Uber has created a new partnership with the University of Arizona to research self-driving cars, among other areas, according to an email sent to university employees on Tuesday, obtained by The Verge.
The details of the agreement, however, have yet to be finalized.
Uber and the University of Arizona plan "to work together on educational, workforce development, and research efforts in optics, engineering, and education," according to the email.
"We'll work with some of the leading experts in lens design here at the university to improve the imagery of what we capture and use to build out mapping and our safety features," said Uber's vice president of advanced technology Brian McClendon to The Associated Press.
As part of the partnership, the university will house mapping test vehicles from Uber in order to research and develop mapping and safety technologies in optics, the study of light, according to a statement released by the Arizona governor's office. Uber will also donate $25,000 to the University of Arizona's College of Optical Sciences.
Governor Doug Ducey also signed an executive order on Tuesday in support of the testing and operation of self-driving vehicles on Arizona's public roads. Doucey has been a proponent of Uber since he took office in January — stopping state regulators from requiring Uber drivers to have commercial insurance and licenses and backing a bill that "removed regulatory roadblocks" for ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
This partnership is just the latest move by Uber in the past few months to beef up its interest and involvement in self-driving car technologies. Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick announced the company's intention to eventually replace all drivers with self-driving cars at the Code Conference in May 2014.
The company announced its partnership with Carnegie Mellon University in February to create the Uber Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh, which was set up for the research and development of mapping and vehicle safety as well as autonomy technology. Uber also announced its acquisition of the mapping, search and navigation software company deCarta in March.
