The Zofnass Research Program conducts research that examines sustainable infrastructure topics and supports development and use of the Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework. The program was originally developed in 2007 at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where it was called the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, named after its benefactors Paul and Joan Zofnass. Its purpose was to develop and promote methods, processes, and tools that quantify sustainability for infrastructure.

After its founding in 2010, ISI worked closely with the Zofnass program to integrate the best of industry experience with cutting-edge academic research to develop and release Envision in 2012. This achievement responded directly to the need for a comprehensive sustainability framework and rating system suitable for use in civil infrastructure development. In 2022, the program moved from Harvard to ISI, where it is now called the Zofnass Research Program, so that it could more readily engage with the private sector and evolve to serve the diverse needs of the AEC industry.