The institute fosters the creation of new knowledge that is obtainable only through the development of sustained interdisciplinary research.
The institute supports internal and external collaborations among Colgate faculty and their collaborators who bring expertise from different disciplines to bear on current and emerging scientific problems that remain intractable to the methods used within a single discipline. The institute also encourages interdisciplinary approaches to learning through innovative curricular and research opportunities for students that may arise from the pursuit of
interdisciplinary research projects.