National Laboratories

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories is a network of 17 federally sponsored research institutions dedicated to scientific and technological R&D addressing national priorities: energy and climate, the environment, national security, and health. The system traces its origins to large-scale government investment in scientific research during World War II, and was further shaped by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which expanded the laboratories' mission beyond weapons development into fundamental research across physics, chemistry, materials science, and biology.

The 17 laboratories form a nationwide network possessing unique instruments and facilities — many found nowhere else in the world — and tackle challenges ranging from climate change to understanding the origins of the universe. Together they represent a preeminent federal research system providing the nation with strategic scientific and technological capabilities, often undertaking long-term missions involving complex security, safety, and project management demands that go beyond the scope of academia.

The scale and impact of the National Laboratories is significant: their scientists have won the Nobel Prize 118 times and publish more than 14,000 research papers per year. Innovations emerging from areas such as advanced computing, materials science, clean energy, and national security are directly relevant to the laboratories' core mission and operational mandate.