based standards for administering the Federal aid programs, thus reducing the administrative burden inherent in 

 regulations that prescribe step-by-step procedural requirements. 



OERI intends to continue and build upon its close collaboration with researchers and education specialists at re- 

 search-intensive universities, and is working to increase attention paid to training of future analysts and to increase 

 efforts to attract minority scholars to educational research, statistical data gathering and improvement activities. 



DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) PERSPECTIVE 



General Description of Current Relationship: 



The Department of Energy (DOE) has had a long tradition of supporting university-based scientific and techni- 

 cal research going back to the Manhattan Program in World War II and the subsequent establishment of the Atomic 

 Energy Commission (AEC). The AEC was given three principal responsibilities: the support of research in the fun- 

 damental nuclear sciences; the pursuit of commercial application of nuclear power; and the continuation of respon- 

 sibilities to conduct nuclear weapons R&D. 



Research Intensive Universities (RIUs) were deeply involved with the AEC from the outset conducting research 

 and related graduate education in nuclear and related scientific fields and this tradition continues today. The AEC 

 was also the first Federal agency to rely heavily on Government-Owned, Government-Operated laboratories to con- 

 duct much of the agency's scientific and technical missions. Many of these laboratories are administered by univer- 

 sities or university consortia. 



All DOE laboratories have significant relationships with and provide benefits to university researchers. In FY 

 1992 DOE supported over 3500 active university research grants/contracts totalling $520M. Over 90% of these 

 awards were to RIUs; 80% of DOE's funding for universities is provided through the basic research programs in the 

 DOE Office of Energy Research (ER), with the remaining funds provided through the DOE technology program of- 

 fices. University scientists have made significant contributions to DOE mission needs in such critical areas as com- 

 bustion modeling, photochemistry and photovoltaic cells, ceramic and composite materials, genetic damage research, 

 multiphase flow phenomena, plant biochemistry, and in many other fields. Over 20 Nobel prizes have been awarded 

 in the last 30 years to scientists solely or partially supported by DOE or its predecessor agencies. 



Most DOE university projects are investigator-initiated (single or dual investigators) averaging about 

 $125K/year for three years; approximately 20 awards are multi-investigator, large ($3-4M/yr) projects in high ener- 

 gy/nuclear physics and in fusion energy research. University research supported by DOE is peer reviewed (either by 

 mail or by panels) and research areas of opportunity are developed through such mechanisms as scientific 

 workshops, research conferences, advisory committees, collaborative meetings between DOE laboratory and univer- 

 sity scientists, etc. 



DOE support for university research is also characterized by significant funding ($500M/year) support for user 

 research facilities at the DOE national laboratories. There are some 50 designated user research facilities at the DOE 

 laboratories ranging in size from the National Synchrotron Light Source at the Brookhaven National Laboratory to 

 the National Center for Electron Microscopy at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Each user research facility repre- 

 sents combinations of unique scientific instruments and associated support equipment that are available for use by 

 university faculty members and their students. Collaborative research programs between DOE laboratory scientists 

 and their university counterparts are also commonplace and are encouraged. 



In addition to funding on-campus research, significant support is also provided by DOE for pre-and postdoctoral 

 research programs. For example, DOE supports ten predoctoral fellowship programs in disciplines and fields with 

 predicted future shortfalls of advanced degree professionals such as nuclear engineering, health physics, environmen- 

 tal restoration, etc. 



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