Department of Energy Extends the University of California’s Contract to Manage Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The U.S. Department of Energy has extended the University of California’s contract to manage and operate Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) for another five years, effective June 1, 2025.

The contract extension continues an incredibly productive Berkeley Lab-UC partnership that has led to 16 Nobel Prizes, 17 National Medals, and hundreds of scientific breakthroughs over the years. The University of California has managed Berkeley Lab for the federal government since 1943, and Berkeley Lab’s relationship with one of the UC campuses — UC Berkeley — dates back to 1931, when Ernest Lawrence founded the Rad Lab on the Cal campus. Today, Berkeley Lab is managed by the University of California for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

“Since its founding, Berkeley Lab scientists have achieved breakthroughs in energy, physics, biology, computing, and much more. As we work to address the challenges of the 21st century, it’s more important than ever to develop solutions rooted in research and data. I’m proud of the Lab’s legacy of innovation and excellence, and I’m confident our partnership will continue to greatly benefit the nation well into the future,” said University of California President Michael V. Drake, M.D.

“The University of California is grateful that the Department of Energy has extended the prime contract and is honored to continue operating Berkeley Lab as a public service to the nation. Berkeley Lab offers UC faculty, postdocs, and students access to world-class experimental facilities and opportunities to collaborate with leading researchers on large, complex, multidisciplinary problems,” said June Yu, Vice President of the UC Office of National Laboratories. 

“The Lab’s close partnership with the UC system brings the scientific talent of the nation’s leading public university to bear on the nation’s most important research needs. Our continued partnership will enable Berkeley Lab to continue to expand the frontiers of knowledge and deliver solutions for science and humankind,” said Berkeley Lab Director Mike Witherell.

“This contract extension was well earned by the entire Berkeley Lab team. Their sustained, outstanding performance puts them in a class by themselves and is a testament to the commitment of the leadership team,” said DOE Berkeley Site Office Manager Paul Golan.

In more good news, today the Department of Energy’s Office of Science published a summary of the FY 2024 report card for Berkeley Lab. In this process, all 10 Office of Science laboratories are evaluated against the same goals and objectives in scientific, technological, managerial, and operational areas. For an unprecedented fourth year in a row, Berkeley Lab received an ‘A-’ or higher in all eight categories, and the Lab again received an ‘A’ in the mission accomplishments category.

“This accomplishment is a testament to our team science approach. Our consistent success depends on the excellence of the people throughout the Berkeley Lab community, including those who conduct our research and those who manage and operate our complex research enterprise,” said Witherell. 

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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 16 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.