October 16, 2023
Twenty-five University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Centers (UWIRCs) are designated for FY 25. This signature UAB program, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration was launched in 1997 to catalyze cross-cutting research and discovery, adding to the generation of new scientific knowledge and its applications to benefit society.
Every five years, a competitive application process leads to the awarding of UWIRC status and associated institutional funding. The FY 25 competition has recently concluded, resulting in twenty-five centers being designated UWIRCs beginning October 1, 2025. Each application received three peer reviews and funding decisions were based on merit. This process was based on the peer review model that federal agencies employ.
Designation as a center signifies institutional endorsement of a programmatic research capacity and represents a significant investment of expertise, collaborative energy, and resources.
- ( NEW ) Center for Addiction and Pain Prevention and Intervention
- Center for AIDS Research
- Center for Clinical and Translational Science
- Center for Engagement in Disability Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
- Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration
- ( NEW ) Center for Neuroengineering & Brain-Computer Interfaces (requires UA Board of Trustees approval)
- ( NEW ) Center for Palliative and Supportive Care
- Center for Women’s Reproductive Health
- Civitan International Research Center
- Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone & Autoimmunity Center
- Comprehensive Cardiovascular Center
- Comprehensive Neuroscience Center
- ( NEW ) Deep South Center for Sexual and Gender Health (requires UA Board of Trustees approval)
- Global Center for Craniofacial, Oral and Dental Disorders
- Integrative Center for Aging Research
- Nephrology Research and Training Center
- Nutrition Obesity Research Center
- O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
- UAB Center for Exercise Medicine
- UAB Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education
- UAB Center for the Study of Community Health
- UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center
- UAB Cystic Fibrosis Research Center
- UAB Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center
- Vision Science Research Center
The UWIRC program is led by the Office of Research, with guidance from the Council of Center Directors, an advisory body composed of center leadership to enhance collaboration between the centers and to contribute to the development of interdisciplinary research initiatives among the various units on campus. The Council of Center Directors serves as a resource to investigators and administrators across campus and helps the university achieve its research mission of scholarship, discovery, and innovation.