ABSTRACT – DEVELOPMENT CORE The Development Core supports the CHIPTS mission by investing in emerging and diverse investigators who seek to launch formative research activities to promote viral suppression for people with HIV and to reduce HIV infections for at-risk communities. The work of the Development Core aligns with the CHIPTS theme of addressing HIV-associated comorbidities, which include mental health and substance use disorders and barriers in access to social and structural determinants of health. The Development Core proposes to leverage traditional pilot and novel funding mechanisms aimed at supporting HIV prevention science among emerging investigators with diverse backgrounds. Re-defined and reinvigorated mentorship and training activities link senior faculty competent in mentoring scientists from racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minority backgrounds with emerging investigators from these groups. Core services will catalyze the science of HIV prevention to address the “whole person,” elevating resiliencies among those with HIV or at risk with comorbidities. The specific aims are: (1) Science: To promote development of innovative, scalable, multidisciplinary research to address HIV prevention and care for people with HIV or at risk with comorbidities. The core's mentored pilot grants, peer review, and career and grant development activities nurture innovation, build leadership, and promote diversity in HIV prevention, care, and implementation science research; (2) Networking: To establish new and nourish existing relationships for CHIPTS investigators with providers, policy makers, and stakeholders to lead the next generation of novel, multidisciplinary, high impact, HIV prevention science; (3) Capacity building: To promote equity and diversity in mentoring and training of early-stage HIV prevention researchers; support trainees in NIH-funded training programs; promote collaboration by co-sponsoring events that serve the needs and interests of emerging and early-stage investigators and coordinate mentorship of emerging investigators with diverse backgrounds to assure culturally competent mentor-mentee matching. The Development Core will implement: (1) traditional pilot and new “kick start” seed grant programs; (2) a new “Bridge the Gap” fellowship program; (3) new support for applications for NIH Diversity Supplements; (4) peer review and grant development workshops; (5) conferences and other events to highlight research of new and emerging investigators and to provide networking opportunities to foster new collaborative research targeting comorbidities.