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General Questions Concerning the AURA and NOAO Organizations What is the organization's legal name? What company name do I use when speaking to vendors? Who funds NOAO and NSO? Is NOAO a part of the University of Arizona? I have heard that NOAO is an FFRDC. What is an FFRDC? What is the organization's legal name? The legal name of the organization and the name under which all agreements are consummated is the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.. "AURA, Inc." is NOT the organization's legal name and, in fact, there is one other corporation in Arizona named AURA, Inc. Because we have used that name for so long and to avoid legal conflicts with the original AURA, Inc., we now refer to ourselves as either AURA, or the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. The National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) and the National Solar Observatory (NSO) are centers managed by AURA. The Kitt Peak National Observatory, the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, and the Sacramento Peak Observatory are facilities managed by NOAO and NSO. Other than AURA, none of these names has any legal standing. Like AURA, SOAR, WIYN and LSST are incorporated in the state of Arizona and have legal standing, although administrative services for these facilities are provided by AURA centers. Procurements for these facilities, when conducted by NOAO Procurement, are done under the AURA umbrella. Like the NOAO acronym, most vendors will not recognize the SOAR or WIYN acronym. top What company name do I use when speaking to vendors? It is suggested that you refer to yourself as working for either AURA or the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Incorporated. Facilities such as Kitt Peak, the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, and the National Solar Observatory have no legal standing. Local vendors may recognize these names, but most vendors will have us listed under either Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. or AURA for credit and account purposes. top Who funds NOAO and NSO? NOAO and NSO are funded through a long-term cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. If you wish to see a copy of the AURA-NSF cooperative agreement, contact Daniel Calabrese, the Assistant to the Associate Director for Administration and Facilities (dcalabrese@noao.edu, ext. 8409). top Is NOAO a part of the University of Arizona? NOAO, NSO, and AURA are not funded by or considered a part of the University of Arizona. They are a government-funded Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC). The University of Arizona is a part of the AURA family of universities and a member of AURA's Board of Directors. The University of Arizona is funded by the State of Arizona and is an educational institution. Because of its source of funding, the University of Arizona has many contractual requirements and restrictions that differ from AURA's. Because of the difference in funding, we cannot identify ourselves to vendors as part of the University of Arizona. Because of the close relationship between the University of Arizona and AURA, AURA employees receive affiliated staff ID cards from the university and can enjoy many of the same benefits as University employees. In addition, NOAO Procurement is able to purchase many items through the University bookstore. top I have heard that NOAO is an FFRDC. What is an FFRDC? NOAO is considered a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) by the National Science Foundation. As such, NOAO is able to take advantage of all available government discounts for purchases. However, NOAO is not allowed to access government discounts for airline travel. An FFRDC is a unique organization that assists the United States government with scientific research and analysis, systems development, and systems acquisition. FFRDCs bring together the expertise and outlook of government, industry, and academia to solve complex technical problems that cannot be solved by any one group alone. FFRDCs enable agencies to use private sector resources to accomplish tasks that are integral to the mission and operation of the sponsoring agency. An FFRDC is required to conduct its business in a manner befitting its special relationship with the government, to operate in the public interest with objectivity and independence, to be free from organizational conflicts of interest, and to have full disclosure of its affairs to the sponsoring agency. It is the government's intent that an FFRDC not use its privileged information or access to facilities to compete with the private sector. However, an FFRDC may perform work for other than the sponsoring agency under the Economy Act, or other applicable legislation, when the work is not otherwise available from the private sector. top

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Last updated 8/23/2002.