The National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS) conceived as a "center without walls," was formally organized in 1990 with the assistance of a grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Four organizations composed the original NCVS consortium: The University of Iowa, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Utah. The NCVS was organized on the premise that a consortium of institutions is better able to acquire and maintain resources to fulfill the global mission of the sponsors than a single organization. NCVS members, although geographically separate, were linked by a common desire to fully understand the characteristics, limitations and enhancement of human voice and speech. The lead offices are located at the University of Utah.