Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) are independent, not-for-profit, private-sector organizations that are established and funded to meet special long-term engineering, research, development, or other analytic needs that cannot be met as effectively by government or other private-sector resources. FFDRCs are operated, managed, and/or administered by universities, or privately organized not-for-profit corporations, through long-term Government contracts. Each FFRDC is assigned to a primary sponsor who is responsible for implementing DoD’s policies and procedures for FFRDCs, monitoring the performance of the FFRDC, maintaining the tenets of the sponsoring agreement between the FFRDC host organization and the primary sponsor, conducting a comprehensive review every 5 years, and approving all work done by the FFRDC. A high priority is placed on acquiring FFRDC unique technical expertise where the Department cannot attract and retain personnel in sufficient depth and numbers. FFRDCs are intentionally located outside Government to permit management flexibility to attract and retain high-quality scientists, engineers, and analysts critical to the Department’s mission.
There are 3 types of FFRDCs:
Study and Analysis Centers: Conduct independent and objective analyses and provide advice in core mission areas in support of policy and strategy development, decision-making, alternative approaches, and new ideas on significant issues for the Department. There are currently 5 FFRDCs of this type.
Systems Engineering and Integration Centers: Assist with the creation and choice of system concepts and architectures, the specification of technical system and subsystem requirements and interfaces, the development and acquisition of system hardware and software, the testing and verification of performance, the integration of new capabilities, and continuous improvement of system operations and logistics. There are currently 2 FFRDCs of this type.
Research and Development Laboratories: Conduct R&D, focusing on the development and prototyping of new technologies to meet DoD needs; engage in research programs that emphasize the evolution and demonstration of advanced concepts and technology, and transfer new technologies to the private sector. There are currently 3 FFRDCs of this type.
Congress closely monitors the use of DoD’s FFRDCs and sets an annual staffing ceiling that limits the overall growth of the FFRDCs. Historically, the total number of staff technical equivalents (STE) has been around 6,000. The current ceiling is 6,053 of which 1,148 is allocated to the studies and analysis FFRDCs. Traditionally, the annual request by DoD FFRDC sponsors far exceeds the available STE allowed.
Summary of FFRDCs:
Operate in the public interest with objectivity and independence befitting their special relationship with the government;
Are free from organizational and personal conflicts of interest, and provide full disclosure of their affairs to the appropriate DoD sponsoring agency;
Contribute to the body of knowledge and practice within their domains of expertise;
There are currently 10 DoD-supported FFDRCs. The U.S. Code of Federal Regulation codifies the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which governs how FFRDCs are established, used, reviewed, and terminated. According to FAR Section 35.017(a)(2), the private-sector resources of FFRDCs “accomplish tasks that are integral to the mission and operation of the sponsoring agency.” FFRDCs bring together the expertise and outlook of government, industry, and academia to solve complex problems; thus, they are able to meet needs that cannot readily be met by governmental resources or traditional contractors.
Source: : (FFRDC Organizations)