One of New York State’s Largest Centers of
Scientific Research

Over the past 60 years, research, development, and innovation – on university campuses, in corporate research centers and small business ventures, and at national laboratories – have been among the most significant drivers of economic growth in the United States. Today, as the U.S. looks for new sources of growth while facing major challenges in areas as diverse as health, energy efficiency, climate change, and national security, research and innovation are as vital as ever.

Located in Upton, New York, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory is one of just six multi-program national labs funded by DOE’s Office of Science. Established in 1947, Brookhaven Lab is the only national lab located in the Northeast. It is also one of New York State’s largest centers of scientific research and a major contributor to the growth of Long Island’s technology based economy. At a time when the recovery of the State’s economy depends (perhaps more than ever) on its capacity for innovation, Brookhaven Lab represents a uniquely valuable resource – both as a major science-based enterprise in its own right, and as a source of the scientific discovery and technological innovation on which growth depends.

This report examines Brookhaven Lab’s significant impact on the economy of Long Island and New York State as a whole, both as a major science-based enterprise in its own right and through its mission of research, technology development and deployment and education.