The Backstory

How did we get here?

The UC Irvine School of Social Sciences has nine top-ranked departments and teaches thousands of students. We are at the leading edge of our fields. Our award-winning faculty are advancing knowledge across a huge range of disciplines: from economics to cognitive science, from anthropology to the philosophy of science, from chicano/latino studies to political science and international studies. Many of our scholars already translate this research into practice, whether in developing poverty alleviation programs or harnessing fMRI for stroke rehabilitation.

There is an enormous need, however. UC Irvine Social Sciences has routinely been approached by community organizations and potential industry partners seeking our expertise and insight. The NeXT Center Initiative will build the infrastructure to facilitate our responsiveness to these needs. Rather than one-off projects, as in our many successful collaborations in the past, this initiative will allow us to harness the talent we possess for real-world impact, and address community needs through research partnerships. The impact of that kind of research translation can't necessarily be measured in dollars (though sometimes it can!). It will be measured in something more intangible: the strength of our communities and the trust that ties us all together.

The whole School of Social Sciences is the incubator. The NeXT Center initiative is the accelerator.