University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
UCAR serves as a hub for research, education, and public outreach for the atmospheric and Earth system science community. We manage the National Center for Atmospheric Research and UCAR Community Programs on behalf of the National Science Foundation and the university community. Our headquarters are in Boulder, Colorado.
UCAR's mission is to
- support, enhance, and extend the capabilities of the university community, nationally and internationally
- understand the behavior of the atmosphere and related systems and the global environment
- foster the transfer of knowledge and technology for the betterment of life on Earth
Founded in 1960, UCAR is a nonprofit consortium of North American member universities, each of which grants doctoral degrees in the atmospheric and related sciences, plus an increasing number of international affiliates offering comparable degrees, and North American academic affiliates offering predoctoral degrees.
Members of the private sector serve on governance boards, collaborate with researchers, contribute funding to specific projects, and participate in technology transfer activities. Through its Office of Government Affairs, UCAR advocates for strong federal science budgets on behalf of the geosciences community.