LDRD portfolio management at Livermore is structured to guarantee alignment with DOE, NNSA, and Laboratory missions.
The process involves:
- a top-level planning process to identify strategic science and technology areas for LDRD investment;
- multiple calls every year to the Laboratory scientific and technical community for innovative and relevant proposals within DOE/NNSA mission areas; and
- a peer-review process for technical content and strategic relevance to select the highest-quality LDRD portfolio from these proposals.
In 2009, Director George Miller called for a new scientific and technical investment strategy that sets institutional goals by identifying (a) mission-related areas for focal research, (b) the core competencies that support this research, (c) the scientific and technological needs within the areas and the competencies involved, and (d) key topics in fundamental research. Subsequently developed by multidisciplinary teams under the guidance of the deputy director for science and technology, the new strategy, published as Investment Strategy for Science, Technology, and Engineering, is revised annually to respond to evolving mission needs. This document sets the strategic context for the annual LDRD calls for proposals. Other context-defining publications include the DOE’s Strategic Plan, 2014–2018 and the NNSA Enterprise Strategic Vision, August 2015. By adhering to the guidance of these documents, the Laboratory’s 2017 LDRD Program strongly supported DOE/NNSA goals in energy and environmental security, nuclear security, and scientific discovery and innovation, as in years past.
