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        • About Us

          URA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) academic consortium composed of over 94 premier research universities across the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan headquartered in Washington, D.C. supporting government lab management and operation in the national interest.

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        • Member Universities

          URA fosters valuable university research partnerships through membership. URA presents members with research opportunities at national engineering and physics labs, engagement with laboratory leadership and management, and recognition of academic achievements.

        • Lab Management

          Since 1965 URA has been an integral part of the management of Fermilab, overseeing the management and operations of the lab and bringing the expertise of our 94 member universities to bear on the challenges facing the Fermilab.  URA supports scholars and interns doing research at Fermilab and recognizes outstanding contributions.  In 2007 URA became part of the organization that manages and operates Sandia National Laboratories and since then has worked to support the scientific and technical demands of Sandia by supporting external calibration of science, technology and engineering (ST&E) programs; aid in ST&E programs’ strategic planning; and assist in development of university partnerships and diverse workforce talent.

        • Science & Research Policy

          URA strives to engender an awareness of the current national science policy issues among its members and early career scientists. This is achieved through a variety of platforms at URA, including science policy and communication training, connecting scientists and policymakers, and policy town halls and workshops. URA’s goal is to facilitate effective science communication to promote the public’s understanding of scientific discoveries, foster trust in scientific institutions, and facilitate informed decision-making by policymakers and the public.

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        • High Energy Physics User Community

          URA has been a supporter, convener, and integral part of the high energy physics User Community since Fermilab’s creation. Currently approximately seventy-five percent of the university-based users at Fermilab come from URA members. URA members represent the best scientific expertise the nation has to offer. Through our leadership, oversight, and programs URA is committed to ensuring that the full range of expertise from around the Nation and the world contributes to Fermilab’s scientific challenges and the user and affiliate community remains the vital part of the lab’s research base that it has always been.

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Technology, Innovation, and Partnership Roadmap
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URA-Hosted Discussion: National Science Foundation Request for Information on the Technology, Innovation, and Partnership (TIP) Directorate’s Roadmap Development

On April 28, 2023, URA hosted a Town Hall Meeting with the National Science Foundation to discuss the recently released Request for Information (RFI) that aims to gather “…input from the full range of institutions and organizations across all sectors—industry, academia, non-profits, government, venture capital, and others—to inform the development of a roadmap for its newly-established Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate…”. Responses to the RFI are due to NSF on July 27, 2023. Over 45 individuals representing 39 URA member universities attended the meeting. “ Speakers: Erwin Gianchandani, Assistant Director of NSF for the Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Directorate Tess DeBlanc-Knowles, Staff Associate for Technology Policy, and Strategy Chaitanya Baru, Senior Advisor

U.S. Capitol building
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URA Roundtable Report on Effective University-National Laboratory Partnerships:

A Look to the Future

As part of URA’s 2020 Council of Presidents Annual Meeting and Policy Forum, speakers from the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science and from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) described the future challenges and priorities related to National Laboratories and the importance of the university-national laboratory relationship. As a result of these discussions, URA organized a roundtable in October 2020 among a group of URA member university representatives on how to strengthen the engagement of the university community with the National Laboratories.

In recent years, discussion among researchers and policymakers has centered on how to prioritize research resources to focus more sharply on national priorities. In addition to identifying specific science investment priorities, it is crucial to examine how the research ecosystem–including the National Laboratories, academia, and industry–can function most effectively. More robust connections, greater clarity around current university-National Laboratory partnerships, and identification of opportunities for improvement, would benefit all parties and contribute to the strength and creativity of the entire research enterprise. The vigorous participation of universities—sources of knowledge, of pathbreaking research, and of rich talent pipelines—in this national dialogue is critical. Giving universities a clear voice in this dialogue was the motivation for the URA Roundtable on Effective University-National Laboratory Partnerships—A Look to the Future. The Roundtable discussed the complex issues at the intersection of the intellectual mandate, the creation of the next generation STEM workforce, and the evolving business model for universities.