Department Of Energy Labs Research Articles

DOE begins rationing helium-3

As the extent of the shortage becomes clear, an interagency task force is giving scientific users priority, but some say the material is not available at any price.

DOE Gives $47 Million for Core Research

The Department of Energy (DOE) last week took what it hopes will amount to a giant step toward solving its massive nuclear waste cleanup problem by funding the first round of 139 grants for basic research at universities and DOE labs. The $47 million Environmental Management Science Program, created last year by Congress, has been embraced by DOE as a fresh approach to a mind-boggling problem—3700 sites in 34 states that could take $230 billion and 75 years to clean up. The 3-year awards, from $200,000 to $2.9 million, cover projects ranging from the dynamics of plume flow and the cleansing characteristics of sound waves to the genetics of waste-eating microbes and metal-absorbing plants. DOE expects to give out $112 million over the 3 years.

Nuclear Cleanup: DOE Gives $47 Million for Core Research

The Department of Energy (DOE) last week took what it hopes will amount to a giant step toward solving its massive nuclear waste cleanup problem by funding the first round of 139 grants for basic research at universities and DOE labs. The $47 million Environmental Management Science Program, created last year by Congress, has been embraced by DOE as a fresh approach to a mind-boggling problem—3700 sites in 34 states that could take $230 billion and 75 years to clean up. The 3-year awards, from $200,000 to $2.9 million, cover projects ranging from the dynamics of plume flow and the cleansing characteristics of sound waves to the genetics of waste-eating microbes and metal-absorbing plants. DOE expects to give out $112 million over the 3 years.

Tail Wags Dog?

It is clear from Andrew Lawler's article “DOE labs: Is evolution enough?” (News & Comment, [14 June, p. 1577][1]) that many of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) labs have lost their raison d'etre, and I am uncomfortable with the idea that the labs themselves are trying to find new missions in order to survive. This is like the tail wagging the dog. Contrast the state of DOE's research missions with that of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH has clearly defined, focused objectives that have wide public support, as witnessed by current increases in funding. The DOE, at the cabinet level, should develop specific missions for its labs, and those that don't fit the DOE's mandate should be transferred to other, relevant government, academic, or private entities. Once the missions are clearly defined, only then should the question of lab closings or consolidations be addressed. The time for bold, decisive action is now. To delay is to allow the labs to wander off in diverse, aimless directions, seeking only to survive, not thrive. [1]: /lookup/volpage/273/1576

Companies find benefits, and barriers, in cooperative R&D with federal labs

Facing cutbacks in research funding, chemical industry managers have found a new way to leverage resources through cooperative R&D agreements (CRADAs) with federal laboratories. These agreements are meant to spur the transfer of technology between federal labs and U.S. industry. Once a company has made a link with a federal lab, new opportunities and means for collaboration, contracting, or licensing often arise. But though deemed successful at the technical and technological levels, CRADAs have not been a panacea. And it is still too early in the program's life to know if the agreements will produce many tangible new products. The number of CRADAs between industry and U.S. government labs has burgeoned. For example, CRADAs signed with Department of Energy labs since mid-1991 reached 974 by the end of July 1994. The total value of these DOE CRADAs is more than $1.9 billion. Another 466 CRADAs have been set up by the National Institute of Standards ...

DOE labs: models for tech transfer

Strategies being developed by the laboratories administered by the Department of Energy (DOE), particularly those involved in weapons work, to implement their new R&D mission of helping to maintain US security and its competitiveness in the world market are examined. They are pursuing technologies and developing expertise and services that support both commercial and military applications. Cooperative R&D arrangements with private companies, a key element in this conversion, are described.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>