ADMINISTRATIVE CORE PROJECT SUMMARY The Maine INBRE (ME-INBRE) Administrative Core provides leadership, administrative and fiscal oversight, and logistical support to the network, leveraging an experienced, cohesive, and engaged leadership team to ensure that the goals of the ME-INBRE are achieved. The Program Director / Principal Investigator (PD/PI) has primary responsibility for administering the program and overseeing the activities of the INBRE. He is assisted in this by an experienced leadership team consisting of a Program Manager, a Student Research Program (SRP) Director, a Community Outreach Director, and an Evaluation team. Financial oversight is provided by an experienced Grants Manager. Decisions regarding overall direction and activities of the INBRE are made by the PD/PI, with advice from the AC leadership team, ME-INBRE Core and Developmental Research Project Program (DRPP) directors, and the Executive, Steering, and External Advisory Committees; and as needed, in consultation with NIGMS program officials. Executive Committee members serve as liaisons between the Administrative Core and their respective network institutions, and direct programmatic activities at their institutions, while the Steering Committee composed of institutional leaders (presidents and vice presidents) ensures that all network institutions abide by the Memoranda of Understanding. The External Advisory Committee, composed of esteemed scientists from diverse disciplines, assesses the progress of ME-INBRE programs, reporting to the Administrative Core and Steering Committee. The Administrative Core will work with the Executive Committee to manage the SRP, and coordinate with the Data Science Core and DRPP to implement programs that address the research, mentoring, and infrastructure needs of faculty, students, and institutions in the network. Infrastructure needs are identified and addressed in consultation with the Executive Committee. The Administrative Core will work with the Collaborative Research Resources Core to coordinate networking, sharing of resources, and collaborations with Maine COBREs, the Northern New England CTR, and other INBREs. The Administrative Core will engage in Community Outreach activities to implement a Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives and implement an Evaluation Plan that will provide formative assessment that informs and guides all INBRE activities to maximize their effectiveness.