University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Fostering deeper understanding of the Atmosphere, Earth, and Sun

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) serves as a hub for research, education, and public outreach for the atmospheric and related Earth sciences community.  

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) provides research, observing and computing facilities, and a variety of services for the atmospheric and related Earth sciences community. 

NCAR and the UCAR Community Programs are managed by UCAR, a nonprofit consortium of research universities, on behalf of the National Science Foundation and the university community.

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

UCAR is a nonprofit consortium that manages the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the UCAR Community Programs on behalf of the National Science Foundation and the university community. We provide services and promote partnerships within a collaborative community of researchers and educators who are dedicated to understanding the atmosphere—the air around us—and the complex processes that make up the Earth system, from the ocean floor to the Sun's core. 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.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) was created in the late 1950s by faculty from 14 leading universities to support and nourish the atmospheric sciences. These visionaries recognized the need for community observational and computational facilities and a world-class research staff, which together would allow the community to carry out complex, long-term scientific programs beyond the reach of individual universities. Since its inception, UCAR has managed NCAR, on behalf of NSF, to address pressing scientific and societal needs involving the atmosphere and its interactions with the oceans, land, and Sun - what is now called Earth system science.

UCAR’s role in supporting and complementing the work of academia has grown to include new research, service, and education programs in the UCAR Office of Programs (UOP) and Office of Education and Outreach (EO). UCAR now comprises 71 member universities, 17 affiliates, and 46 international affiliates. Collectively, they strengthen and promote professional interactions, collaborations, and collegiality in the broader community.

^ Back to Top