Partner with NREL
NREL works with federal and state agencies, universities, nongovernmental organizations, private companies, foundations, land managers, and volunteers. There are several ways to work with us today.
- Collaborate on research. We co-design projects with practitioners and partner institutions, and our scientists advise and train students through the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology.
- Use our services. Through CitSci, EcoCore, Ecological Analytics, and NREL IT Services, we provide participatory science tools, analytical laboratory work, rangeland consulting, and research computing on a fee-for-service basis.
- Support our work. Philanthropic gifts sustain projects such as the Environmental Microbiome Culturomics Project, the L-Sugars Project, the Western Ranches Project, and the CitSci Participatory Science Center.
To discuss a collaboration, a service request, or a gift, contact us at nrel_communications@colostate.edu.
Our Tools and Facilities
NREL has developed and maintains tools that are used well beyond our own laboratory, by scientists, agencies, farmers, ranchers, and volunteers.
- CENTURY and DayCent. These ecosystem models, developed and refined by NREL scientists, simulate long-term ecosystem dynamics and greenhouse gas emissions. CENTURY was among the first and most widely used ecosystem models in the world. DayCent results feed the U.S. national greenhouse gas inventory and are built into the COMET-Farm decision-support tool, which helps farmers and ranchers estimate on-farm carbon storage and emission reductions.
- CitSci (CitSci.org). A participatory science platform and consulting service that helps researchers and volunteers design projects, collect and manage data, and share results. CitSci also supports the CitSci Participatory Science Center.
- EcoCore Analytical Facility. A CSU research core facility offering elemental, molecular, microbial, and isotopic analyses of soil, plant, water, and other environmental samples, available to researchers across campus and beyond. Online at ecocore.nrel.colostate.edu.
- UV-B Monitoring and Research Program. A USDA-supported program, with roots in NREL’s early atmospheric work, that monitors ultraviolet-B radiation and studies its effects on crops, plants, and ecosystems.
- Ecological Analytics. A rangeland ecological consulting service that brings NREL’s modeling and analysis expertise to land management questions.
- Rubel computing cluster. A 692-core in-house computational cluster that supports large data sets and computationally intensive research.
NREL by the Numbers
NREL works with federal and state agencies, universities, nongovernmental organizations, private companies, 169 active research projects
- More than $35 million in research funding
- More than 400 peer-reviewed publications
- More than $5 million returned to CSU in indirect cost recovery
- Research funding reached a 10-year high in 2025
