# Administrative Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT & ST AGRIC COLLEGE · 2021 · $1,011,150

## Abstract

The University of Vermont Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (UVM TCORS) Administrative Core was
established during the current funding period with the administrative, fiscal, and technical support staffing
necessary to support a vibrant, multidisciplinary research center focused on examining the addiction potential,
underpinning behavioral processes, and health impacts of using new and existing tobacco products. The Core
provides fiscal management, monitors adherence to regulatory oversight, and promotes open communication
and collaboration. The Core provides the intellectual infrastructure necessary to support senior and early-
career investigators in tobacco regulatory science, with a particular focus on investigating the potential impact
of reduced nicotine standards on cigarette smoking in vulnerable populations. The Core also encourages and
facilitates local, national, and international collaboration, makes effective use of the knowledge of its
accomplished consultants and advisors, and nurtures interest in the importance of tobacco regulatory science
for reducing smoking prevalence and tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in vulnerable populations. In the
proposed funding period, the Administrative Core services will be augmented to include solicitation, review,
administration and reporting for the UVM TCORS Rapid Response Projects program. Core leadership is
provided by Stephen T. Higgins, PhD (Director), John R. Hughes, MD (Senior Associate Director), and Andrea
C. Villanti, PhD, MPH (Associate Director of Operations). Together this Core has overseen the management of
six multi-site studies and almost 30 developmental and pilot projects during the current funding period;
organized and hosted 4 national conferences, with dedicated content on tobacco regulatory science; planned a
5th national conference exclusively focused on tobacco regulatory science scheduled for October of this year;
edited 4 Special Issues of the peer-reviewed journal Preventive Medicine based on conference proceedings;
and supported publication of 58 articles in peer-reviewed journals. The Core also provides administrative
support for our successful mentoring program, which includes four predoctoral and six postdoctoral slots that
were continuously filled during the current funding period. The team is well positioned to continue to provide
strong management in this renewal proposal, building on the existing infrastructure for communication,
coordination, and collaboration across the four proposed research projects and two cores. This infrastructure
will also be leveraged to sustain and enhance existing collaboration with NIH, FDA, and other TCORS
colleagues through our annual conferences, leadership in FDA workgroups, and Rapid Response Projects.
Overall, we are confident that the proposed Administrative Core will allow us to sustain and enhance this
center of research and mentoring excellence in tobacco regulatory science. !

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10247025
- **Project number:** 5U54DA036114-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT & ST AGRIC COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen T Higgins
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,011,150
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-09-30 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10247025

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10247025, Administrative Core (5U54DA036114-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10247025. Licensed CC0.

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