The Department takes seriously its responsibility to protect federal investments from undue foreign influence and to accomplish its mission in ways that protect and further energy security and technological advancement of the United States. The Office of Research, Technology, and Economic Security supports the Department’s programs in due diligence reviews and risk mitigation to ensure our national security, economic competitiveness, and technological leadership imperatives are duly incorporated into its financial assistance and loan activities.

The Office’s responsibilities include identifying and addressing potential security risks that threaten the scientific enterprise; establishing best practices for programs; conducting outreach activities for stakeholders; educating Department programs on potential security risks; and conducting or facilitating risk assessments of DOE proposals, loans, and awards. It is also responsible for implementing the Department’s pilot vetting process, which is intended to streamline and strengthen existing due diligence processes.