The FY15 LDRD portfolio-management process at LLNL was structured to ensure alignment with the DOE, NNSA, and Laboratory missions.
This process involved (1) a top-level strategic planning process to identify strategic science and technology areas for LDRD investment, (2) a call to the Laboratory scientific and technical community for innovative and relevant proposals within the DOE/NNSA mission areas, and (3) a scientific peer-review process to select the highest-quality LDRD portfolio from these proposals.
In 2009, the Laboratory director called for the development of a new scientific and technical investment strategy that sets institutional strategic goals and identifies science and technology needs in selected mission focus areas, in fundamental research, and in critical science, technology, and engineering capabilities. The strategy was developed by multidisciplinary teams under the guidance of the deputy director for science and technology. The Laboratory's updated Investment Strategy for Science, Technology, and Engineering document, which is revised periodically to respond to our evolving mission needs, set the strategic context for the FY15 LDRD competition. Further strategic context was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Strategic Plan, 2014–20181 and by The National Nuclear Security Administration Strategic Plan, May 2011.2 The DOE strategic plan articulates strategic themes for achieving the DOE mission of discovering solutions to power and secure America’s future. In FY15, the Laboratory’s LDRD Program strongly supported DOE strategic themes:
- Energy and Environmental Security—Catalyze the timely, material, and efficient transformation of the nation’s energy system and secure U.S. leadership in clean energy technologies
- Nuclear Security—Enhance nuclear security through defense, nonproliferation, and environmental efforts
- Scientific Discovery and Innovation—Maintain a vibrant U.S. effort in science and engineering as a cornerstone of our economic prosperity with clear leadership in strategic areas
The DOE and NNSA oversee the Laboratory’s LDRD Program to ensure that it accomplishes its objectives. This oversight includes field and headquarters reviews of both the technical content and management processes.
1 U.S. Department of Energy Strategic Plan, 2014–2018 (retrieved October 21, 2015).
2 The National Nuclear Security Administration Strategic Plan, May 2011 (retrieved October 21, 2015).
