DU Expands Research Impact With New Centers and Institutes

The University of Denver has announced the designation of six existing DU research entities as official DU research centers, along with two existing entities that are now official DU research institutes.

“It’s exciting to see these institutes and centers becoming living, breathing things,” says Corinne Lengsfeld, senior vice provost for research and graduate education. “A lot of these centers want to grow, and they will serve as the birthplace for our future institutes. These new centers and institutes will create positive, innovative energy on campus.”

This is the second round of designations, following 2023’s announcement of six inaugural research institutes: The Butler Institute for Families; the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures—A University of Denver Research Institute; the Institute for Human-Animal Connection; the Marsico Institute for Early Learning; the Stress, Early Experience and Development Institute; and the Institute for Relationship Science.

In March 2024, DU announced the designation of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), as a research and reform institute.

Research institutes

To be considered for designation as a research institute, an entity must have a three- to five-year annual average of $1.5 million in research expenditures from external sources. It must also be found to contribute to the fabric of the University through a certain number of faculty involved and students taught and trained.

Research institutes get more access to resources from DU departments, including Information Technology, Marketing and Communications, and Advancement, among others. They will also receive financial incentives from the University to stabilize their administration and cover other costs.

The new research institutes are as follows:

• The Scrivner Institute of Public Policy (Josef Korbel School of International Studies)
• The Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging (Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science)

More information about the research institutes can be found on the DU Research Institutes webpage.

Research centers

This year’s designation of six entities as research centers marks the first year of official Research Centers at DU.

A research center is a formal research entity that facilitates cooperative research to support an individual research leader and collaborators or a research team, and formally recognizes the University's thought leadership in a specific area. 

While research centers utilize University resources, they are primarily responsible for their own funding from external sources.

The new research centers are as follows:

• Center for Advanced BioElectronics (Ritchie School of Engineering & Computer Science)
• Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab
• Center for Immigration Policy and Research
• Edward W. and Charlotte I. Estlow International Research Center for Journalism & New Media (College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences)
• Center for Analytics and Innovation with Data (Daniels College of Business)
• Consumer Insights and Business Innovation Center (Daniels College of Business)

More information about research at the University of Denver can be found on the Research at DU webpage.