The IDDRC provides resources to its member scientists that are designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerate the pace of translational research thereby moving the field closer to treatments and strategies for prevention of the disabilities that can be associated with condition such as autism, fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and more. The MIND Institute IDDRC is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a component of the National Institutes of Health (grant number: P50 HD103526.

The MIND Institute IDDRC is one of 14 such centers in the United States. Established in 1963 by Congress as "centers of excellence" for research in intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers represent the nation's first and foremost sustained effort to prevent and treat disabilities through biomedical and behavioral research. The MIND Institute IDDRC is the newest member of this prestigious network, having earned the distinction in 2013. Other members of the network can be found here.

The MIND Institute IDDRC focuses its scientific efforts on three themes: Biobehavioral Characterization of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and Treatments for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Within each of these themes, our scientists focus on numerous conditions associated with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The MIND Institute IDDRC also provides support for more than 80 funded projects addressing these themes through five cores: Administrative Core, Clinical Translational Core, Biological and Molecular Analysis Core, Rodent Behavior Core, and Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Research Design Core.

The IDDRC is a center within the UC Davis MIND Institute. The IDDRC is fully integrated into and benefits from the outstanding faculty, staff, trainees, and resources of the MIND Institute and its internationally recognized research, clinical, educational, and outreach programs. The IDDRC partners in numerous ways with many MIND Institute programs, including the Autism Research Training Program, Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, International Training Program in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, Northern California LEND Program, and RISE UP.

The MIND Institute IDDRC also draws on and contributes to the resources and expertise of other centers and units at UC Davis. Through special arrangements, our scientists receive assistance and subsidies to access the expertise and services of the Center for Molecular and Genetic Imaging, Imaging Research Center, Institute for Regenerative Cures, and Mouse Biology Program. The MIND Institute IDDRC also collaborates with the faculty and programs of the Center for Mind and Brain, Center for Neuroscience, Center for Reducing Health Disparities, Clinical and Translational Sciences Center, Genome Center, and California National Primate Center.