The Rat Resource and Research Center (RRRC) was established in 2001 with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with the goals of 1) shifting the burden for maintaining and distributing rat models from individual investigators to a centralized repository, and 2) providing the biomedical community with ready access to valuable rat strains/stocks and other related services that enhance the use of rats in research. Currently, the RRRC has close to 400 donated rat lines in its inventory. Upon importation of strains/stocks into the RRRC, sperm and embryos are cryopreserved to ensure against future loss of the model. The RRRC distributes live animals, cryopreserved sperm and embryos as well as rat embryonic stem (ES) cell lines. Quality control measures for all materials include extensive genetic validation and health monitoring. The RRRC has expertise in rat reproductive biology, colony management, health monitoring, genetic assay development/optimization, and isolation of germline competent ES cell lines from transgenic rats; our staff and researchers are readily available for consultation and collaborations and a number of services are available on a fee-for-service basis. Our website (www.rrrc.us) allows user-friendly navigation and provides information about all strains/stocks, cell lines, model donation procedures, on-line ordering, lists of services, and protocols. Current research efforts include refinement of models, characterization of the rat microbiota and its influence on model phenotypes, and generation of new rat models, including new models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) generated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. In addition to the RRRC, the University of Missouri is home to two other NIH-funded animal resources: the MU Mutant Mouse Resource and Research Center (MMRRC) and the National Swine Resource and Research Center (NSRRC) as well as the newly established MU Metagenomics Center (MUMC). Together, these highly collaborative groups provide a variety of animal model-related services across species to facilitate biomedical research.