Federally funded research and development centers ( FFRDCs ) are public-private partnerships that conduct research and development for the United States Government . Under Federal Acquisition Regulation § 35.017 , FFRDCs are operated by universities and corporations to fulfill certain long-term needs of the government that "...cannot be met as effectively by existing in-house or contractor resources." While similar in many ways to University Affiliated Research Centers , FFRDCs are prohibited from competing for work. There are currently 42 FFRDCs, each sponsored by one or more U.S. government departments or agencies.
6-414: The National Cybersecurity FFRDC ( NCF ) is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) operated by MITRE Corporation . It supports the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology 's (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE). NCF is the first and, as of March 2017, only federally funded research and development center dedicated solely to cybersecurity . The NCF
12-649: Is located at 9700 Great Seneca Hwy in Rockville, Maryland . The NCF's mission is to increase the cybersecurity of the business community by providing practical guidance, increasing the adoption rate of more secure technologies, and accelerating innovation . It supports the Department of Commerce 's goal of protecting the economy. NCF also fosters public-private collaborations to identify and solve cybersecurity threats. Through NIST's Work for Others Program, non-profits, and federal, state and local agencies can access
18-477: The contract allowed the NCCoE to expand its efforts in developing use cases and building blocks and provide operations management and facilities planning." Federally funded research and development centers During World War II scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and other specialists became part of the massive United States war effort—leading to evolutions in radar, aircraft, computing and, most famously,
24-739: The cybersecurity technologies and talent available at the NCF. The contract to operate the NCF was awarded in September 2014 by the NIST to the MITRE Corporation. The press release stated that "FFRDCs operate in the public interest and are required to be free from organizational conflicts of interest as well as bias toward any particular company, technology or product—key attributes given the NCCoE ’s collaborative nature…The first three task orders under
30-527: The development of nuclear weapons through the Manhattan Project . The end of armed conflict did not end the need for organized research and development in support of the government. As the Cold War became the new reality, government officials and their scientific advisors advanced the idea of a systematic approach to research, development, and acquisitions—one independent of the ups and downs of
36-560: The marketplace and free of the restrictions on civil service. From this idea arose the concept of FFRDCs—private entities that would work almost exclusively on behalf of the government—free of organizational conflicts of interest and with a stable workforce of highly trained technical talent. The U.S. Air Force created the first FFRDC, the RAND Corporation , in 1947. Others grew directly out of their wartime roles. For example, MIT Lincoln Laboratory , founded in 1951, originated as
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