One function of the Center for Multivariate Analysis is to create opportunities for scholars from all over the world to visit and conduct research. Each year, approximately fifteen statistical researchers from countries such as China, India, Japan, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom visit the center for periods ranging from two weeks to three months. The researchers collaborate with the center's staff, sometimes bringing their own problems and sometimes working on projects that the center provides. These international visitors often create opportunities for new research directions in multivariate analysis. Most of the basic research conducted in the center is in response to new problems, those that cannot be solved with existing methodologies.

Another mission of the center is to offer research opportunities to graduate students. Although the center sponsors primarily postgraduate scientists, it welcomes graduate students to participate in research and gain work experience. Participating in research projects through the Center for Multivariate Analysis is a valuable supplement to course work.

The center sponsors seminars and conferences regularly. All visiting scholars present seminars on featured topics, providing graduate students with opportunities to learn about new research in multivariate analysis. A conference, held every two years, attracts researchers from all over the world. A new activity, the presentation of workshops by practitioners who work in various fields employing multivariate analysis, will teach students about the latest techniques available and how to use those techniques.

Most of the center's collaborative work is done with outside agencies. With funding from the Department of Defense, for example, researchers at the center work on signal detection problems. They analyze signals from submarines and airplanes, for instance, to determine how many there are and in what direction they are moving.

The center also cooperates with various industries. In one project, the coal industry provided statisticians with data on the properties of coal, with the aim of determining what is the best type of coal for manufacturing. The statisticians analyzed the data and provided information and advice. Researchers at the center also work with pharmaceutical companies, helping to determine properties of new drugs.

In addition to cooperating with outside organizations, the center does collaborative work with the statistics department and other areas of the University. Multivariate analysis plays an important role in environmental and ecological studies, so the center's staff collaborates with the Center for Statistical Ecology and Environmental Statistics. The staff also provides consulting for Penn State faculty and students who need to use multivariate statistical techniques to analyze their data. Possibilities exist for future interdepartmental collaboration in such fields as business, industrial engineering, and anthropology.

The Handbook of Statistics series, published in the Netherlands, is edited in the Center for Multivariate Analysis.