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Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) 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.
Critics have complained that FFRDCs provide fertile grounds for activities that inappropriately mix public funds and private interests. Critics see favoritism when FFRDCs receive large contracts without competitive bidding. Critics have also pointed to the interflow of personnel between government agencies, FFRDCs, and companies that work for FFRDCs. Critics say there is a revolving door between these entities and they decry “interlocking directorships” that arise (such as when a former Secretary of Defense took board positions at RAND and General Dynamics Corp.) This latter charge is especially troubling because FFRDCs are supposed to be expertise-based organizations that are to impartially oversee the use of federal funds that are to advance a governmental purpose.
The great strength of FFRDCs appears to lie in their flexibility to assemble teams of technical experts on a project basis. High on the list of positive results supporters claim for FFRDCs is their ability to promote technology transfers between the governmental and private sectors. The knowledge base created by the agencies’ use of FFRDCs often serves as a foundation for commercially relevant efforts in the private sector. The U.S., many contend, is not as effective as other nations in taking the results of basic research and transforming them into commercially viable products to be sold in world markets. FFRDCs are intended to promote and facilitate this transfer and development process. Technology transfer, however, is subject to many interpretations and is not without controversy.
List of FFRDCs
There are 36 recognized FFRDC that are sponsored by the U.S. government. They are as follows:- Office of the Sectretary of Defense
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Institute for Defense Analyses Studies and Analyses Federally Funded Research and Development Center, administered by Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, VA
- National Defense Research Institute, administered by, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
- C3I Federally Funded Research & Development Center, administered by MITRE, Bedford, MA and McLean, VA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- National Security Agency
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Institute for Defense Analyses Communications and Computing Federally Funded Research and Development Center, administered by Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, VA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Department of the Navy
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Center for Naval Analyses, administered by The CNA Corporation, Alexandria, VA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Department of the Air Force
- Administered by universities and colleges
- Lincoln Laboratory, administered by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lexington, MA
- Aerospace Federally Funded Research and Development Center, administered by The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
- Project Air Force, administered by RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
- Administered by universities and colleges
- Department of the Army
- Administered by universities and colleges
- Software Engineering Institute, administered by Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Arroyo Center, administered by RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
- Administered by universities and colleges
- Administered by Industrial Firms
- Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, administered by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, Idaho Falls, ID
- Sandia National Laboratories, administered by Sandia Corporation, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, Albuquerque, NM
- Savannah River Technology Center, administered by Westinghouse Savannah River Co, Aiken, SC
- Administered by universities and colleges
- Ames Laboratory, administered by Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, IA
- Argonne National Laboratory, administered by University of Chicago, Argonne, IL
- Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, administered by University of California, Berkeley, CA
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, administered by Universities Research Association, Inc, Batavia, IL
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, administered by University of California, Livermore, CA
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, administered by Los Alamos National Security LLC, Los Alamos, NM
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, administered by Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
- Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, administered by Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, administered by Southeastern Universities Research Association, Inc, Newport News, VA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Brookhaven National Laboratory, administered by Brookhaven Science Associates, Inc, Upton, Long Island, NY
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, administered by Midwest Research Institute; Battelle Memorial Institute; Bechtel National, Inc, Golden, CO
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, administered by UT-Battelle, LLC, Oak Ridge, TN
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, administered by Battelle Memorial Institute, Richland, WA
US Department of Health and Human Services
- National Institutes of Health
- Administered by Industrial Firms
- National Cancer Institute, administered by Science Applications International Corp; Charles River Laboratories, Inc; Data Management Services, Inc; Wilson Information Services, Inc, Frederick, MD
- Administered by Industrial Firms
United States Office of Homeland Security
- Under Secretary for Science and Technology
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Homeland Security Institute, administered by Analytic Services, Inc, Arlington, VA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Administered by universities and colleges
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, administered by California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
US National Science Foundation
- Administered by universities and colleges
- National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, administered by Cornell University, Arecibo, PR
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, administered by University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO
- National Optical Astronomy Observatories, administered by Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc, Tucson, AZ
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, administered by Associated Universities, Inc, Charlottesville, VA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Science and Technology Policy Institute, administered by Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, VA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, administered by Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
US Department of Transportation
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- Center for Advanced Aviation System Development, administered by MITRE, McLean, VA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- US Internal Revenue Service
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
- IRS Federally Funded Research and Development Center, administered by MITRE, Center for Enterprise Modernization, McLean, VA
- Administered by other nonprofit institutions
External links
"Federally funded research and development center"