In 1997, the director of the University of Georgia Honors Program successfully applied for funding for CURO through the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for Improvement of Post- Secondary Education to create a centralized undergraduate research program at the University of Georgia.

The funding application stated: We propose to establish a Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. This Center will have components that will enhance opportunities for undergraduates to undertake individual research, support faculty initiatives to make a role for these students in their research, and provide graduate students, post-docs, and other research staff with training in the management of research that includes undergraduates as part of the team. The Center will synergize the University’s commitment to research and our obligation to undergraduate education.

Now 27 years later, the program established to give opportunities to Honors students has extended its vision, working with Honors and non-Honors students across campus, across disciplines, and across majors, facilitating their growth in labs, libraries, fields, and offices in Athens, in the state of Georgia, and, in some instances, around the world. In that time, it has supported thousands of students and their faculty mentors through course credit, scholarships, on- and off-campus presentation opportunities, and partnerships with other UGA units.

Key numbers from the last five years are listed below.

R-suffix courses

Programs and Activities

*The CURO Summer Fellowship was not offered in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CURO Symposium Presenters

*The CURO Symposium was held virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2022 marked the return to in-person Symposium programming.