Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science

Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science

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June 21, 2024
Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science
Fusion Energy Sciences
conducts most of the department’s basic research, in fields
The Fusion Energy Sciences program investigates the
ranging from nuclear physics to the biological and
behavior of matter at very high temperatures to establish the
environmental sciences, and oversees 10 of the
science needed for development of fusion energy systems,
department’s 17 national laboratories (see Figure 1). For
including the U.S. portion of the ITER project, a
FY2024, Congress appropriated $8.24 billion in the
multinational effort to design and build an experimental
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-42), to
fusion reactor. See CRS In Focus IF12411, Fusion Energy.
support DOE’s science programs. For the FY2025 budget
request, see CRS Report R48097, Energy and Water
High Energy Physics
Development: FY2025 Appropriations.
The High Energy Physics program conducts research on the
fundamental constituents of matter and energy, including
The Office of Science supports research and development
studies of dark energy and the search for dark matter.
(R&D) across six major research programs: Advanced
Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences,
Nuclear Physics
Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy
The Nuclear Physics program supports basic research on
Sciences, High Energy Physics, and Nuclear Physics.
understanding atomic nuclei, including their basic
Smaller programs in Isotope R&D and Production, and
constituents and interactions.
Accelerator R&D and Production, were split off from the
Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics programs,
Table 1. Office of Science Programs and Funding,
respectively, in FY2020. The office also funds the
FY2022-FY2024 (in millions of dollars)
Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists
program, science labs infrastructure, safeguards and
Program
2022
2023
2024
security, and program direction (see Table 1).
Adv. Sci. Computing Research
1,035
1,068
1,016
The Office of Science is led by a director, who is appointed
Basic Energy Sciences
2,308
2,534
2,626
by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and a deputy
Bio. & Environmental Research
815
909
900
director, who is a career civil servant. That deputy is
currently acting as director. The director reports to the DOE
Fusion Energy Sciences
713
763
790
Under Secretary for Science and Innovation.
High Energy Physics
1,078
1,166
1,200
Major Research Programs
Nuclear Physics
728
805
804
Advanced Scientific Computing Research
Isotope R&D and Production
82
109
130
The Advanced Scientific Computing Research program
Accelerator R&D and Production
18
27
29
develops and maintains computing and networking
capabilities for science and research in applied
Workforce Development for
35
42
40
mathematics, computer science, and advanced networking.
Teachers & Scientists
Science Labs Infrastructure
291
281
288
Basic Energy Sciences
The Basic Energy Sciences program supports research in
Safeguards and Security
170
184
190
disciplines such as condensed matter and materials physics,
Program Direction
202
211
227
chemistry, and geosciences. It also supports scientific user
facilities at DOE national laboratories, as well as
Total
7,475
8,100 8,240
extramural Energy Frontier Research Centers and Energy
Sources: P.L. 117-103, P.L. 117-328, P.L. 118-42, and accompanying
Innovation Hubs.
explanatory statements.
Biological and Environmental Research
Notes: Amounts listed do not include any additional funding
The Biological and Environmental Research program seeks
provided through other laws (e.g., P.L. 117-169). Column numbers
a predictive understanding of complex biological, climate,
may not add to totals shown due to rounding.
and environmental systems from the small scale (e.g.,
genomic research) to the large (e.g., Earth systems).
National Laboratories
The Office of Science oversees 10 of DOE’s 17 national
laboratories (see Figure 1). They are managed by
contractors as federally funded research and development
centers. The Office of Science laboratories also host
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Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science
Figure 1. Map of DOE National Laboratories

Source: CRS, adapted from Department of Energy (DOE), “Office of Science National Laboratories,” 2024, https://www.energy.gov/science/
office-science-national-laboratories.
Notes: Not represented on this map are the Hawaiian Kauai Test Facility (part of Sandia National Laboratory) and the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory’s Alaska Campus. NNSA = National Nuclear Security Administration.
scientific user facilities that provide access to researchers
scientific and technological leadership has been central to
funded by other agencies or the private sector. Funding for
congressional discussions related to federal investment in
research programs of the national laboratories is allocated
R&D. This has included the appropriate levels of funding
each year by DOE’s R&D programs.
for current or new research programs balanced against
funding levels for DOE’s more applied programs, including
Advisory Committees
facilities costs.
Each of the six major research programs of the Office of
Science has an advisory committee that provides external
The national laboratories, overseen by the Office of
scientific and technical advice to DOE on program
Science, host several large, unique scientific facilities, such
planning, scientific priorities, and research facilities. The
as accelerators, reactors, and advanced light sources.
High Energy Physics Advisory Panel and the Nuclear
Building and upgrading these facilities can require costly
Science Advisory Committee are joint committees with the
and specialized construction. When federal funding is
National Science Foundation. All six operate under the
constrained, these construction projects can create pressure
Federal Advisory Committee Act.
on the resources for other activities, including the operation
of existing facilities. Balancing the desire for new and
Statutory Authorities
upgraded facilities against the desire for full utilization of
Statutory authorizations for the Office of Science and its
existing facilities has sometimes been a challenge.
major programs appear in the Department of Energy
Organization Act (P.L. 95-91; see 42 U.S.C. §7139), the
For example, across Administrations, DOE budget
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58; see 42 U.S.C.
justifications to Congress typically have projected facility
§16311 et seq.), the Department of Energy Research and
operating hours at the proposed budget amount, as a
Innovation Act (P.L. 115-246; see 42 U.S.C. §18641 et
percentage of what the DOE views as the optimal level of
seq.), and elsewhere. The Office of Science also relies on
operation. On several occasions, DOE has proposed budget
DOE’s general authorities to acquire and maintain
initiatives to increase this percentage. One issue for
laboratories (42 U.S.C. §7257), conduct research for others
Congress is whether to expand facility operating hours to
on a reimbursement basis (42 U.S.C. §7259a), and establish
reach the optimal level and, if so, how to support such an
advisory committees (42 U.S.C. §7234), among other
increase.
general authorities. The national laboratories also operate
under these general departmental authorities and not under
Acknowledgment
the specific statutes that authorized and designated them by
Former CRS Analyst Daniel Morgan wrote the original
name. The term national laboratory was defined by the
draft of this product. Current CRS Analyst Todd Kuiken
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. §15801(3) and 42
updated the final version and is available to answer
U.S.C. §16355).
questions from congressional clients on request.
Selected Issues for Congress
Todd Kuiken, Analyst in Science and Technology Policy
The Office of Science is the largest federal funder of basic
research in the physical sciences. Its role in fostering U.S.
IF12692
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Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science

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