The TREC I initiative was designed to facilitate TD team science within and across the research centers, in order to assist in the maximal integration of expertise across research topics. Each research center was required to: (1) implement three or more primary research subprojects, each led by a senior scientist, similar in size and scope to a traditional NIH grant (R01), that together addressed multiple “levels” of science (e.g., mouse models, clinical trials, epidemiology); (2) establish shared administrative, statistical, and training infrastructure (referred to as “cores”) to support science conducted at the center; (3) provide funds for “developmental pilot projects” consisting of small, short-term, yet highly innovative additional TD research projects conducted by teams composed of collaborators within or across centers; (4) collaborate with other TREC I research centers, including but not limited to participation in cross-center working groups focused on shared areas of interest (e.g., nutrition assessment, biomarkers, and environmental influences); and (5) provide training and career development opportunities for new and established investigators.
