Institutes, Initiatives & Centers

University Institutes

  • Bass Connections bridges the classroom and the world beyond the university, giving students from all of Duke’s schools a chance to tackle complex societal problems alongside our superb faculty. For more information, visit bassconnections.duke.edu.

  • The Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) brings together knowledge and resources from across the university to address the most important global health issues of our time. DGHI faculty, staff and students are engaged in research and educational projects in more than 40 countries, including the United States. For more information, visit globalhealth.duke.edu.

  • The Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS) provides a vibrant hub for all who share our vision of making neuroscience greater than the sum of its parts by integrating schools, disciplines, analysis and education to accelerate breakthroughs and benefit society. For more information, visit dibs.duke.edu.

  • The John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute (FHI) is built on a fundamentally collaborative model befitting the Duke University emphasis on knowledge in the service of society. Through interdisciplinary cross-fertilization, we seek to encourage the conversations, partnerships, and collaborations that continually stimulate creative and fresh humanistic research, writing, teaching, and practice at Duke. For more information, visit fhi.duke.edu.

  • The Kenan Institute for Ethics is an interdisciplinary think and do tank committed to promoting moral reflection and commitment, conducting interdisciplinary research, and shaping policy and practice at Duke and beyond. For more information, visit kenan.ethics.duke.edu.

  • The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability advances the university’s mission to build a more sustainable world by developing transformative educational experiences; galvanizing and conducting impactful research; and engaging with key decision makers at the global, national, state, and local levels. For more information, visit nicholasinstitute.duke.edu.

  • The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) brings together researchers with interests in problems that cross the various social and behavioral sciences, including problems that connect with the humanities and natural sciences. For more information, visit ssri.duke.edu.

Initiatives

  • The Duke Initiative for Science & Society ("Science & Society") fosters research, education, communication, democratic deliberation, and policy engagement on the ethical progress of science and technology in society. For more information, visit scienceandsociety.duke.edu.

  • Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (I&E) believes all Duke students benefit from learning about innovation and entrepreneurship—from those who wish to found a company, to those who want to change the world with innovation, to those who simply want to cultivate a more creative and entrepreneurial mindset. I&E partners with schools and departments across Duke to offer interdisciplinary, experience-based education. For more information, visit entrepreneurship.duke.edu.

  • MEDx (Medicine + Engineering at Duke) was forged in 2015 to enhance existing ties and foster new interdisciplinary collaborations between the School of Medicine and Pratt School of Engineering. An initiative rather than an institute, MEDx is structured to enhance existing ties and encourage new collaborations among faculty from both schools as well as other schools, institutes and initiatives at Duke. For more information, visit medx.duke.edu.

  • The Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke (iiD) is an interdisciplinary program designed to increase "big data" computational research and expand opportunities for student engagement in this rapidly growing field. For more information, visit bigdata.duke.edu.

Centers

  • The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) offers an interdisciplinary program in the documentary arts—photography, audio, film/video, narrative writing, new media, and other means of creative expression—that emphasizes active engagement in the world beyond the university campus. For more information, visit documentarystudies.duke.edu.

  • The Dewitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy (DWC) is Duke University’s hub for the study of journalism. DWC studies the interaction between news media and policy, supports watchdog and accountability reporting in the United States and around the world, and teaches about the media’s role in democracy. The center is part of the Sanford School of Public Policy, and shares in the Sanford School’s mission of teaching, research, and policy engagement, with the goal of putting knowledge in service to society. For more information, visit dewitt.sanford.duke.edu.

  • Duke Civic Engagement (DCE) strengthens and connects the ways in which Duke partners with communities. DCE supports Duke’s collaborations on pressing social challenges by increasing the capacity of the campus to sustain partnerships and sharing best practices in community engagement. For more information, visit civic.duke.edu.

  • The Duke University Center for International and Global Studies (DUCIGS) grounds its research, teaching, and programming on the deep, region and culture-specific knowledge and experience of its organizational units while exploring global topics, pursuing interdisciplinary and cross-regional collaboration, and welcoming new approaches within areas studies and global studies. DUCIGS is home to various international area studies centers, councils, and initiatives. Visit the DUCIGS website at igs.duke.edu to learn more about the many centers and initiatives it houses.

  • DukeEngage provides fully-funded opportunities that enable students and faculty to collaborate with organizations across the globe to address critical societal needs through an immersive summer of civic engagement. For more information, visit dukeengage.duke.edu.

  • The Margolis Center for Health Policy catalyzes Duke University's leading capabilities including interdisciplinary academic research and capacity for education and engagement, to inform policy making and implementation for better health and health care. The Center has offices and staff on Duke University’s campus in Durham, North Carolina and at the Duke in DC offices in the heart of the nation’s capital. For more information, visit healthpolicy.duke.edu.