Historical notes
The National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS), conceived as a "center without walls," was formally organized in 1990 with the assistance of a grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The grant proposal was initiated in response to a request for applications for National Multi-Purpose Research and Training Centers for the newly-established Institute.
Four organizations composed the original NCVS consortium: The University of Iowa, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Utah.
The NCVS was organized on the premise that a consortium of institutions is better able to acquire and maintain resources to fulfill the global mission of the sponsors than a single organization. NCVS members, although geographically separate, were linked by a common desire to fully understand the characteristics, limitations and enhancement of human voice and speech. They maintained cohesiveness by exploiting contemporary communications technology, inter-site training responsibilities, periodic conferences, and shared resources.
In 1999, the Institute rescinded the Multi-Purpose Research and Training Center funding mechanism. In a July 2000 meeting, however, NCVS investigators voted unanimously to continue the concept of a national resource center for voice and speech, to be driven by a variety of single-project research awards (R01's), as well as health communication, core, and training grants.
The administrative offices for the NCVS are located at the University of Utah.
Goals
Strategic goals of the NCVS are: