The OVCRI provides leadership and oversight for research at Illinois, an enterprise that had sponsored research and development expenditures of $642 million for FY17. In addition to overarching planning, policy development, and management, the OVCRI provides guidance for portfolio units and works to promote coordination, lead change, and ensure modern and compliant processes and professional services. 

We do this by:

• Promoting and enabling excellence in existing and emerging research programs.
• Supporting and operating administrative structures required for our research enterprise.
• Overseeing the efforts of the campus-wide interdisciplinary research institutes. 

The campuswide interdisciplinary research institutes, administrative and compliance units, and other units that report to the OVCRI have their own unique, but complementary, missions. The research units in the OVCRI portfolio are among those with the highest profile on campus, and the 1,000+ people in all OVCRI units both conduct ground-breaking research and provide critical support and resources. 

On a day-to-day basis, such activities include:

• Pursuing big-picture research questions that affect quality of life for people around the world through work in campus-wide interdisciplinary research institutes.
• Providing funding for new initiatives and emerging ideas.
• Ensuring the safety of the people and animals associated with university research.
• Overseeing Campus Research Board programs.
• Ensuring compliance with complex governmental rules.
• Submitting grants and negotiating research agreements.
• Many other activities that touch every aspect of the Illinois Research Community. 

Enriching the quality of student education and strengthening our communities

Both the campus-wide interdisciplinary research institutes and OVCRI Administrative and Compliance units provide a number of outreach and education programs that help the University to fulfill its land-grant mission. 

Overall 1,900+ students (1,045 graduate students and 884 undergraduate students) were involved in the activities of our campus-wide interdisciplinary research institutes in 2014, and more than 350 student volunteers staffed educational and outreach activities. Many of our units also support education by serving as guest lecturers and by offering workshops to foster the practical training of graduate students. 

Some highlights from the centers and institutes that report to the OVCRI include:

• Public Tours (NCSA had 3,000 visitors to the Blue Waters Supercomputer in 2014)
• Weather data and analysis from the State Climatologist
• Community education in genomics, including the “Genomics for…” program and Genome Day
• OLLI Citizen Scientist Program
• Chambana Science Café
• BugScope
• Camps, internships, and field trips, including the Pollen Power Summer Camp, SING (Summer Internship for Native Americans in Genomics), and Geological Field trips (for 700 Champaign 5th graders)
• The Advanced Visualization Lab's cinematic scientific visualizations 
• ISTC’s work to reduce waste stream to landfills
• Zero Waste football game
• Earth Week and Sustainability Day
• Certified Green Office Program

Research at Illinois is complex and requires robust administrative support and continuous innovation and business development, all driven by the same spirit of innovation and excellence that makes Illinois a pre-eminent public research university with a land-grant mission and global impact. We welcome your ideas for process improvement. Email us your suggestions.