CARY, RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — With their headquarters just miles apart, SAS and RTI International are joining forces to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges, like access to healthcare and education.

On Tuesday, the Cary-based software analytics firm and the RTP nonprofit research institute announced that they will bring “joint offerings” to government agencies and other organizations.

They will collaborate on ways to help “shared customers” such as the US Department of Health and Human Services, including Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control, as well as the US Department of Defense, US Department of Education and US Agency for International Development.

The goal: to deliver better and faster results.

“Our organizations share a commitment to improving the world through research and using data for good,” said SAS CEO Jim Goodnight, in a statement. “Government is where our joint efforts can have the greatest impact. Dedicated public servants, armed with reliable, evidence-based research, are more important than ever.”

Added Dr. E. Wayne Holden, president and CEO of RTI: “RTI has made improving the human condition the mission of our Institute for 61 years. This partnership will allow our two organizations to bring top experts and scientists together to provide quality, impactful research that will improve lives in North Carolina, across the country and around the world.”