Southeastern Universities Research Association
The Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) is a consortium of 63 universities in the United States and 1 in Canada. SURA is the sole holder of the Limited Liability Company, Jefferson Science Associates (JSA), which holds the Management and Operations (M&O) contractor for Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Virginia. In addition to Jefferson Lab, SURA supports information technology initiatives and coastal and environmental research. SURAnet. The chief goal of SURA was the development of a particle accelerator for research in nuclear physics; this facility is now known as the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator  Facility. By the mid-1980s it was clear that access to high-capacity computer resources would be needed to facilitate collaboration among the SURA member institutions. A high-performance network to provide this access was essential, but no single institution could afford to develop such a system. SURA itself stepped up to the challenge and, with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and SURA universities, SURAnet was up and running in 1987, and was part of the first phase of National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET) funding as the agency built a network to facilitate scientific collaboration. Current. Today, SURA  consists of over 60 member universities and CEBAF is now known as the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab). SURA continues to operate the Jefferson Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy through Jefferson Science Associates, LLC. SURA also operates the SURA Residence Facility, guest house to accommodate national and international researchers who come to use Jefferson Lab's unique facilities. SURA's intramural research activities are collaborations with its member institutions, government agencies, and other researchers working to advance and exploit the transformative nature of information technology on the regional, national, and international fronts, and facilitating a better  understanding of coastal, ocean and environmental phenomena that plays a prominent role in our lives. Member institutions. Member Institutions: