Federal Research Updates: Visit the OSP Federal Research Updates webpage for the latest guidance.
Establishing Research Centers and Institutes
Update on Applications for Chartered Research Institutes
At this time, we are not accepting applications for new charters or for charter renewals. The research institute infrastructure and associated processes are currently under review and will remain so until at least the Fall semester.
Please note that this review will not affect currently chartered institutes. All existing institutes will remain chartered throughout this period, and their status will not be impacted by the temporary pause.
This pause applies only to university-level chartered research institutes. It does not affect the chartering process for school-based research centers, which may continue to follow their normal procedures.
Updates, guidance, and future announcements will be posted here, so please continue to check back.
The establishment of research centers and the chartering of research institutes facilitates the strengthening of scholarly activity across the university.
Research Centers
A center is a research unit that typically has a single focus or mission and is usually located within a single school, although its faculty may draw at times on the expertise of faculty in other schools or disciplines to support their work. A center typically reports to the dean of that school.
The establishment and review of new research centers is a school-based process.
GW scholars that are interested in launching a new research center or modifying an existing research center should contact their school’s associate dean for research to begin the process.
Review Process for Approval of a New or Modified Center Name
Some central coordination for the naming of research centers will provide important clarity so that both external and internal audiences can understand the research focus and strengths of each center and to avoid confusion by the presence of multiple centers that have (or can be perceived to have) overlapping foci. The university’s Research Leadership Council (RLC) will review names of newly proposed research centers or centers seeking to change their name. RLC also facilitates collaboration among research centers, as appropriate.
- Once a newly proposed center or name change has the support of their respective school(s), the proposed name and a brief (one paragraph) description of the center’s focus, proposed participants, and activities should be submitted to the RLC by emailing askovpr
gwu [dot] edu. The submission must be accompanied by documentation of review and approval by the school(s) involved and confirmation that the school leadership is supportive.
Research Institutes
An institute is a scholarly unit that is multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary in nature and involves faculty from two or more schools. Institutes are generally larger and more complex than centers: they bring a number of resources and disciplines together to achieve a set of common goals.
- Applications for cross-disciplinary research institutes are reviewed by an institutional committee to ensure that university priorities are addressed (e.g., diversity, equity, inclusion, involvement of students and trainees, and public engagement).
- Upon successful completion of the central review process, research institutes will secure an official university charter. Becoming a chartered institute reflects a university seal of approval and results in the inclusion in listings of research units.
- An institute’s charter may be approved for a duration of one to five years.
Forms for Chartering Research Institutes
- The application for the chartering or rechartering institutes is currently under review.
Contact Us
Email acrchartgwu [dot] edu for more information about establishing institutes, reviewing center names, modifying or closing an existing research institute, or for assistance with the application on OVPR’s InfoReady portal.