About

Who We Are

UT Austin’s Defense Research Advancement (DRA) is a team dedicated to assisting Department of Defense (DOD) research within the Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors. Acting as a liaison and steward, we engage with campus researchers and the defense innovation ecosystem to advance scientific discovery for the unique requirements of the DOD.

Research is conducted on UT Austin’s flagship Main Campus, home to 18 colleges and schools, and off-campus sites such as the 475-acre J.J. Pickle Research Campus (PRC). DRA has offices in the historic Anna Hiss Gymnasium and a Secure Research Environment at PRC available to faculty for projects requiring additional information assurance.

DRA works closely with Applied Research Laboratories (ARL:UT), a Department of Defense University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC) and separate organized research unit (ORU) within the Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors portfolio. ARL:UT, the largest ORU at UT Austin, has a 78-year history of world-class research and expertise. Its facilities are located at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus and Lake Travis.

What We Do

• Steward UT campus DOD research partnerships with military departments and defense agencies including the Air Force, Army, Navy, Space Force, DARPA, DTRA and others. Interface with emerging nexus of DOD related endeavors in Austin, TX.
• Connect researchers to DOD needs, gaps, and project funding to bring world leading problem solvers to the nation’s toughest challenges.
• Facilitate proposal planning and submission. Our team is familiar with the research infrastructure of UT Austin and DOD.
• Simplify DOD research project management for faculty with program and administrative tools, best practices and hands-on assistance.
• Assist investigators with security requirements for research that may require information assurance protections including the opportunity to use DRA’s secure research facility (SRE) at the PRC campus.
• Coordinate research transitions from Main Campus to partners within the DOD, industry, and UT Austin including the Creating Connections for National Security program with UT’s UARC Applied Research Laboratories.
• Help develop and advance campus initiatives to grow workforce in STEM and DOD areas of critical need.
• Provide events and media coordination of DOD and related engagements on campus. Assist UT Austin community with protocol and etiquette for DOD engagements.