Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) are unique, independent organizations that are sponsored and funded by the United States Government to meet long-term technical and research needs that cannot be met through existing governmental or contractor resources. The idea behind FFRDCs stem from World War II when scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and other scientists lent their expertise to help advance technological developments such as radar, the atomic bomb, and the computer. When the war ended, there was concern that the knowledge and know-how from these scientists would dissipate as many wanted to return to traditional academic research. Policy makers recognized the benefits and advantages of having a highly-trained science and technology workforce that could not only respond quickly to complex national challenges but that also operated independently and objectively. To meet this need, FFRDCs were created. There are currently 42 FFRDCs, many of which are associated with the DOD and DOE—Center for Naval Analyses, Systems and Analyses Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory just to name a few.
Results/Conclusions
In this talk, I will speak about the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), FFRDC for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. I will provide an overview of the different types of projects that STPI engages in, what a typical day (or better yet, a week) looks like, and what skillsets are important for a science policy researcher to have. In addition, I will speak to how I transitioned from a community ecologist to a science policy researcher. This talk is aimed at individuals who would like to learn more about FFRDCs, working with Federal agencies, and transitioning careers.