Organization · Community
Universities Research Association
Universities Research Association (URA) is a non-profit academic consortium of over 90 research universities based in Washington, DC. It focuses on government lab management and scientific advancement in the national interest.
Overview
What Universities Research Association does
What Universities Research Association is
Universities Research Association (URA) is a non-profit academic consortium of over 90 research universities based in Washington, DC. It focuses on government lab management and scientific advancement in the national interest.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports community capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Community
- Founded
- Founded in 1965
- Approximate age
- About 61 years
- Structured capabilities
- Community
- Last reviewed
- April 10, 2026
Official channels
Find Universities Research Association elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Universities Research Association as a community
Community overview
Universities Research Association (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. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and supports government lab management and operation in the national interest.
Community focus
URA focuses on fostering valuable university research partnerships through membership. It provides research opportunities at national engineering and physics labs, engagement with laboratory leadership and management, and recognition of academic achievements. URA has been involved in the management of Fermilab since 1965 and became part of the organization managing Sandia National Laboratories in 2007. The organization also supports science, technology, and engineering (ST&E) programs and facilitates university partnerships and workforce development.
Member value
Members gain access to research opportunities, engagement with laboratory leadership, and recognition of academic achievements. URA supports early career scientists and engages members in national science policy issues through training and workshops.
Membership
- Recorded members
- 94
- Pricing models
- free
Format and cadence
- Modality
- in-person
- Schedule
- rolling-admissions
- Commitment
- light
Availability
- Membership state
- Accepting
Audience and fit
- Audience
- Students · Researchers
- Benefits
- mentorship and network-access
- Program types
- community and other
- Selection criteria
- open
Community activity
Events and activity
URA hosts various events, including Policy Town Halls for discussing current national science policy issues and Workshops for training scientists on effective communication and engagement with policymakers.
Notable members
URA is composed of over 94 premier research universities, including notable institutions involved in significant research and policy initiatives.
Common questions
What to know about Universities Research Association
Upseed classifies Universities Research Association under the Community organization type. Its current public profile includes community capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
April 10, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.