About ORNL

Welcome to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL is a multiprogram science and technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy by UT-Battelle, LLC. ORNL's mission is to deliver scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs that will accelerate the development and deployment of solutions in clean energy and global security, and in doing so create economic opportunity for the nation.

ORNL also performs other work for the Department of Energy, including isotope production, information management, and technical program management, and provides research and technical assistance to other organizations. DOE's Office of Science is accountable for the effective stewardship and management of ORNL. The ORNL Site Office provides direct local oversight of the operations of the laboratory.

To find out more, follow the links below, or use one of our search tools. If you can't find what you're looking for, drop us a line, and we'll find it for you. 

Originally known as Clinton Laboratories, ORNL was established in 1943 to carry out a single, well-defined mission: the pilot-scale production and separation of plutonium for the World War II Manhattan Project. From this foundation, the Laboratory has evolved into a unique resource for addressing important national and global energy and environmental issues. Today, ORNL pioneers the development of new energy sources, technologies, and materials and the advancement of knowledge in the biological, chemical, computational, engineering, environmental, physical, and social sciences.

ORNL Facts and Figures - FY2012

Staff: 4400 total, 3000 scientists and engineers
Budget: $1.6 billion, 80% Department of Energy, 20% work for others
Replacement cost of buildings: $7 billion
Total land area: 58 square miles
Guest researchers: 3000 each year, about one-fourth from industry
Visitors: About 30,000 each year, plus 10,000 precollege students

ORNL's Economic Impact - FY2012

Wages: $426 million
Procurement: $642 million
United Way contributions: $960,000
Medical services: $56 million
Tennessee taxes: $25 million
Pensions: $83 million

More Information

For information about current events at ORNL, you can check out the latest developments at the ORNL Newsdesk, or get more in-depth information about R&D activities at ORNL in the ORNL Review.

The mailing address for ORNL is:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P.O. Box 2008
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

If you're sending mail by carriers other than the U.S. Postal Service, replace the "P.O. Box 2008" with "One Bethel Valley Road."