PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The New York State International Training and Research Program (NYS-ITRP) proposes to partner with The School of Public Health of National Ukraine Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kiev, Ukraine (SPH NaUKMA) to build capacity in conducting implementation science research that will address gaps in HIV care in Ukraine. The long-term goal is to address the know-do implementation gaps in the HIV care cascade in Ukraine through a research training collaboration with of the School of Public Health and a research focused nongovernmental organization. Access to HIV care is challenging in Ukraine due to an ongoing injection drug use epidemic, a poorly developed health care sector, and an ongoing conflict with Russia. There is a paucity of HIV research training programs in the Former Soviet Union, one of the few regions in the world with rising HIV rates. The NYS-ITRP has a 20-year history of successfully providing advanced HIV research training in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Proposed objectives include: 1) Provide training for 9 “HIV Research Scholars,” linking in-country advanced degree training with US-based advanced training in implementation science, epidemiology, and statistical analysis; 2) Provide research training capacity building at SPH NaUKMA through the development and implementation of a HIV Research Methods course and an HIV Research and Implementation Science Certificate Program.; 3) Provide training support for annual SPH NaUKMA “Summer Course” program in HIV Implementation Science. Key elements of the research training plan include: 1) intensive mentorship during and post-training for all HIV Research Scholar students; 2) in-country research support competitively awarded to long term trainees; and 3) planning and implementation of an annual in-country “Summer Course” in to Implementation Science and HIV research methods. The public health training and institutional capacity-building will build on NYS-ITRP’s history of successful capacity-building in the region and take advantage of its unique in-country research assets. Measures to demonstrate increased capacity include: assessment of academic progress of faculty and student trainees; trainee surveys; SPH NaUKMA curricula review and development; advanced in-country research support; and US-Ukraine faculty mentored grant proposals.