ABSTRACT In 2019, Hispanic/Latinx individuals were awarded 8.6% of the 187,568 doctoral degrees awarded in the US despite accounting for 18.5% of the US population, while African American graduates were awarded 9.2% of doctoral degrees despite accounting for 12.5% of the population. One reason for this disparity may be that doctoral training including training of substance use researchers tends to take place at large Research 1 (R1; Carnegie very high research activity designation) institutions, yet the majority of underrepresented minority (URM) students who attend college in the US are not doing so at an R1 institution. For example, 67% of Hispanic/Latinx college students attend Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) with only 10 of the 646 HSIs in the US designated as R1 institutions. Students who attend HSIs, because they have had less access to research opportunity and have fewer people in their peer networks who seek graduate training, may not have had the chance to envision a post-baccalaureate life that involves graduate training. As a result, a significant prospective pool of exceptional students do not make their way to doctoral training programs thereby greatly delimiting diversity among, for example, substance use researchers. To bridge the divide between HSIs and research-intensive environments we propose to recruit URM undergraduates from HSIs in their sophomore year to participate in a two year program at New York University (NYU) with the goal of strengthening research capacity and supporting application to an R1 graduate school. Recruitment sites include Mercy College and five HSIs located across NYC that participate in the City University of New York (CUNY) Macaulay Honors College. NYU faculty and mentors include over 20 NIDA-funded investigators from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. Among DDIS scholars, we aim to build skills in foundational and implementation science research methods and knowledge of substance use research through coursework and seminars (Aim 1). DDIS scholars will complete in-person Research Methods Weekend Workshops at NYU (monthly; academic Year 1); online modules in substance use research (~monthly; academic Year 1); in-person/teleconferenced seminars at NYU for ongoing skills training (weekly) and Mercy College for career development (biweekly) over the course of the two year program. We also aim to build capacity in conducting research, completing scientific deliverables, and applying to graduate school through a sustained, intensive mentored research experience (Aim 2). During the junior year DDIS scholars will be matched with a NIDA-funded research mentor at NYU and will become integrated into the lab. In the summer between the junior and senior year, DDIS scholars will work onsite at NYU and participate in an intensive mentored research experience. Through the senior year, mentors will support student presentations, publications, and application to graduate training. Providing rigorous and sustained t...