NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) is for sale

https://www.dailycamera.com/2026/01/23/nsf-ncar-boulder-new-owner-mesa-lab/

The National Science Foundation announced Friday that it will consider proposals for new private or public ownership to take over the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Mesa Lab in Boulder.

Friday’s announcement comes after the Trump administration made threats to dismantle NCAR in December, and on Dec. 17, the NSF announced its intent to restructure critical weather science infrastructure at NCAR.

The NSF published a Dear Colleague Letter requesting “expressions of interest in and/or concepts of operation” for the Mesa Lab, specifically seeking those interested in “ownership of the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab building” for private or public use. The Boulder lab is currently managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research on behalf of the NSF.

“We’re in touch with NSF to better understand how this process will unfold, and we’re continuing to do our work,” Boulder NCAR media relations manager David Hosansky wrote in an email to the Daily Camera.

The Daily Camera requested a further explanation of the letter from the NSF, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday evening.

The NSF also put out a call for those interested in “management and operations” of NCAR space weather activities and NCAR weather modeling and atmospheric observing capabilities. In addition to operation proposals, the NSF posed four questions to which it’s seeking responses. The foundation is seeking to know:

• Whether NCAR activities duplicate those of other organizations.

• If there are any new ideas for NCAR’s management and operations the NSF should consider.

• If there are other “concepts for management and operations of NCAR activities” that differ from the current model that the NSF should consider.

• What the performance objectives and metrics should be for a restructured atmospheric research center. Related Articles

The NSF is requesting that interested parties submit a document, limited to two or three pages per topic, describing ideas for operations and/or addressing the questions posed in the letter. The deadline for submissions is March 13.

“The materials received will be used to inform NSF’s future actions with respect to the components of NCAR and to ensure the products, services, and tools provided in the future align with the needs and expectations of stakeholders to the extent practicable,” the letter read.

Plans to transfer stewardship of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center, located in Cheyenne, and plans to divest from or transfer two research aircraft that NCAR manages are being considered separately from this letter.