The University of California Board of Regents voted today (Jan. 20) to pursue continued management and operations of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory by submitting a competitive proposal to the federal Department of Energy.
Acting on the recommendation of UC President Robert C. Dynes, the regents voted to grant Dynes the authority to submit a proposal by the department's Feb. 9, 2005, deadline.
"Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and its employees are a critical part of the University of California system and provide a tremendously valuable scientific contribution to our nation," Dynes said. "Our strong bid will continue our proud tradition of public service and scientific discovery while ensuring that the best management practices are in place at the laboratory.
"When one looks over the horizon to the future of science over the next 20 years, the work is going to be extremely exciting, and a UC-managed Berkeley Laboratory under Director Steven Chu's leadership is going to be an extremely exciting place to be."
Under the university's LBNL proposal, UC will be the prime contractor and will propose that the laboratory staff remain as UC employees and as part of the UC systemwide pension and benefits program. Dynes informed the regents that the university's proposal for the use of Department of Energy (DOE) fees, which come with the management contract, would maximize the benefit to scientific programs and continue the university's policy of allocating funds for administrative and operating needs while returning the excess fee funds to the laboratory for additional research by its scientists.
The proposal will highlight the strengths of the University of California and its ability to produce future scientific and technological achievements at the laboratory.
Due to the competitive nature of the bid process, the university did not publicly detail other aspects of its proposal.
"Today's action by the regents will allow Berkeley Lab to continue to be a place of tremendous scientific and technological discovery under UC management," said Gerald L. Parsky, chairman of the UC Board of Regents. "The regents fully expect that a strong, winning bid will be submitted to the Department of Energy building upon UC's 60-year history of managing this scientific jewel."
The current contract to manage the laboratory is set to expire on Jan. 31, 2005. Since October 2002, UC has managed the laboratory under a series of contract extensions, including a one-year extension signed by the university on Jan. 30, 2004.
Congressional action in 2003 mandated that DOE conduct a competition for management of any laboratory contract that had been in place for 50 years or more without competition. Five national laboratory contracts, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, were affected by this action.
UC will make the final proposal and the contract publicly available after DOE makes a determination regarding the future contractor for the Berkeley Laboratory.
Background on the UC-managed Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory:
The University of California has managed Berkeley Lab since its inception in 1931, when it was one of the first laboratories of its kind showing the extraordinary value of multidisciplinary research, which ultimately led to the creation of the national laboratory system. Founded by Ernest O. Lawrence, who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1939 for his invention of the cyclotron, Berkeley Lab has evolved into a multidisciplinary research facility advancing the forefront of scientific knowledge and addressing problems of national and global concern.
The DOE's Office of Science is the steward of 10 laboratories in the national laboratory system, including Berkeley Lab.
Today, Berkeley Lab performs research in nanoscience and advanced materials, the life sciences, computing, energy and earth sciences, physics, and cosmology. It also operates a homeland security office dedicated to leveraging fundamental scientific research to develop methods for ensuring the safety of our country. Researchers at the laboratory have won 10 Nobel Prizes and 12 National Medal of Science awards. More than 250 Berkeley Lab faculty and scientists hold joint appointments with UC Berkeley and other UC campuses.
Background on the competition process:
The Department of Energy announced on Jan. 30, 2004, that the contract to manage and operate Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory would be put out to bid. On Oct.15, 2004, the Department of Energy released a draft request for proposals (RFP). A final RFP was released by the Department of Energy on Dec. 15, 2004. The deadline for bids to be received by the department is Feb. 9, 2005. According to DOE, a source evaluation board made up of DOE technical and business experts will review proposals.
More information regarding the DOE competition process for Berkeley Lab can be found at: http://rfplbnl.sc.doe.gov/
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