What We Do

Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) Headquarters

Members of the VPR headquarters contribute to day-to-day operations and the strategic vision for MIT research, through support for research policy; research security, integrity, and compliance; core facilities; communications; and community engagement.

VPR headquarters has oversight of human resources, finance, space, and research administration for labs and centers reporting to the VPR, as well as for units within the Office of the Vice President for Research. 

Resources and Services

The Office of the Vice President for Research also supports research computing, postdoctoral scholars, and international scholars.

• Office of Research Computing and Data (ORCD)
• Postdoctoral Services
• International Scholars Office (ISchO)

Research Administration

Research Administration supports the research community from idea to impact.

• Research Administration Services (RAS)
• Office of Strategic Alliances and Technology Transfer (OSATT)
  • OSATT Core
  • Technology Licensing Office (TLO)
  • Corporate Relations
• Research Development
• Research Systems & Support
• Cost Analysis
• DLCI Initiative

Federally Regulated Committees

Certain committees reporting to the vice president for research ensure that research with human and animal subjects is conducted according to ethical and legal standards.

• Committee on the Use of Humans as Experimental Subjects
• Committee on Animal Care

VPR Labs, Centers, Programs, and Initiatives

Much of MIT’s interdisciplinary research is enabled by labs, centers, programs, and initiatives that are built for collaboration. For a comprehensive list of such efforts across MIT, see Labs, Centers, and Institutes. The units listed below report to the vice president for research.

Off-campus

• Haystack Observatory
• Lincoln Laboratory

On-campus

• Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab
• Center for Clinical and Translational Research
• Division of Comparative Medicine
• Environmental Solutions Initiative
• Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
• Internet Policy Research Initiative
• Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
• Materials Research Laboratory
• Microsystems Technology Laboratory
• MIT Energy Initiative
• MIT.nano
• MIT–Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program
• Nuclear Reactor Laboratory
• Plasma Science and Fusion Center
• Research Laboratory of Electronics