals, and 2) additional face-to-face meetings and trainings. These in-person trainings will include grant writing “Boot Camps” intended to provide writing tips, direct/specific feedback on applications and an opportunity for protégés to refine their applications with dedicated writing time, and “Mock Reviews” during which mentee applications will be reviewed and scored by a review panel of experts. Reviewers will provide written feedback with emphasis placed on recommendations for improvement. Mentees will then revise their proposals in response to the mock review feedback before submitting a final proposal to the identified funding agency. The program will help mentees to 1) develop and implement a career development plan focused on building the capacity to conduct independent research, 2) conceptualize, draft, and submit a high-quality research application to an appropriate federal funding mechanism (particularly NIDDK and other NIH agencies) or national foundation, 3) obtain the relevant leadership skills necessary to become competitive for leadership positions in academic careers of interest to NIDDK; and, 4) establish a network of professional colleagues with similar research interests and a concomitant network of senior researchers who hold leadership positions in various academic settings.