Council on Undergraduate Research

What Council on Undergraduate Research does

The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1978 and headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with a Washington, DC-area contact presence. CUR's stated function is to support and promote high-quality, mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry across U.S. higher education, serving nearly 700 institutions and 13,000 individuals through 13 disciplinary divisions covering arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, and social sciences.

CUR's product portfolio is built around a subscription membership model augmented by conference, publishing, and professional development revenue streams. Core offerings include the annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and ConnectUR, the peer-reviewed Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR) journal, the competitive Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) advocacy program, the COEUR (Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research) assessment framework, and a portfolio of awards (AURA, Goldwater Faculty Mentor, CUR Fellows, CURAH, Silvia Ronco). The organization distributes services through a website member portal (myaccount.cur.org), an online community platform (community.cur.org), an advocacy tool integrated with Bose Washington Partners, and an on-demand learning course catalog that was recently extended via a microcredential partnership with HigherEd+.

CUR's go-to-market motion is community-led: recruitment of institutional and individual members drives recurring subscription revenue, supplemented by conference registration, year-long sponsorship tiers (Mission Partner, Annual Sponsor, Conference/Event Sponsor), advertising in the bi-weekly eNews, and publication/bookstore sales. Distribution channels include direct membership sales, a major annual conference circuit with rotating host institutions (NCUR 2027 confirmed for Grand Rapids, MI), and self-serve on-demand courses. Grant Dialogues is delivered in partnership with the National Grants Management Association. CUR is governed by an elected Board of Directors and led by Executive Officer Lindsay Currie; there is no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Council on Undergraduate Research

Legal name

Council on Undergraduate Research

Website

https://cur.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Council on Undergraduate Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1978 that supports mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry across nearly 700 institutions and 13,000 individuals through membership, conferences, publications, and awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Research Association Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

Keywords

• Undergraduate research support
• Faculty research mentoring
• Higher education conferences
• Academic professional development
• Research grants management

Headquarters

HQ city

Gaithersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CUR generates revenue through institutional and individual membership fees, providing access to resources, networking, awards, and professional development programs.
2. Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from NCUR (National Conference on Undergraduate Research), ConnectUR, and other events including registration fees for attendees.
3. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Year-long sponsorship and partnership programs including CUR Mission Partner, Annual Sponsor, and Conference/Event Sponsor/Supporter tiers. Organizations can engage through event-specific or comprehensive year-long packages.
4. Advertising: Advertising opportunities in eNews newsletter and other publications reaching CUR's membership community.
5. Publications and Resources: Revenue from SPUR journal (Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research), position statements, and other publications available through the bookstore.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) is a membership-based nonprofit organization that supports faculty, students, and institutions in developing, enhancing, and sustaining undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry. CUR delivers this through institutional and individual memberships, national and virtual conferences (NCUR, ConnectUR), professional development programs (STR, On-Demand Learning Courses, HigherEd+ Microcredentials), peer-reviewed publications (SPUR Journal), awards and recognition programs, the COEUR excellence framework, grant strategy dialogues in partnership with NGMA, and policy advocacy tools.

Product overview

The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) offers a comprehensive suite of programs and services supporting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry across higher education. The portfolio includes: the Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) Program for student professional development; the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and ConnectUR as major conference offerings; Grant Dialogues (in partnership with NGMA) for grant support; the SPUR Journal as a peer-reviewed publication; the CUR Awards Program including AURA and Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Award; COEUR as an excellence framework; On-Demand Learning Courses and HigherEd+ Microcredentials for professional development; CUR Community as an online networking platform; and Advocacy Tools for policy engagement. The organization serves nearly 700 institutions and 13,000 individuals through membership programs, with 13 disciplinary divisions covering arts and humanities, sciences, engineering, social sciences, and more.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• STR (Scholars Transforming Through Research): A competitive application-based professional development opportunity for teams consisting of a campus representative and one to three undergraduate students, focused on developing communication and advocacy skills
• SPUR (Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research)
• NCUR (National Conference on Undergraduate Research)
• Grant Dialogues

Products and services

• CUR Membership Institutional and individual membership program providing access to resources, networking, awards, professional development, and recognition for undergraduate research programs. CUR serves nearly 700 institutions and 13,000 individuals worldwide.
• National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) An annual conference welcoming presenters from all institutions of higher learning and disciplines to present research and celebrate undergraduate student achievement, with rotating host cities (e.g., NCUR 2027 in Grand Rapids, MI).
• ConnectUR Conference An annual conference offering both in-person and virtual engagement options for sharing expertise, exchanging ideas, and building connections with peers in the undergraduate research community.
• Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) Program A competitive application-based professional development program for teams consisting of a campus representative and one to three undergraduate students, focused on developing communication and advocacy skills to convey the importance and impact of undergraduate research experiences.
• Grant Dialogues A program offered in partnership with the National Grants Management Association (NGMA) that provides a collaborative space for the undergraduate research community to explore innovative grant strategies and support UR across disciplines.
• Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Journal A peer-reviewed journal providing a platform for research and insights related to undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activity across disciplines.
• CUR Awards Program Recognition program that honors institutions with exemplary undergraduate research programs (AURA), faculty facilitating undergraduate research through mentorship and leadership (Goldwater Scholars Faculty Mentor Award, CURAH, Silvia Ronco Innovative Mentor Award), and the CUR Fellows program recognizing exceptional leadership.
• On-Demand Learning Courses Self-paced educational courses and bundled programs designed to support professional development for undergraduate research practitioners, including courses on AI tools for academic researchers.
• COEUR (Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research) A framework outlining 11 criteria for exceptional undergraduate research programs, used for institutional assessment and recognition through the AURA award.
• HigherEd+ Microcredentials Microcredential on-demand programs developed in partnership with HigherEd+ to offer innovative professional development designed to support higher education undergraduate research professionals.
• Sponsorship and Partnership Program Year-long sponsorship and partnership program offering CUR Mission Partner, Annual Sponsor, and Conference/Event Sponsor/Supporter tiers for organizations wanting to reach CUR's membership community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of High Point University undergraduates complete at least one experiential learning opportunity before graduation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and support.

• HigherEd+coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Partnership to offer innovative microcredential on-demand programs designed to support higher education undergraduate research professionals. Provides additional professional development offerings for CUR members through microcredentials.
• National Grants Management Association (NGMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025Partnership to revamp the Grant Dialogues program, combining CUR's focus on undergraduate research with NGMA's expertise in grants management. The program provides a space for the community to explore innovative grant strategies and support UR across disciplines in a changing grants landscape.
• Grand Valley State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2025Host institution partnership for NCUR 2027 (National Conference on Undergraduate Research) taking place April 12-14, 2027 in Grand Rapids, MI. GVSU's Interim Vice Provost of Research and Innovation Ryan Otter highlights the partnership as showcasing their commitment to undergraduate research experiences.
• Bose Washington PartnerssupportImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdvocacy partner providing support for CUR's advocacy efforts. Enables CUR members to send personalized, automated messages to Senators and Representatives through an advocacy tool.
• Matrix Group International, Inc.supportTechnology or IntegrationWeb design and development partner responsible for CUR's website design and development as noted in the footer of cur.org.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Association of Colleges and Universities: AAC&U is a membership-based higher-education association serving colleges and universities on quality, curriculum, and faculty development — closely paralleling CUR's role in supporting undergraduate research across institutions.
• Council of Independent Colleges: CIC is a membership association of private, nonprofit colleges and universities that provides professional development, advocacy, and program support — directly comparable to CUR's institutional membership and programming model.
• American Educational Research Association: AERA is a membership-based scholarly society for education researchers with peer-reviewed journals, awards, and an annual meeting — closely mirroring CUR's SPUR journal, awards program, and annual conference model.
• American Association of Physics Teachers: AAPT is a discipline-specific membership association of physics educators that publishes, awards, and runs conferences for faculty and students — directly comparable in mission, structure, and audience to CUR.

Broad incumbents

• American Association for the Advancement of Science: AAAS runs a much broader science-focused membership and advocacy portfolio but explicitly funds undergraduate research experiences (e.g., AAAS Mass Media, ARPA), making it an incumbent in the same higher-education/research-support ecosystem.
• Association of American Universities: AAU is an association of leading US and Canadian research universities that advocates for research funding and graduate/undergraduate research policy — operating in the same institutional/research-administration space but at a different institutional tier.
• American Chemical Society: ACS runs a significant undergraduate research portfolio (undergraduate research awards, ACS national meeting student events, Project SEED) that overlaps directly with CUR's faculty/student-facing programming — a discipline-specific incumbent in the same space.
• American Physical Society: APS runs undergraduate-focused research awards, conferences, and the Physics department bridging programs that compete with CUR for physics faculty and student engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CURinAction
• Facebookfacebook.com/CURinAction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-on-undergraduate-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/curinaction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Council on Undergraduate Research