Project Summary The Population Research Center (PRC) of The University of Texas at Austin requests NICHD support from its population research infrastructure program. The overarching mission of the PRC is to promote the development of innovative, ambitious, and high-impact research in population dynamics that will ultimately advance knowledge in the field. Continued infrastructure support is essential in helping the PRC leverage extramural and university resources to provide outstanding services and sustain a dynamic interdisciplinary culture geared toward facilitating the highest level of population-related research among its faculty members. One of the goals of the PRC’s Development Core is to promote the scientific development of early-stage investigators as well as established scientists as they develop new lines of inquiry and collect and analyze preliminary data for proposals for extramural funding. The funds from this current request will be used to enhance the PRC’s highly successful seed grant program through the creation of an Interdisciplinary Seed Grant Program and an Interuniversity Catalyst Grant Program.

Project Narrative This application requests continued infrastructure support to promote innovative research on the causes and consequences of population health. In particular, The University of Texas Population Research Center (PRC) will advance research that is key to the mission of the Population Dynamics Branch of NICHD. PRC associates will produce new data and cutting-edge research on systemic inequalities in reproductive health and population health, and the social and demographic factors (e.g., family, education, health care, economic contexts) that give rise to these inequalities.