Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) are public-private partnerships that conduct research and development for the United States Government. Under Federal Acquisition Regulation § 35.017, FFRDCs are operated by universities and corporations to fulfill certain long-term needs of the government that "...cannot be met as effectively by existing in-house or contractor resources." While similar in many ways to University Affiliated Research Centers, FFRDCs are prohibited from competing for work.[1][2] There are currently 42 FFRDCs, each sponsored by one or more U.S. government departments or agencies.[3]

History

Since the 1960s, private businesses in the U.S. have provided an increasing share of funding for research and development, as direct federal funding waned.[4]

During World War II scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and other specialists became part of the massive United States war effort—leading to evolutions in radar, aircraft, computing and, most famously, the development of nuclear weapons through the Manhattan Project.[5] The end of armed conflict did not end the need for organized research and development in support of the government.

As the Cold War became the new reality, government officials and their scientific advisors advanced the idea of a systematic approach to research, development, and acquisitions—one independent of the ups and downs of the marketplace and free of the restrictions on civil service. From this idea arose the concept of FFRDCs—private entities that would work almost exclusively on behalf of the government—free of organizational conflicts of interest and with a stable workforce of highly trained technical talent.

The U.S. Air Force created the first FFRDC, the RAND Corporation, in 1947. Others grew directly out of their wartime roles. For example, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, founded in 1951, originated as the Radiation Laboratory at MIT, and the Navy's Operation Research Group evolved into the Center for Naval Analyses. The first FFRDCs served the Department of Defense. Since then, other government organizations have sponsored FFRDCs to meet their specific needs. In 1969, the number of FFRDCs peaked at 74.[5][6]

List

The following list includes all current FFRDCs:

Facility Administrator Location Sponsor
Aerospace FFRDC The Aerospace Corporation El Segundo, CA;
Chantilly, VA;
Colorado Springs, CO 		Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force
Ames Laboratory Iowa State University of Science and Technology Ames, IA Department of Energy
Argonne National Laboratory UChicago Argonne, LLC Lemont, IL Department of Energy
Arroyo Center RAND Corporation Santa Monica, CA Department of Defense, Department of the Army
Brookhaven National Laboratory Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC Upton, NY Department of Energy
Center for Advanced Aviation System Development MITRE McLean, VA Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration
Center for Communications and Computing Institute for Defense Analyses Alexandria, VA Department of Defense, National Security Agency
Center for Enterprise Modernization MITRE McLean, VA Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service;
Department of Veterans Affairs;
Social Security Administration
Center for Naval Analyses The CNA Corporation Arlington, VA Department of Defense, Department of the Navy
Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses Southwest Research Institute San Antonio, TX Nuclear Regulatory Commission
CMS Alliance to Modernize Healthcare MITRE McLean, VA Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Fermi Research Alliance, LLC Batavia, IL Department of Energy
Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research Leidos Biomedical Research Frederick, MD Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health
Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center RAND Corporation Crystal City, VA Department of Homeland Security, Under Secretary for Science and Technology
Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute MITRE McLean, VA Department of Homeland Security, Under Secretary for Science and Technology
Idaho National Laboratory Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC Idaho Falls, ID Department of Energy
Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Judiciary Engineering and Modernization Center MITRE McLean, VA United States Courts
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory University of California Berkeley, CA Department of Energy
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC Livermore, CA Department of Energy
Lincoln Laboratory Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lexington, MA Department of Defense, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
Los Alamos National Laboratory Triad National Security, LLC Los Alamos, NM Department of Energy
National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center Battelle National Biodefense Institute Frederick, MD Department of Homeland Security, Under Secretary for Science and Technology
National Center for Atmospheric Research University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Boulder, CO National Science Foundation
National Cybersecurity FFRDC MITRE Rockville, MD Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Defense Research Institute RAND Corporation Santa Monica, CA Department of Defense, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. Tucson, AZ National Science Foundation
National Radio Astronomy Observatory Associated Universities, Inc. Socorro, NM;
Charlottesville, VA 		National Science Foundation
National Renewable Energy Laboratory Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC Golden, CO Department of Energy
National Security Engineering Center MITRE Bedford, MA;
McLean, VA 		Department of Defense, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
National Solar Observatory Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. Boulder, CO National Science Foundation
Oak Ridge National Laboratory UT-Battelle, LLC Oak Ridge, TN Department of Energy
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Battelle Memorial Institute Richland, WA Department of Energy
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Princeton University Princeton, NJ Department of Energy
Project Air Force RAND Corporation Santa Monica, CA Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force
Sandia National Laboratories National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC Albuquerque, NM;
Livermore, CA 		Department of Energy
Savannah River National Laboratory Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC Aiken, SC Department of Energy
Science and Technology Policy Institute Institute for Defense Analyses Washington, DC National Science Foundation
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Stanford University Stanford, CA Department of Energy
Software Engineering Institute Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA Department of Defense, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
Systems and Analyses Center Institute for Defense Analyses Alexandria, VA Department of Defense, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility Jefferson Science Associates, LLC Newport News, VA Department of Energy

References

  1. ^ Gallo, Marcy E. (April 3, 2020). Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): Background and Issues for Congress (PDF) (Report). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  2. ^ Sullivan, Michael J. (December 2018). Actions Needed to Enhance Use of Laboratory Initiated Research Authority (PDF) (Report). United States Government Accountability Office. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  3. ^ "Master Government List of Federally Funded R&D Centers". Alexandria, Virginia: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Science Foundation. June 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  4. ^ Anderson, G.; Moris, F. (2023). "Federally Funded R&D Declines as a Share of GDP and Total R&D". National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. NSF 23-339
  5. ^ a b "FFRDCs—A Primer". Bedford, Massachusetts and McLean, Virginia: The MITRE Corporation. April 2015. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  6. ^ Dale, Bruce C.; Moy, Timothy D. (September 2000). The Rise of Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (Report). Albuquerque, New Mexico and Livermore, California: Sandia National Laboratories. doi:10.2172/763090. OSTI 763090.

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