{ "id": "R44629", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R44629", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "title": "Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): Background and Issues for Congress", "retrieved": "2021-10-06T04:03:41.197903", "id": "R44629_7_2021-08-27", "formats": [ { "filename": "files/2021-08-27_R44629_2c521ee86d82d8dc0288c004e0d5adce677af2d5.pdf", "format": "PDF", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44629/7", "sha1": "2c521ee86d82d8dc0288c004e0d5adce677af2d5" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2021-08-27_R44629_2c521ee86d82d8dc0288c004e0d5adce677af2d5.html" } ], "date": "2021-08-27", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "typeId": "R", "active": true, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R44629", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 621981, "date": "2020-04-03", "retrieved": "2020-04-11T23:09:45.036056", "title": "Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The federal government supports research and development (R&D) that is conducted by a wide variety of performers, including federally owned and operated laboratories, universities, private companies, and other research institutions. A special class of research institutions referred to as federally funded research and development centers, or FFRDCs, are owned by the federal government, but operated by contractors, including universities, other non-profit organizations, and industrial firms. FFRDCs are intended to provide federal agencies with R&D capabilities that cannot be effectively met by the federal government or the private sector alone. FFRDCs are required to have a long-term strategic relationship with the federal agency that supports them. This relationship is presumed to convey a number of benefits, including the ability of an FFRDC to recruit and retain scientific and technical expertise; an in-depth knowledge of, and the capability to rapidly respond to, the R&D needs of the federal agency; and the capacity to offer independent and objective scientific and technical advice. Currently, 13 federal agencies sponsor or co-sponsor a total of 42 FFRDCs. These FFRDCs provide R&D capabilities in support of federal agency missions in a broad range of areas\u2014from energy and cybersecurity to cancer and astronomy. In FY2019, the federal government reported obligations of $14.9 billion or 10.5% of its total estimated R&D spending to FFRDCs. \nCongress maintains a continuing interest in FFRDCs due to their contributions to U.S. technological and economic leadership. However, some Members of Congress have questioned the appropriate role of FFRDCs in the federal R&D enterprise and the ability of FFRDCs to effectively address federal agency R&D needs. The following issues have been of particular interest: (1) the effectiveness of federal agency oversight and management of FFRDCs; (2) competition between FFRDCs and the private sector for federal R&D funding; (3) the diversification of FFDRC activities or \u201cmission creep\u201d; (4) the award of noncompetitive FFRDC management and operation contracts; and (5) the adequacy of FFRDC facilities and infrastructure.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44629", "sha1": "eab01358075e46d12bd8fa6629c54b1a3507b553", "filename": "files/20200403_R44629_eab01358075e46d12bd8fa6629c54b1a3507b553.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44629_files&id=/0.png": "files/20200403_R44629_images_12f12534042bd6c3aa7c5d06fd4f9be884eac189.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44629_files&id=/3.png": "files/20200403_R44629_images_65bf4c83b61796657b53d6773a4cb0bbb517d3aa.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44629_files&id=/2.png": "files/20200403_R44629_images_67b09a9998f4309abac242bb367b392458ea1a5d.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44629_files&id=/4.png": "files/20200403_R44629_images_07c9fa0019d2aa04c0b8e0f1477f47c497693a55.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44629_files&id=/1.png": "files/20200403_R44629_images_b5acf6b364822a247a177f43bdd096fd06645b11.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44629", "sha1": "500a36b7ca2f02bad751f25374ef6468b8c11c83", "filename": "files/20200403_R44629_500a36b7ca2f02bad751f25374ef6468b8c11c83.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 585796, "date": "2017-12-01", "retrieved": "2020-01-02T13:49:56.925277", "title": "Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The federal government supports research and development (R&D) that is conducted by a wide variety of performers, including federally owned and operated laboratories, universities, private companies, and other research institutions. A special class of research institutions referred to as federally funded research and development centers, or FFRDCs, are owned by the federal government, but operated by contractors, including universities, other non-profit organizations, and industrial firms. FFRDCs are intended to provide federal agencies with R&D capabilities that cannot be effectively met by the federal government or the private sector alone. FFRDCs are required to have a long-term strategic relationship with the federal agency that supports them. This relationship is presumed to convey a number of benefits, including the ability of an FFRDC to recruit and retain scientific and technical expertise; an in-depth knowledge of, and the capability to rapidly respond to, the R&D needs of the federal agency; and the capacity to offer independent and objective scientific and technical advice. Currently, 12 federal agencies sponsor a total of 42 FFRDCs. These FFRDCs provide R&D capabilities in support of federal agency missions in a broad range of areas\u2014from energy and cybersecurity to cancer and astronomy. In FY2015, the federal government obligated $11.1 billion or 8.6% of its total R&D spending to FFRDCs. \nCongress maintains a continuing interest in FFRDCs due to their contributions to U.S. technological and economic leadership. However, some Members of Congress have questioned the appropriate role of FFRDCs in the federal R&D enterprise and the ability of FFRDCs to effectively address federal agency R&D needs. The following issues have been of particular interest: (1) the effectiveness of federal agency oversight and management of FFRDCs; (2) competition between FFRDCs and the private sector for federal R&D funding; (3) the diversification of FFDRC activities or \u201cmission creep\u201d; and (4) the award of noncompetitive FFRDC management and operation contracts.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44629", "sha1": "f82efda9d7bd83109f5c190c6133c5603617056b", "filename": "files/20171201_R44629_f82efda9d7bd83109f5c190c6133c5603617056b.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44629_files&id=/0.png": "files/20171201_R44629_images_dd740bc8a450833ed6ce5b275e4ec2067b8683fd.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44629_files&id=/3.png": "files/20171201_R44629_images_c0f0ebd3dd6ebe2c4243bc5a493e842c5c3ad0c8.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44629_files&id=/2.png": "files/20171201_R44629_images_3273808aabe011a652997c21dbe5e99abfc16205.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44629_files&id=/1.png": "files/20171201_R44629_images_d3af7c2085283071a7e8b52c538f92620aad0010.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44629", "sha1": "ea1b350293c759e9ee734fbdf2fbf497bd42d3c4", "filename": "files/20171201_R44629_ea1b350293c759e9ee734fbdf2fbf497bd42d3c4.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 455679, "date": "2016-09-06", "retrieved": "2016-09-16T18:06:14.492367", "title": "Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The federal government supports research and development (R&D) that is conducted by a wide variety of performers, including federally owned and operated laboratories, universities, private companies, and other research institutions. A special class of research institutions referred to as federally funded research and development centers, or FFRDCs, are owned by the federal government, but operated by contractors, including universities, other non-profit organizations, and industrial firms. FFRDCs are intended to provide federal agencies with R&D capabilities that cannot be effectively met by the federal government or the private sector alone. FFRDCs are required to have a long-term strategic relationship with the federal agency that supports them. This relationship is presumed to convey a number of benefits, including the ability of an FFRDC to recruit and retain scientific and technical expertise; an in-depth knowledge of, and the capability to rapidly respond to, the R&D needs of the federal agency; and the capacity to offer independent and objective scientific and technical advice. Currently, 12 federal agencies sponsor a total of 42 FFRDCs. These FFRDCs provide R&D capabilities in support of federal agency missions in a broad range of areas\u2014from energy and cybersecurity to cancer and astronomy. In FY2014, the federal government spent $10.6 billion or 8.1% of its total R&D expenditures at FFRDCs. \nCongress maintains a continuing interest in FFRDCs due to their contributions to U.S. technological and economic leadership. However, some Members of Congress have questioned the appropriate role of FFRDCs in the federal R&D enterprise and the ability of FFRDCs to effectively address federal agency R&D needs. The following issues have been of particular interest: (1) the effectiveness of federal agency oversight and management of FFRDCs; (2) competition between FFRDCs and the private sector for federal R&D funding; (3) the diversification of FFDRC activities or \u201cmission creep\u201d; and (4) the award of noncompetitive FFRDC management and operation contracts.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44629", "sha1": "587e2dc256060a823a642780869cd80f70f6b10b", "filename": "files/20160906_R44629_587e2dc256060a823a642780869cd80f70f6b10b.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44629", "sha1": "e26322b8a384977109a00dbe065dae589caece93", "filename": "files/20160906_R44629_e26322b8a384977109a00dbe065dae589caece93.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "National Defense", "Science and Technology Policy" ] }