The National Opinion Research Center won a federal contract valued at up to $13,352,059 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., for research and development services for the National Children's Study.

NORC, Chicago, won a $7,055,744 federal contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, for the planning and conduct of National Immunization Survey and State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey for the data year 2012.

The Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago announced the formation of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The center will combine the expertise of NORC, one of the world's premier social science research organizations, with AP, the essential global news network whose news is seen every day over all media platforms and formats by more than half of the world's population. Leading the Center are Daniel S. Gaylin, executive vice president of NORC at the University of Chicago and Trevor Tompson, global director of polling for The Associated Press. In addition, the Center will have an independent advisory committee chaired by Paul J. Lavrakas, an industry leader with deep expertise in survey research for academic, media and commercial institutions. The Center's headquarters will be at NORC in Chicago. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research will conduct, analyze, and distribute social research in the public interest on newsworthy topics. The initiative is designed to create high-impact journalism and meaningful contributions to public discussion on important national and international issues. The Center will commission original survey research, collect and analyze other types of data and produce insightful analysis on various topics. The Center's work will be sponsored by philanthropic foundations and other individuals and organizations interested in deepening understanding of key issues. The Center will issue its inaugural report the first week in September detailing the results of a survey entitled 'Civil Liberties and Security: ten years after 9/11' which seeks to determine where people draw the line between civil liberties and security. The survey also looks back at the impact of the events of 9/11 and how they have affected the way Americans live their lives present. The Center will also: track selected social, political, and cultural trends over time. Explore the relationships among public opinion research and ongoing public policy discussions. Bring together subject-matter experts from AP and NORC--and leading experts from other institutions--to collaborate on research projects. Conduct methodological research that will advance the field of public opinion research. Create an education program about public opinion polling to help journalists and the public make judgments about the quality of the survey research they read in the media. Sponsor conferences, seminars, and other public forums where experts from AP and NORC at the University of Chicago, and other institutions, can discuss and debate important issues.