The Colorado Front Range R&D ecosystem
Colorado Front Range is ranked number 54 of 392 R&D ecosystems in the 311 Institute directory, with 44 labs within about 120 kilometres: 24 research institutes, 11 government, 5 university and 4 corporate. Leading organisations include United States Geological Survey, NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory and University of Colorado Boulder, focused on atmospheric science, global and planetary change, astronomy and astrophysics and ecology.
Part of the 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory. Compiled by Matthew Griffin. Last updated .
#54world rank
44labs
30organisations
1country
Why these labs matter
Palantir: Shapes how governments use AI.
National Laboratory of the Rockies: Its change of name and mission is a signal of where US energy research priorities are heading.
All 44 labs
| Lab and organisation | Location | Type and sector | Focus | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atmospheric and Space Technology Research Associates (United States)Atmospheric and Space Technology Research Associates (United States) | Boulder, United States | Corporate Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Infectious Diseases, Atmospheric Science | |
| KPMG IgnitionKPMG | Denver, United States | Corporate Professional services | Client innovation | 2017 |
| PalantirPalantir | Denver, United States | Corporate Technology | AI platforms, Defence | 2003 |
| TDA Research (United States)TDA Research (United States) | Wheat Ridge, United States | Corporate Chemicals and materials | Organic Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Chemistry | 1987 |
| Agricultural Research Service - Plains AreaAgricultural Research Service | Fort Collins, United States | Government Environment and climate | Soil Science, Molecular Biology, Ecology | 1953 |
| Center for Epidemiology and Animal HealthCenter for Epidemiology and Animal Health | Fort Collins, United States | Government Agriculture and food | Agronomy and Crop Science, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Food Science | |
| Institute for Telecommunication SciencesNational Telecommunications and Information Administration | Boulder, United States | Government Industrials and manufacturing | Aerospace Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Media Technology | 1942 |
| NIST BoulderNIST | Boulder, United States | Government Technology | Timekeeping, Quantum | 1954 |
| NOAA Chemical Sciences LaboratoryNOAA Earth System Research Laboratory | Boulder, United States | Government Environment and climate | Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes | 1954 |
| NOAA Physical Sciences LaboratoryNOAA Earth System Research Laboratory | Boulder, United States | Government Environment and climate | Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, Oceanography | 2005 |
| NSF NCAR Climate and Global Dynamics LaboratoryNSF National Center for Atmospheric Research | Boulder, United States | Government Environment and climate | Global and Planetary Change, Atmospheric Science, Oceanography | |
| National Laboratory of the RockiesUS Department of Energy | Golden, United States | Government Energy and resources | Renewables, Grid, Hydrogen | |
| Rocky Mountain Research StationUS Forest Service | Fort Collins, United States | Government Environment and climate | Global and Planetary Change, Ecology, Nature and Landscape Conservation | |
| National Solar ObservatoryUS National Science Foundation | Boulder, United States | Government Basic science | Solar physics | |
| NSF National Center for Atmospheric ResearchUS National Science Foundation | Boulder, United States | Government Environment and climate | Climate, Weather | |
| Cooperative Institute for Research in the AtmosphereColorado State University | Fort Collins, United States | University Environment and climate | Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, Oceanography | 1980 |
| NSF NCAR High Altitude ObservatoryUniversity Corporation for Atmospheric Research | Boulder, United States | University Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Atmospheric Science | 1940 |
| Institute of Arctic and Alpine ResearchUniversity of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, United States | University Environment and climate | Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, Earth-Surface Processes | 1951 |
| Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space PhysicsUniversity of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, United States | University Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Global and Planetary Change, Atmospheric Science | 1948 |
| Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences InstituteUniversity of Colorado Denver | Aurora, United States | University Healthcare and life sciences | Infectious Diseases, Health, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health | 2008 |
| Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research CenterAdvanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center | Golden, United States | Research institute Industrials and manufacturing | Mechanical Engineering, General Materials Science, Mechanics of Materials | 1984 |
| Center for Agricultural Resources ResearchAgricultural Research Service - Plains Area | Fort Collins, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Environmental Chemistry, Soil Science, Water Science and Technology | |
| National Wildlife Research CenterAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service | Fort Collins, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Ecology, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Agronomy and Crop Science | |
| Center for Disease AnalysisCenter for Disease Analysis | Lafayette, United States | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Hepatology, Surgery, Epidemiology | |
| Eltron ResearchEltron Research | Boulder, United States | Research institute Chemicals and materials | Materials Chemistry, Catalysis, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry | 1982 |
| Genesis LaboratoriesGenesis Laboratories | Wellington, United States | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Parasitology, Plant Science, Ecology | 1989 |
| IMMUNOe Research CenterIMMUNOe Research Center | Centennial, United States | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Immunology, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging, Oncology | |
| Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres and Cosmic DustInstitute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres and Cosmic Dust | Boulder, United States | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering | |
| Kapteyn Murnane LaboratoriesKapteyn Murnane Laboratories | Boulder, United States | Research institute Basic science | Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Radiation, Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 1994 |
| National Foundation for Fertility ResearchNational Foundation for Fertility Research | Lone Tree, United States | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Reproductive Medicine, Agronomy and Crop Science | 2007 |
| Joint Institute for Laboratory AstrophysicsNational Institute of Standards and Technology | Boulder, United States | Research institute Basic science | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics | 1962 |
| NSF NCAR Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & ModelingNSF National Center for Atmospheric Research | Boulder, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes | |
| NSF NCAR Computational & Information Systems LaboratoryNSF National Center for Atmospheric Research | Boulder, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, Astronomy and Astrophysics | |
| NSF NCAR Earth Observing LaboratoryNSF National Center for Atmospheric Research | Boulder, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Global and Planetary Change, Atmospheric Science, Spectroscopy | |
| NSF NCAR Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorology LaboratoryNSF National Center for Atmospheric Research | Boulder, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, Aerospace Engineering | |
| NSF NCAR Research Applications LaboratoryNSF National Center for Atmospheric Research | Boulder, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, Water Science and Technology | |
| National Ecological Observatory NetworkU.S. National Science Foundation | Boulder, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Geology, Information Systems, Nature and Landscape Conservation | 2006 |
| Central Energy Resources Science CenterUnited States Geological Survey | Lakewood, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Mechanics of Materials, Paleontology, Geochemistry and Petrology | |
| Colorado Water Science CenterUnited States Geological Survey | Lakewood, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Water Science and Technology, Geochemistry and Petrology, Atmospheric Science | |
| Fort Collins Science CenterUnited States Geological Survey | Fort Collins, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Ecology, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Global and Planetary Change | |
| Geologic Hazards Science CenterUnited States Geological Survey | Golden, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Geophysics, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law, Transportation | |
| Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science CenterUnited States Geological Survey | Lakewood, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Geophysics, Geology, Geochemistry and Petrology | |
| Geosciences and Environmental Change Science CenterUnited States Geological Survey | Denver, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Atmospheric Science, Earth-Surface Processes, Global and Planetary Change | |
| National Water Quality LaboratoryUnited States Geological Survey | Lakewood, United States | Research institute Environment and climate | Pollution, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Food Science | 1976 |
Countries
Organisations
- Agricultural Research Service
- Agricultural Research Service - Plains Area
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
- NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research
- U.S. National Science Foundation
- United States Geological Survey
- US Department of Energy
- US Forest Service
- US National Science Foundation
Other leading ecosystems
- Paris and Saclay
- Beijing and Tianjin
- Washington DC and Maryland
- Greater Tokyo and Tsukuba
- Moscow
- Grenoble
- London and the Golden Triangle
- Greater Bay Area (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong)
- Shanghai and Suzhou
- Provence (ITER and Cadarache)
- Silicon Valley and the Bay Area
- Singapore
- Zurich, Basel and Aargau
- Randstad (Amsterdam, Delft, Leiden)
- Stuttgart and Karlsruhe
Questions and answers
How big is the Colorado Front Range R&D ecosystem?
It has 44 labs from 30 organisations, ranking number 54 worldwide in the 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory.
Which organisations have labs in Colorado Front Range?
They include United States Geological Survey, NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory and University of Colorado Boulder.
What does the Colorado Front Range ecosystem specialise in?
Its main focus areas are atmospheric science, global and planetary change, astronomy and astrophysics and ecology.
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