PROGRAM DETAILS - U.S. Department of Energy

History
SC history provided in SC-1 SIP.
Critical Operating Procedures
The Science program funds energy-related basic research in the following areas: fundamental
research in energy, matter, and the basic forces of nature; health and environmental
consequences of energy production and development; fundamental science that supports the
foundations for new energy technologies and environmental mitigation; a science base for fusion
as a potential future energy source; and advanced computational and networking tools critical to
research. In support of its mission, the Science program has responsibilities in three main areas:
selection and management of research; operation of world-class, state-of-the-art scientific
facilities; and design and construction of new facilities.
Disciplines supported by the Science program include high-energy and nuclear physics;
condensed matter and materials physics; plasma science and fusion energy sciences; chemistry;
biochemistry, biophysics, and systems biology; earth sciences; climate and environmental
sciences; applied mathematics, computer sciences, and advanced modeling and simulation.
Research priorities are established using topical scientific workshops; Federal Advisory
Committees; external reviews commissioned by the SC programs, occasionally using
organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences; and interagency coordinating and
working groups. Decisions on long-term research directions are also guided by Department
mission needs and national priorities. The process that involves the broader scientific
communities-particularly the topical workshops, Federal Advisory Committees, and external
reviews--enable the Office of Science to seize new scientific opportunities and foster programs
that advance the frontiers of science.
Facility priorities are established in similar ways. In 2003, the Office of Science published a
Facilities for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year Outlook, the first long-range scientific
facilities plan prioritized across scientific disciplines ever issued by a government science
funding agency anywhere in the world. The document listed 28 proposed facilities, ranking them
along two dimensions: scientific importance and technological readiness. The document served
as a roadmap for several years, providing an overarching strategic framework and long-term
vision to guide year-by-year DOE policy and funding decisions. Significant progress was made
in implementing the plan and deploying many of the planned facilities. But because
contemporary science and technology undergo change, the Office of Science was careful not to
adhere with inappropriate rigidity to the 2003 snapshot, but to respond to technological progress
in reordering and restructuring its priorities. In 2007 the Office of Science published an Interim
Repor which provides a summary update on the status of the facilities listed in the Twenty-Year
Outlook. In many cases, substantial progress has been made toward deployment. Some planned
facilities have been accelerated; a number have been reoriented, some in a substantial way
including termination in light of facilities abroad.
Research projects and facilities undergo regular peer review and merit evaluation based on
procedures set forth in 10 CFR Part 605 for the extramural financial assistance and grant