National Asphalt Pavement Association Research and Education Foundation (NAPAREF) Endowment

In the mid-1980s, NAPA’s members initiated their quest for better pavement technology with a fund-raising campaign that resulted in the creation of an endowment whose principal objective was to support the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) at Auburn University, Alabama.  The NAPA Research and Education Foundation (NAPAREF) raised over $10 million for the endowment. 

What the endowment has accomplished:
The endowment has contributed over $11 million to NCAT over the past twenty years.  Including the funds contributed to NCAT through income from the endowment, industry has provided more than $14 million to NCAT to conduct research, purchase laboratory equipment, conduct the annual Professor Training Program, publish and market the NCAT textbook, and pursue other essential activities. This funding has come from NAPA, the Asphalt Pavement Alliance, and the Industry Environmental Survival Fund (supported by NAPA and State Asphalt Pavement Associations).

Thanks to NAPA’s advocacy efforts, Congress has also directed $12 million for HMA research on highway and airfield pavements to NCAT and Auburn University.  Altogether, industry’s efforts have provided more than $26 million directly to NCAT and Auburn University.

Some NCAT accomplishments:

• More than 20,000 copies of the textbook "Hot Mix Asphalt Materials, Mixture Design and Construction" are in circulation.
• The Professor Training Program has had 438 attendees since 1988.
• Since its founding, NCAT has been a focal point for technological innovations and improvements.
• NCAT has grown into a world-class institution with a 1.7-mile oval pavement Test Track, a 40,000-square-foot research center, and many avenues for technology transfer.

Why do we need research?
Without research, there is no innovation: without innovation, there is stagnation.  Stagnation in a product inevitably leads to stagnation in the market.  To maintain asphalt’s competitive edge, there must also be asphalt research and asphalt innovation.

Innovation is not about the latest technology for its own sake.  Rather, it is about versatility, safety, durability, and performance – all the things that have made asphalt the pavement material of choice.

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