The following centers, institutes, and bureaus are the research, service, education, and resource centers at UT Knoxville that have been approved and are reviewed by a process in partnership with the UT Faculty Senate Research Council. Some newer centers have not yet established web sites. Contact the Office of Research & Engagement for more information.
Campus-Level Research Centers and Institutes
Office of the Chancellor
The Chancellor provides direct oversight of the following programs.
- The Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy
- Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education
Office of Research & Engagement
The Vice Chancellor for Research & Engagement provides direct oversight of the following research centers, which involve disciplines (and therefore faculty and staff) representing several colleges or schools at UT.
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology
- National Institute for STEM Evaluation and Research (NISER)
- Science Alliance
Joint Institutes with Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Joint Institute for Advanced Materials
- Joint Institute for Biological Sciences
- Joint Institute for Computational Sciences
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Physics and Applications
- Shull Wollan Center – a Joint Institute for Neutron Sciences
College-Based Centers and Institutes
The respective dean of each college provides direct oversight of the following research centers.
College of Architecture and Design
College of Arts and Sciences
- Center for the Study of Social Justice
- Center for the Study of War and Society
- Forensic Anthropology Center
- Humanities Center
- Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)
- Planetary Geosciences Institute
- Plant Research Center
- The Institute for Environmental Modeling
College of Business Administration
- Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Center for Business and Economic Research
- Construction Industry Research and Policy Center
- Corporate Governance Center
- Global Supply Chain Institute
College of Communications
College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
- Center for Children’s & Young Adult Literature
- Center for Educational Leadership
- Center for Enhancing Education of Mathematics and Sciences
- Center for Literacy, Education, and Employment
- Center for Physical Activity and Health
- Center for Sport, Peace, and Society
- Center for the Study of Sport and Religion
- Center on Deafness
- College Access and Persistence Services Outreach Center (CAPS)
- Culinary Institute
- Early Learning Center for Research and Practice
- Korn Learning, Assessment, and Social Skills Center (KLASS)
- Postsecondary Education Research Center
- Rocky Top Institute
College of Engineering
- Center for Advanced Systems and Education
- Center for Information Technology Research
- Center for Laser Applications (UTSI)
- Center for Materials Processing
- Center for Transportation Research
- CURENT — Center for Ultra-Wide-Area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks
- Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE)
- Reliability and Maintainability Center
- Scintillation Materials Research Center
College of Law
- Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution
- Institute for Professional Leadership, Values, and Development
- James L. Clayton Center for Entrepreneurial Law
College of Social Work
- Center for Applied Research and Evaluation
- Center for Behavioral Health Research
- Social Work Office of Research and Public Service
UT Institute of Agriculture Centers
For a complete list, visit the UTIA Centers page. (Note: these organizations do not report to UT Knoxville Administration)
Creating a New Center or Institute
Generally, a center or institute is a non-degree granting unit engaged in research/scholarship; education/instruction; and/or clinical, outreach, or related service that advances UT’s mission and achieves positive impact at a scale that would not be possible for one individual faculty member acting alone or a group of faculty members acting independently. When other organizational structures such as academic units and existing programs cannot adequately support the synergy needed to achieve shared goals, the development of a center will be considered in partnership with the leadership or the participating academic units. Centers or institutes are often faculty-led and typically unite multiple disciplines around an interdisciplinary topic.
College Based Centers vs. Campus-level Centers and Institutes
Centers and institutes whose primary participants are housed within the same college are considered college-based centers or institutes that report to college administration. College-based centers or institutes may or may not receive support from ORE and the participating academic units. Centers and institutes that receive ORE support will be reviewed by ORE in coordination with Research Council during that support period and for two years after the support has ended to assess the impact of the ORE investment. Centers and institutes that include significant partnerships across colleges are considered campus-level centers or institutes that report to the Office of Research and Engagement. Campus-level centers or institutes may or may not receive support from ORE. Campus-level centers will be reviewed by ORE in coordination with Research Council.
For information about creating a new center, institute or bureau, download the Center Establishment Criteria and Request Form (PDF) and Center Strategic Plan Template.
All established research centers and institutes are reviewed on a regular basis. For information about the review process for centers, download the Center Review Process.
The following documents are available to aid in the review process:
College-base Center or Institutes should contact their Dean and/or Associate Dean for Research to understand the reporting requirements specific to their college
Center Reviews
All established research centers and institutes are reviewed on a regular basis. The following documents are available to aid in the review process.
Centers in Other Units
The following programs are officially recognized service centers and institutes.