National User Facilities are highly sophisticated experimental facilities that are available to researchers from universities, industry, and other government laboratories. They advance national research and development, and fulfill the U.S. Department of Energy missions by minimizing unnecessary duplication of effort, promoting beneficial scientific interactions, and making the most effective use of costly and, in many cases, unique equipment. The Energy and Engineering Sciences Directorate is home to eleven National User Facilities:

Bioprocessing Research Facility

Buildings Technology Center

Californium User Facility for Neutron Science

Cooling, Heating, and Power Integration Laboratory

Fuels, Engines & Emissions Research Center

High Temperature Materials Laboratory

Metals-Processing Laboratory User Center

National Transportation Research Facility

Physical Properties Research Facility

Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Laboratory

Safeguards Laboratory National User Facility

Accessing National User Facilities

Access to user facilities is a two-fold process. Prospective users submit research proposals directly to the facility of interest. Acceptance of proposals depends on scientific merit, suitability of the facility for the project, selection of an EES collaborator, and appropriateness of the work to DOE objectives. Concurrently, a contractual agreement is executed between ORNL and the user institution. This User Facility Agreement, which can be either proprietary or nonproprietary, stipulates the terms and conditions (including disposition of intellectual property) for the project. Some facilities are available for nonproprietary research at no cost, while some facilities must recoup the actual costs incurred for staff and equipment time. More information can be found on ORNL’s Technology Transfer and Economic Development website.