In 2001, the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) published a report describing the role of underground research laboratories (URLs) in nuclear waste disposal programmes and their value to build confidence in national programmes. The present brochure builds upon the 2001 document and integrates recent URL literature and the strategic outlook of NEA countries on URLs into an easily accessible document for an audience of both specialists and non-specialists in radioactive waste disposal.