Advancing Veteran and public health
through innovative research

Who We Are

In 1988 Congress passed Public Law 100-322 (now codified at section 7361-66 of title 38, United States Code) that allowed Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers to establish nonprofit research corporations (NPCs), forming a unique public/private partnership that dramatically broadened VA’s ability to benefit from private and non-VA public support for research conducted at VA medical centers.

The Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research (PAVIR) is the second largest of 81 active NPCs that exist due to Title 38 legislation.

PAVIR was incorporated in the State of California on November 30, 1988, and is an independent 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation.  PAVIR may exercise all rights and powers conferred on nonprofit public benefit corporations under the laws of the state of California.

PAVIR is located on-site at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS), and only supports research and education activities approved by VAPAHCS.  Learn more about the VAPAHCS >

Initially, PAVIR was incorporated under the name of the Palo Alto Institute for Research and Education (PAIRE).  Early on, the organization administered foundation grants, industry sponsored clinical trials, and a few federal awards.  The administration of those initial federal awards created the building blocks for developing scalable federal grant administration infrastructure.  In 2006, PAIRE entered into an agreement with Stanford University that PAIRE would administer all awards when more than 50% of the anticipated project expenses are incurred in VAPAHCS space.

To better reflect the mission, the name was changed to Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research in 2014.

 Click below to learn how we pronounce PAVIR  ( /ˈpāvər/ ) :

Last Modified: January 10, 2020 12:43pm
NAVREF 2021-2022 Membership