Nonprofit research management corporation founded in 1946 that builds and operates scientific facilities, including NRAO radio telescopes in the US and Chile.
Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a nonprofit research management corporation founded in 1946 that plans, builds, and operates research facilities and programs for the international scientific community. Headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, AUI has operated for nearly eight decades under a founding consortium of universities, with collaboration across institutions, governments, and industries as a guiding principle. It is a 501(c)(3) organisation.
AUI's largest stewardship is the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), which oversees some of the most sophisticated radio telescope facilities on Earth. These include the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) in the United States, the Green Bank Observatory, and the ALMA Observatory in Chile. Facilities managed under AUI's stewardship have contributed to six Nobel Prize-linked discoveries.
Beyond observatory operations and management, AUI works in radio astronomy, energy research, scientific facilities management, and STEM education. Its Education and Public Engagement division runs workforce development initiatives, STEM learning programmes, and public engagement efforts aimed at building a scientifically literate society. The organisation draws on talent and resources from academia, industry, and government, with an emphasis on operational excellence and community engagement.
