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File:Federally funded research and development centers.jpeg FFRDC locations
Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs ) are public-private partnerships which conduct research for the United States Government . They are administered in accordance with U.S. Code of Federal Regulations , Title 48 , Part 35, Section 35.017 by universities and corporations. There are currently 42 recognized FFRDCs that are sponsored by the U.S. government.[ 1] FFRDCs are similar to the University Affiliated Research Centers run by the United States Department of Defense .
History of FFRDCs
During World War II scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and other specialists became part of the United States massive war effort—leading to evolutions in radar, aircraft, computing and, most famously, the development of nuclear weapons through the Manhattan Project [citation needed ] . 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, be free of organizational conflicts of interest, and maintain a stable workforce composed 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.[ 2] [ 3]
List of FFRDCs
The following list includes all current FFRDCs:
Facility
Administrator
Location
Sponsor
Aerospace FFRDC
The Aerospace Corporation
El Segundo, CA ;Chantilly, VA ;Colorado Springs, CO Huntsville, AL Albuquerque, NM
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
Argonne, 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 , Department of Veterans Affairs , Internal Revenue Service
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
United States Department of Health and Human 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 , Department of the Air Force
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos 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 , Office of the Secretary of Defense
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
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 , Office of the Secretary of Defense
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, a subsidiary of Honeywell
Albuquerque, NM ;Livermore, CA
Department of Energy
Savannah River National Laboratory
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, 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 , Department of the Army
Systems and Analyses Center
Institute for Defense Analyses
Alexandria, VA
Department of Defense , Office of the Secretary of Defense
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Jefferson Science Associates, LLC
Newport News, VA
Department of Energy
References
Further reading
Gallo, Marcy E., Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): Background and Issues for Congress , December 1, 2017, Congressional Research Service .
Hruby, Jill M., et al., "The Evolution of Federally Funded Research & Development Centers" , Public Interest Report , SPRING 2011, Federation of American Scientists .
Kosar, Kevin R., The Quasi Government: Hybrid Organizations with Both Government and Private Sector Legal Characteristics , June 22, 2011, Congressional Research Service .
External links