Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology

Powered by advanced technology and networks of creative people, the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) brings together and supports teams of faculty and students from across academic disciplines —artists, designers, engineers, humanists, and scientists — to address grand challenges and creative opportunities, ranging from large societal problems to industry-specific issues to the frontiers of artistic expression. ICAT supports these teams with world-class shared facilities, domain-specific expertise, and seed granting programs.

The institute is synergistically partnered with the Moss Arts Center to create a combined initiative that is unique in its scope and impact and oversees research and studio space in the Moss Arts Center and the Media Building, including the Cube. These adaptable spaces support work in big data exploration, immersive environments, intimate performances, audio and visual installations, and experiential investigations of all types.  

Institute specialists can become team members for approved projects, providing a range of support services for Virginia Tech faculty and students interested in using the technological capabilities available in the Cube and other institute facilities, including spatialized sound, immersive environments, visualization, and motion capture.

In order to help support the complex network of transdisciplinary scholarship, ICAT has two institute-level research centers and two Destination Areas.

• Center for Educational Networks and Impacts
• Center for Human Computer Interaction
• Creativity + Innovation
• Intelligent Infrastructure for Human Centered Communities

R. Benjamin Knapp
Founding Executive Director