Project Summary/Abstract (Core A, Portnoy) The purpose of Core A is to ensure scientific progress and promote synergy by providing effective scientific and administrative leadership and financial oversight to the program. These objectives will be accomplished by extensive review of scientific progress at monthly meetings attended by all projects and cores within the program and affiliated lab groups from around the Bay Area; smaller meetings held by subgroups; and shared interviews of potential postdoctoral fellows. Scientific direction and research results will be subject to intensive, constructive criticism by investigators within the P01 and by regular evaluations from an external scientific advisory board. We strongly believe that our extensive collaborative approach promoted by Core A is unique. Indeed, this program represents the nucleating group for Bay Area investigators studying intracellular pathogens and innate immunity. The Specific Aims are: 1) Conduct management of scientific progress; 2) Establish and engage external advisory board to review scientific progress; and 3) Implement financial management and administrative support. To facilitate interactions among investigators, two-hour joint lab meetings will continue to be held monthly at UC Berkeley. These monthly meetings consist of introductory discussions and two scientific presentations from two different labs. Given possible restrictions related to the coronavirus, we will use teleconferencing options for meetings, if necessary. The external scientific advisory board, chaired by Dr. Jeffrey F. Miller from UCLA, will provide rigorous and consistent evaluation of the program’s scientific direction, research results, and progress. Core A will facilitate the relationship between the external board and the investigators as well as among the Project Leaders themselves, who will meet once per month for 2 hours in the Program Director’s office. The Portnoy, Vance, Cox, and Stanley labs each have a weekly lab meeting to review ongoing research in their respective labs. In addition to the monthly meetings of P01 personnel and other Bay Area labs, there are many other opportunities for investigators and trainees to interact, exchange ideas, and speak, including a weekly Division of Immunology & Pathogenesis “Research in Progress” meeting on Mondays at noon with 2 speakers from 2 different labs; a seminar series from the Infectious Diseases & Vaccinology Group on Mondays at 10 am, most speakers being from local labs; and the Microbial Biology Seminar Series, held on Wednesdays at noon, with speakers from the US and across the world. Finally, we have an annual immunology retreat at Asilomar that is held jointly with UCSF. Core A serves as the administrative nucleus for the P01 and has been a critical element to our success.