Founded in 2015, the Institute of Data and Analytics (IDA) is the research hub for the Culverhouse College of Business at the University of Alabama and serves as a coordinator for University-wide research activities, particularly as it pertains to the technical aspects of working with data. Additionally, the IDA manages all funded research activity and serves as a nexus point for faculty, research staff, and students. The multidisciplinary team at the IDA seeks to develop and cultivate data and analytics expertise through evidence-based research via communicating applied research discoveries and approaches with technically-focused students, faculty, and various corporate, community, and government partners with underutilized data. IDA projects range from focused academic investigations to major corporate partnerships to servicing the needs of our State and Nation (e.g., methodological and evidence-based studies, Lockheed Martin and Protective Life, Alabama State Opioid Repository).