The Nebraska Center for Virology (NCV), a Center of Biomedical Research Excellent (COBRE), was formed in the fall of 2000 under the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program. The Center combines the expertise and facilities of Nebraska's leading biomedical research institutions: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Creighton University. Junior and established researchers at these institutions conduct innovative and collaborative research efforts supported by the Center's state-of-the-art core facilities. The Center presents a strong mentoring environment to attract and promote the development of promising investigators. Since its inception, the Center has attracted seven new virologists to the State of Nebraska, and in November of 2003 initiated a campaign to raise funds to build a new 15 million dollar state-of-the art research center on the UNL campus. NCV is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Research Resources.