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Created in 1993, the Institute for Design Research and Outreach (IDRO) encompasses the research, extension, distance education, and outreach functions of the College of Design. The Institute establishes and facilitates contact with outside organizations to integrate applied research into instructional and outreach activities of the college and its four departments: architecture, art and design, community and regional planning, and landscape architecture. Through IDRO, faculty and students work closely with citizen groups, businesses, and communities in addressing real-world problems and in exploring opportunities for new research initiatives.

Broadly defined, IDRO's overall mission is to stimulate creative approaches to solving design problems. It strives to promote interdisciplinary design research, to facilitate communication with design professionals and the public, and to respond to the needs of the people of Iowa in areas associated with the design disciplines. Current focus areas include community sustainability, environmental awareness and responsiveness, implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), historic preservation, spatial analysis using geographic information systems (GIS), and nonprofit management training. Programs are organized around these areas of emphasis and expertise. Projects often are conducted collaboratively, and individual faculty may be involved in several different programs at the same time.