J. J. Pickle Research Campus

The J. J. Pickle Research Campus (PRC) in Austin, Texas, United States is owned and operated by the University of Texas at Austin. It sits on 475 acres (1.9 km²) in northwest Austin, approximately 9 miles (14 km) north of the main UT campus and just south of the Domain.

The original site was only 402 acres (1.6 km²) and only extended as far west as the railroad. It was originally a magnesium plant during World War II and was owned by the United States government. Following the conclusion of the war, the site was declared surplus, and UT engineering professors C. Read Granberry and J. Neils Thompson sought to lease and eventually purchase the site for the University. The lease agreement was reached in 1946, and certain research projects began to be moved to the new campus.

In 1949, with the help of then-Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson, the University purchased the site, now named the Off-Campus Research Center (OCRC), from the federal government. In 1953, it became the Balcones Research Center, so named for the Balcones Escarpment which runs through that part of the city.

Over the years, the University continued to develop the campus, whose tenants made significant contributions to research in the areas of defense, nuclear physics, and space flight. It received a clear title to the property in 1971, and in 1974 purchased another tract of land west of the railroad, bringing the site to its current area.

The University again renamed the campus in 1994, this time for former Congressman and UT alumnus J. J. Pickle. When he was Austin's congressional representative, Pickle was instrumental in bringing major research efforts to the campus. Pickle died in 2005.

The Pickle Research Campus is not a full college campus: there are no dormitories, and most classes held there are for working professional programs (such as the Executive Masters program). Other than normal campus operations and a cafeteria / conference center, it is strictly a research facility.

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