Mission

The mission of the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs (OIP) is to develop a shared vision for interdisciplinary programs at Virginia Tech and to develop programs, initiatives, and an infrastructure to implement that vision in order to provide an important element of growth in our education and research missions at the University level, contribute to the pursuit of excellence and to attract high quality students and faculty. Our belief is that centers and institutes help us make a “university” out of our “diversities.”

Objectives

Define the nature, extent, quality, and character of the interdisciplinary activities at Virginia Tech, their mission and direction, and the manner in which they fit together to make the fabric of our interdisciplinary community.

Enhance the interdisciplinary programs by assisting in the design and implementation of appropriate programs, policies, and infrastructure to support their growth and development.

Promote interdisciplinary programs by assembling, formatting, and dispensing to the community information concerning the activities, accomplishments, and opportunities provided to our clients by the interdisciplinary community at Virginia Tech.

Centers & Institutes

The OIP, directed by the Associate President for Research and Interdisciplinary Programs in the Research Division located in 340 Burruss Hall on the Virginia Tech campus, is the administrative home of the university-level interdisciplinary research centers and institutes on campus.

If you are considering seeking funding to establish a major university research center, have been successful in securing funding and now need to go about setting up a center, or if you are unsure whether the center that you wish to establish should be a university, college or department-level center, please consult starting a university-level Interdisciplinary Research Center. Additional information to assist you is provided in the chart entitled University Policies & Procedures that apply to all Research Centers. If you need clarification or additional assistance, please contact Dr. Tim Pickering in the OIP at 231-4443 or at timp@vt.edu

Other Centers at Virginia Tech

In addition to university-level interdisciplinary research centers, research centers are found in the colleges and departments at Virginia Tech.  The Office of the President provides a roster of all the research centers at Virginia Tech.