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Interdisciplinary Affairs & Organized Research

Organized Research Units (ORU)

Organized Research Units (ORUs) are entities created within the university that “serve to strengthen interdisciplinary programs of research and teaching conducted by the faculty, as well as to provide graduate and postdoctoral students with added research opportunities, facilities, and assistance.” ORUs are interdisciplinary in scope and connect faculty, students, and staff across different sectors of the campus to conduct and facilitate research, provide students with opportunities, and carry out public service programs. ORUs form bridges across the entirety of the UCLA campus, creating space and connections for groundbreaking research with public impact.

For more information, please see UCOP's Institutional Research and Academic Planning website on ORU's
 

Funding Opportunities

The UCLA Research Enhancement Office (REO) provides extensive information on funding opportunities available to the UCLA community. For information about further internal funding opportunities at UCLA, please visit the REO website and Internal Funding Database.

Learn more about UCLA's ORU review process below. 

 

Organized Research Units (ORUs) are reviewed every five years. The process is overseen by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities (ORCA). Reviews are composed of a unit's self-review, as well as a final report written by a review committee after a site visit. These committees are composed of both faculty internal to UCLA as well as external members. 

To ensure that each ORU is reviewed to the same standards while taking into account the wide range of individual ORU focuses and activities, ORCA provides guidelines for each review phase below. ORCA will work with the reporting Dean/Vice Provost, ORU Director, and Academic Senate Council on Research (COR).

Todd Presner (Advisor to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities) – North Campus
Stephanie White (Advisor to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities) – Interdisciplinary