INVESTING IN THE NATION'S FUTURE: The Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program has been a significant engine of scientific discovery for 25 years.

For more than a quarter century, the Department of Energy's Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program has made possible transformative scientific and technological solutions to ever-changing national security challenges. Under LDRD, the Laboratory invests 6 percent of its operating budget (about $87 million in fiscal year 2017) in areas beyond the scope of programmatic research and where high-risk research could lead to big payoffs. As the primary source of discretionary research and development funding at the Laboratory, the program helps to maintain the vitality of Livermore science and technology relevant to national security. The most innovative science and engineering programs at Livermore often have roots in LDRD. Projects sponsored by the program contribute significantly to intellectual property, publications, and collaborations. The technical output of LDRD researchers--patent disclosures, peer-reviewed publications, and publications cited by other authors--typically accounts for one-quarter of the Laboratory's total. In the last 10 years, some 60 percent of Livermore's R&D 100 awards have been attributed to LDRD. In addition, many technologies that come out of the LDRD Program are licensed to the private sector to strengthen U.S. industry. Among the most valuable aspects of the program is its role as an outstanding tool for professional growth and recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]