PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT (ADMINISTRATIVE CORE) The nature and challenge of rural drug use/misuse in the United States requires an approach that works across a continuum of health science domains. By bringing together researchers from neuroscience, cognition, simula- tion, epidemiology, psychology, and sociology to address the etiology, assessment, prevention, and treatment of substance use/misuse, the Rural Drug Addiction Research (RDAR) Center applies complementary ap- proaches across a variety of disciplines. The Center supports research to better understand the critical public health challenges posed by substance use in community and rural settings and identify new avenues to address substance use problems. RDAR projects range from the microscopic world of biology to the social and geo- graphical environments in which substance use takes place. The goal of the Administrative Core in Phase 2 is to continue to provide the overall coordination and administrative infrastructure that will enable RDAR to con- tinue growing the biomedical expertise and approaches needed to understand the causes and consequences of substance use. Toward this end, the Administrative Core will implement a faculty development plan to hire, recruit, and mentor Project Leaders to accelerate their transition to independence (Aim 1). It will also create synergy among Project Leaders and Center members by facilitating the use of RDAR resources to successfully submit, secure, and implement federal funding (Aim 2). The Administrative Core will expand access to the Lon- gitudinal Networks Core (RDAR’s Research Core) by seeding innovative Pilot Projects, building collaborative teams, cultivating grant development skills, assisting in pre- and post-awards functions, supporting budget and compliance needs, and enhancing opportunities to participate in outreach and engagement activities. The Ad- ministrative Core will support Center-affiliated research projects and provide programmatic enhancement and engagement opportunities to realize the Center’s vision and goals related to substance use, misuse, and related health disparities (Aim 3). Finally, the Administrative Core will implement a systematic evaluation of measurable goals and milestones to refine the Center’s vision and enable long-term sustainability (Aim 4). By accomplishing these Aims, the Administrative Core will support Center goals of expanding the scientific growth and career development of RDAR investigators and fostering interdisciplinary research to investigate the causes and con- sequences of substance use. By linking cohort-based longitudinal data collection with neuroscience, cognition, simulation, epidemiology, psychology, and sociology, RDAR will continue to magnify its reach and contribute a unique regional, rural, and research focus to the national Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) portfolio. The Administrative Core will support these efforts and propel RDAR forward as a growing COBRE, enhanci...