University Research Co., LLC (URC) is a management consulting firm specialized in quality management, research, evaluation, communication, and training applied to strengthening health programs.  Founded in 1965, URC has worked internationally since 1981, successfully managing a wide range of health services contracts for U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the World Bank, UNICEF, and the Gates Foundation.   

For the past 30 years, our firm’s major focus has been the adaptation of modern improvement methods to the needs of developing countries through the USAID Health Care Improvement Project, the Quality Assurance Project I, II and III, and the two Primary Health Care Operations Research (PRICOR) Projects.  Through these projects, URC has provided technical leadership for USAID’s global efforts to improve health care quality, providing technical assistance in over 40 countries and demonstrating that significant improvements in health care quality are attainable in even the most resource-constrained environments. 

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, URC and its non-profit affiliate, the Center for Human Services (CHS), are dedicated to helping clients use scientific methods and research findings to improve program management and outcomes, and achieve organizational and behavioral change. URC-CHS works domestically in the United States and internationally in five core areas: Health & Population, Quality Management, Research & Evaluation, Communications & Outreach, and Education & Training.  Currently, URC-CHS has over 500 employees and operates 20 overseas country offices.