The University of Iowa's Public Policy Center was formed in 1987 to facilitate interdisciplinary academic research on public policy issues. A freestanding unit in the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Center's mission is to:

• carry out high quality, scholarly research,
• facilitate productive collaboration among researchers from a variety of fields and disciplines,
• conduct research on topics that will affect future development and promote positive social change within the state and region, and
• actively disseminate research findings and conclusions both to scholarly and lay audiences.

Working with public and private sector decision makers, faculty, staff, and student researchers explore solutions to complex problems related to the public interest. The Center thus serves as a point of access for those outside the University interested in collaborating with faculty and staff capable of addressing specific policy issues.

Research teams at the Center address a number of important policy areas including transportation, health care, human factors and vehicle safety, economic development, social equity, and environmental quality. Research is sponsored with external funding obtained through competitive proposals to government agencies, private foundations, and special consortia. Projects often involve collaboration among faculty and staff from different departments, centers, colleges, and universities; many also involve close interaction with advisory committees comprised of public and private sector leaders from around the Midwest and around the world.

The Public Policy Center has developed into an active interdisciplinary research unit. In part, this development is a result of an unmet demand for policy research within the state of Iowa and the Midwest region. Many vexing issues ranging from the environment, to transportation, to economic development and social policy, have grown in terms of public concern. At the University of Iowa, the Public Policy Center represents a commitment to work toward the solution of social and economic problems of the region.