Research at Berkeley is undertaken within several types of organizations—academic departments, institutes and centers, museums, and field stations. Academic departments offer courses and grant degrees, as well as sometimes housing laboratories and other research infrastructure. They are organized according to academic disciplines (e.g., sociology, economics, physics). Research Centers and Institutes, also referred to as Organized Research Units (ORUs), are dedicated solely to the research enterprise. They are organized around broad substantive research topics (e.g.,international affairs, information technology, the environment). As such, they draw into their research programs faculty and students from multiple departments and disciplines. Berkeley has more than 65 such research units including eight museums and a number of biological field stations. The campus Research website provides a list of ORUs.

The functions of an ORU are to facilitate research and research collaborations; disseminate research results through research conferences, meetings, and other activities; strengthen graduate and undergraduate education by providing students with training opportunities and access to facilities; seek extramural research funds; and carry out university and public service programs related to the ORU’s research expertise. ORUs do not, generally, offer formal courses for credit.

last updated on 3/20/07