The Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research hosted an executive team from an international research organization working to fight blindness in military veterans.

Ranu Jung, I³R's founding executive director and endowed chair, distinguished professor and associate vice chancellor, invited Bravo Victor's London-based chief scientific officer, professor Renata Gomes, and Lou Celli, the executive director of their U.S. office, for a full day of briefings that showcased a sample the U of A's multidisciplinary cutting-edge research, from improved upper limb prosthetics to virtual reality sensory augmentation. 

"Over the past 150 years, the University of Arkansas has risen to one of the nation's top public research universities," Jung said. "We welcome our friends from Bravo Victor as we look for ways to work together to serve our nation's veterans."

Bravo Victor is a scientific research collaborative that started as the research directorate for Blind Veterans UK, founded in 1915 by newspaper owner Sir Arthur Pearson. Headquartered in London, England, Bravo Victor has worked in 22 different countries and currently works with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs through their Washington, D.C., office. 

"Working with the University of Arkansas provides a strategic advantage for our researchers, while strengthening our team and making us a more competitive partner to our federal and private clients," Gomes said. 

The group received updates from I³R's Adaptive Neural Systems Group and the U of A departments of Psychological Science; Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders; and Computer Science and Computer Engineering. The researchers discussed collaborative projects in neuroscience; mental health including stress and anxiety, sleep, arts engagement and well-being; artificial intelligence and virtual reality research. 

Driven by purpose, I³R is committed to transformative discoveries and translating them to ensure societal impact.

About Bravo Victor: Bravo Victor (www.bravovictor.org) is an international scientific research organization working to inspire, facilitate and focus the world's best research scientists and visionary supporters in order to deliver our desired impact of Victory Over Blindness.  Our goal is to accelerate research and explore innovations to prevent, reduce or reverse visual impairment and related conditions and disabilities, and to help veterans and other people to live well with these impairments through the advancement of health and social care for the public benefit, in particular, but not limited to the promotion, support, conduct and distribution of national and international research for practical application.

For more information, contact Tony Piedade, interim head of communications at tony.piedade@bravovictor.org or +44(0)797-466-7573.