For nearly 70 years, federally funded research and development centers, or FFRDCs, have been vital to our nation's growth and security. They have supported the government by developing transformational capabilities in defense, transportation, energy, civil agency administration, homeland security, atmospheric sciences, science policy, and other areas.

This report describes: funding and staff size of the Federally Funded R&D Centers (FFRDC); extent of subcontracted FFRDC work; structure of the parent organizations; missions, core competencies, and capabilities of the FFRDC's sponsors' criteria for defining core work; and sponsors' oversight mechanisms and responsibilities. Overall funding for DoD's FFRDC's increased by about 23%, from almost $1.4 billion in FY 1985 to a peak of approximately $1.7 billion in FY 1990. Since FY 1990, funding for DoD's FFRDC's has decreased by almost 26% to about $1.3 billion in FY 1995.