Dr. Judith Simon started the Center for Innovation Technology Management when University of Memphis faculty indicated a need for a research center focusing on topics related to managing information technology and its continual changes.  The faculty needed a university point of contact for their efforts to work on research projects with various types of organizations.  CITM is a multidisciplinary center, which encourages and supports research collaborations among faculty from departments throughout the University of Memphis and elsewhere.

CITM’s primary focus involves topics that are of direct value to IT managers.  A few examples of topics in which CITM has been involved include comparisons of differences in employee issues experienced by managers in different global cultures, IT workforce trends, effectiveness of organizations’ acceptable IT use policies, and IT performance management.  CITM has provided assistance to multiple professional organizations by developing and administering surveys regarding their members’ interests in program topics, as well as analyzing and distributing the results of these surveys.

Funding for the Center for Innovation Technology Management is currently provided through donations to a University of Memphis Foundation account for CITM.  As these funds grow, the program will increase the support provided to faculty and student researchers for conference travel, software needs, and other costs of performing relevant research.  Plans are underway to pursue grant funding for CITM-related research projects, which would further increase funding for student and faculty research.