The purpose of this contract is for development and implementation of a training program in SCI research methodologies that will emphasize hands-on experience, at a site to be designated as a NINDS "Facility of Research Excellence in Spinal Cord Injury (FORE-SCI)." Its purpose is to provide short-term intensive training for researchers new to SCI research on the best practices in the field, including the standards of current research methodology, analytical procedures and functional outcome evaluations. The FORE-SCI contractor will provide resources, capabilities and experience in SCI research and the ability to work with multiple standard rodent models of injury. The contractor shall provide facilities and personnel for expert handling, care and medical management of animals with SCI, and FORE-SCI participants will become expert in the ethical conduct of experiments in SCI and associated animal care. It is anticipated that the annual training program will yield a well-trained cadre of researchers dedicated to advancing research to relieve the burden of SCI. A successful program outcome would be that FORE-SCI participants would return to their organizations/instututions with the ability to perform rigorous experimental programs of the highest quality, and to disseminate the techniques they have learned to others in their laboratories.