Summary

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information regarding 12 federally funded research and development centers (FFRDC), focusing on: (1) their official statements of mission; (2) how the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) oversee FFRDC; and (3) how DOD or DOE place work at FFRDC they sponsor.

GAO found that: (1) FFRDC conducted research or policy analyses in areas such as logistics and weapons systems, technology transfer, aerospace power, military space systems, systems engineering, computer software, advanced electronics, and nuclear science; and (2) DOD and DOE established or assigned component divisions, regional offices, advisory groups, or coordinators to oversee FFRDC contract negotiation, administration, and monitoring, and provide policy guidance, budgeting, and prioritizing of projects.