The US Department of Energy has announced that Oak Ridge National Laboratory will operate for another 5 years under the management of UT-Battelle, a joint venture between the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute. UT-Battelle won the first contract to manage ORNL in 2000, and it was again renewed in 2005.
ORNL Director Thom Mason said, “The University of Tennessee and Battelle together make up one of the most successful partnerships in the national laboratory system.” UT-Battelle has consistently been given top grades by DOE for management of the lab. Since the organization began managing the lab, it has grown from 3,700 to 4,700 employees, and research funding has increased from $640 million to $1.6 billion.
The lab has also undergone major upgrades, including construction of a new chemical material sciences building and upgrades to the Jaguar supercomputer, the world’s most powerful supercomputer. Under UT-Battelle’s management, ORNL has become the world’s leading center for high-performance computing, and a national leader in climate and biotechnology.
Click here to read the full release from the University of Tennessee.
