The Committee on Institutional Cooperation has released its 2015 Annual Report, which details the collective academic power and progress of the collaboration of member universities of the Big Ten Conference.

The report highlights:

• The emerging Health Disparities Collaborative between the state departments of health and the member schools;

• The work of the Big Ten/CIC-Ivy League Traumatic Brain Injury project, led by Dennis Molfese, the director of UNL’s Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior; and

• Data on the economic impact of the scientific workforce and the research being done across the campuses.

Big Ten universities benefit from academic collaboration through their membership in the CIC. Founded in 1958, the CIC is comprised of the universities of the Big Ten and also the University of Chicago. Every year, CIC universities save millions of dollars on joint purchases and contracts, access resources on the other member campuses and work together to solve problems faster.

CIC universities, including UNL, have a powerful voice in the academic conversation both nationally and globally. With annual research expenditures topping more than $10.2 billion – more than the Ivy League and the University of California System combined – and spanning 11 states from the Great Plains to the eastern seaboard, the 15 universities have enormous influence in research and education beyond their geographical footprint.

UNL became the CIC’s 13th member in 2011. The University of Maryland-College Park and Rutgers University joined in 2013.