Arizona State Senator Vince Leach joined colleagues last week at the University of Arizona’s inaugural Legislative Summit in Washington, DC. The Summit focused primarily in the areas of space and defense.

The delegation received briefings from UA Federal Relations and lawmakers met privately with top officials at NASA, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Department of Defense.

“The state’s investment into the UA is absolutely critical,” said University of Arizona President Dr. Robert C. Robbins, who welcomed lawmakers to Washington. “The purpose of the Summit is to show our state partners how we leverage their investment with our federal partners to bring research dollars into Arizona to tackle the world’s greatest challenges and develop a workforce ready for the future.”

Lawmakers walked away with an understanding of UA’s research strengths in space and defense, how the university’s faculty and staff partner with agencies, and how UA’s strengths align with the priorities of keys federal agencies. This alignment has enabled UA’s research activity to top $687 million in 2018, placing UA in the top 25 in research among public universities.

"I appreciate being invited by UA leadership to this Summit," said Senator Leach. "We learned how the University is leading in space and defense, and how it's making smart decisions on research dollars"