The North Carolina Kidney, Urology, and Hematology Training, Research, Innovation, and Outreach (NC KUH TRIO) Program (U2CDK133491, TL1DK139567), is an alliance among a trio of prominent academic medical centers and three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the state. TRIO aims to diversify and advance research in KUH disorders. Led by Principal Investigators—Drs. Ronald Falk for Kidney, Anthony Atala for Urology, and Thomas Ortel for Hematology—from the University of NC (UNC), Wake Forest University (WF), and Duke University (Duke), respectively, the program capitalizes on their experience running longstanding training programs in their disciplines. Their collective experience provides the foundation for this program and harnesses synergistic capabilities of experienced, multidisciplinary, and enthusiastically collaborative mentors. Partnerships with the three HBCUs, Winston Salem State University, NC Central University, and NC Agricultural and Technical State University (A&T), makes use of existing research and mentoring collaborations with the three larger institutions, bringing the promise of expanding diversity in trainees and mentors. Funding began in September 2023 and currently supports four pre-doctoral and six post-doctoral positions. Trainees were selected through a competitive application and review process and are inclusive of all disciplines (K n=7, U n=1, H n=2), with 3 (30%) trainees from groups identified as underrepresented in science (underrepresented minorities, disadvantaged, and/or with disabilities). An Administrative Core provides leadership and infrastructure to foster diverse, integrated activities and address program goals. The Networking Core fosters partnerships with various programs and NC HBCUs to facilitate a robust pipeline of KUH researchers from high school to early faculty. Three NIDDK/KUH R25 programs, one each at UNC/NC A&T, WF, and Duke, run by overlapping TRIO faculty, bring targeted learning to undergraduates in kidney-related topics. HBCU student activities enrich the landscape of TRIO's training initiatives. These connections feed our pipeline for TRIO trainees and will help expand TRIO mentors to include more from HBCUs. Early faculty members participate in TRIO activities and near-peer mentoring with TL1 trainees, and TRIO provides support to help them acquire first-level grant funding. The Professional Development (PD) Core provides trainees with exposure to multidisciplinary research, technological innovations, and numerous career advancement skills. Resources are leveraged from three Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) programs. The Training Core delivers cutting-edge mentored research training that fosters collaborative, innovative KUH research. TRIO fosters team mentoring and cross-institutional collaboration among its 69 mentors to maximize trainee support and research impact. TRIO is committed to expanding support for additional trainees, which includes pursuing D...