DEVELOPMENTAL CORE: PROJECT SUMMARY The HOPE & CAIRHE 2gether (HC2) Developmental Core will identify and develop high-quality projects addressing cancer prevention and control in persistent poverty (PP) areas. HC2 brings together the expertise, infrastructure, and resources of HC2’s participating centers and institutions: Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE), Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), and the University of Utah (U of U), with the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity (CAIRHE) and Montana State University (MSU). HC2’s translational research programs strategically partner with key agencies, tribal communities, and community anchor organizations across five states to increase the use of evidence-based cancer prevention and control interventions (EBIs) in census tracts characterized by PP. HC2 will achieve its goals through community- engaged dissemination and implementation (CEDI) research that is considerate of and aligns with communities’ cultural beliefs, priorities, and resources. Using the Center for HOPE, CAIRHE, and HC2 community partnerships as foundations, the HC2 Developmental Core will: 1) create and maintain a collaborative research community focused on cancer prevention and control in PP areas, 2) solicit, sponsor, and assist in the development of new Pilot Projects, and 3) monitor and support the progress of Pilot Projects. The Developmental Core will work closely with the Career Enhancement Core, Research and Methods Core, and Community Engagement Team (CE Team) of the Administrative Core to assist early career faculty in developing, submitting, and monitoring Pilot Projects. Project proposals by early career faculty will be prioritized, and those investigators will receive mentoring from senior faculty and the CE Team. The Developmental Core anticipates supporting 3-5 Pilot Projects at any one time depending on size of awards, with at least one being an intervention. A two-stage submission process will ensure strong alignment with the overall HC2 theme of increasing “Reach through Equitable Implementation,” and on HC2 specific foci: Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), lung cancer prevention (tobacco, radon, screening, air quality), obesity prevention, and innovative CEDI strategies. This process also will allow prospective Pilot Project investigators to have early engagement with the Research and Methods Core and the CE Team. The HC2 Developmental Core will ensure a constant pipeline of meritorious projects in cancer prevention and control in PP areas, particularly focused on “Reach through Equitable Implementation” and HC2 foci. These projects will result in a community of new and established researchers poised to secure independent funding to significantly impact cancer-related health inequities in PP areas across the Mountain West and beyond.