The Institute for Civil Infrastructure Systems was established in 1998 at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service in partnership with Cornell University, Polytechnic University of New York, and the University of Southern California, with funding from the National Science Foundation.

ICIS integrates engineering and social science to address the critical problems of developing and managing infrastructure in 21st-Century societies. ICIS brings together practitioners, researchers, advocates and other infrastructure stakeholders with the managers, engineers and planners who design, manage, and finance infrastructure systems. Through workshops, conferences, publications and outreach, ICIS promotes engagement and collaboration among the wide range of disciplines, perspectives, ideas and people.