Project Title: Nebraska Center for Heart and Vascular Research Project Summary: Overall Center Organization and Management Plan Heart and vascular diseases (HVD) are the leading cause of death and hospitalization in the United States, Nebraska included. The goal of the Nebraska Center for Heart and Vascular Research (CHVR) is to build the physical and intellectual resources at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) to propel the ability of our faculty to conduct research that drives the heart and vascular disease (HVD) field forward. Our center has exceptional institutional support, is well-aligned with UNMC’s areas of research emphasis, and we have an outstanding baseline cadre of investigators with expertise in HVD disease. The main objective of this Phase I COBRE is to develop a center that promotes and supports excellence in HVD research through the development of early career researchers, promotes collaborative research that is critical to solving complex research problems, and expands support for all HVD research with cutting edge infrastructure and mentoring activities. We have selected research project leaders with research projects that have a strong connection to the focus of the COBRE and are poised to become independent researchers. The COBRE will maximize the ability of the Center to boost HVD research at UNMC, enhance faculty research trajectories, mentor early career investigators to productive research careers, and reduce barriers to research to drive discovery. The Center has brought together the full range of cutting-edge expertise needed to accomplish our mission and assembled a strong mentoring program that will train mentors in best practices. To catalyze cutting edge HVD research the Center will support existing resources and grow new ones like the proposed Bioassay Core focused on the targeted examination of proteins. With these goals and the Phase I COBRE funding, the Center will support the infrastructure required for cutting-edge HVD research, increase the number of funded researchers, and total HVD funding to promote a reputation and culture of excellence in HVD research that can improve patient outcomes and reduce HVD health disparities.