The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is an interdisciplinary research institute devoted to basic research in the physical sciences, computation, engineering, and biological, behavioral, and cognitive sciences.
The primary mission of the Institute is to foster interdisciplinary work of the highest quality in an environment that transcends many of the limitations inherent in traditional university organizations and structures. The Institute was founded on the premise that reducing barriers between traditional scientific and technology disciplines can yield more research advances than conventional approaches.
Research at the Institute is focused around three scientifically and technologically relevant research initiatives: Biological Intelligence; Human-Computer Intelligent Interaction; and Molecular and Electronic Nanostructures. Beckman’s Imaging Technology Group, Integrated Systems Laboratory, and Biomedical Imaging Center provide state-of-the-art technologies and facilities to assist research efforts.
The Beckman Institute building was made possible by a generous gift from University of Illinois alumnus Arnold O. Beckman and his wife Mabel M. Beckman, and a supplement from the state of Illinois. The Beckman Foundation continues to fund the Beckman Fellows program at the Institute, as well as the Arnold O. Beckman Lecture in Research & Innovation, a series designed to emphasize the benefits of basic research as reflected in the general economic benefit to society.