ACCORDING TO THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE, 1 Institute of MedicineBest Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC2013 Google Scholar “each action that could improve quality—developing knowledge, translating new information into medical evidence, applying the new evidence to patient care—is marred by significant shortcomings and inefficiencies that result in missed opportunities, waste, and harm to patients.” Conversations between an acute care health agency and a university school of nursing regarding advancing best practices within nursing care led to the idea of establishing a center of excellence as a mechanism for organizing and managing innovative and visionary projects. As a result, the Center of Excellence in Evidence-Based Practice (CEEBP) was developed as a collaborative effort between academic and clinical settings. 2 De Geest S. Dobbels F. Schonfeld S. Duerinckx N. Sveinbjarnardottir E.K. Denhaerynck K. Academic Service Partnerships: What do we learn from around the globe? A systematic literature review. Nurs Outlook. 2013; 61: 447-457 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (23) Google Scholar The CEEBP requires motivation, dedication, and teamwork to engage in evidence-based practice (EBP), instill the importance of EBP, and to share knowledge gained with other health care providers. The CEEBP was envisioned as a “Center without walls.” The principle intent for the center was to be open and supportive in meeting the needs identified by the unique agencies seeking knowledge and assistance from the center. Enthusiastic and persistent reassurance is provided to the members of project teams to support different projects and investigate avenues to disseminate results. The overall goals for this “Center without walls” is to make EBP a natural part of each bedside nurses' routine. Sharon Cannon, EdD, RN, ANEF, is the Regional Dean/Professor, Medical Center Hospital Regional Dean Endowed Chair, Co-Director of the Center of Excellence in Evidence-Based Practice, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Nursing, Odessa, TX Carol Boswell, EdD, RN, CNE, ANEF, is the Professor at the James A. “Buddy” Davidson Charitable Foundation Endowed Chair for Evidence-Based Practice, Co-Director of the Center of Excellence in Evidence-Based Practice, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Nursing, Odessa, TX