ORAU Mission
As a consortium of doctoral-granting academic institutions, Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) member universities share the common objective of advancing scientific research and education by creating mutually beneficial collaborative partnerships involving academe, government, and industry. Our emphasis is on developing and promoting partnerships with national laboratories—in particular, our neighbor, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
As a non-profit corporation, ORAU operates as a federal contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by targeting three core areas:
- Worker/public health and independent verification of environmental cleanup
- Weapons of mass destruction national preparedness and emergency response
- Science education, workforce development, and scientific review programs
As a strategic partner with UT-Battelle, the managing contractor for ORNL, ORAU works with the University of Tennessee and Battelle to help strengthen the science and technology programs at ORNL. Our thrust is to nurture mutually beneficial university partnerships that will enhance collaborative research and expand faculty and student participation at the lab.
