Science Laboratories Infrastructure (SLI) manages enabling construction projects, as well as oversees infrastructure support, including targeted operational support, planning, and sustainability for SC’s 10 National laboratories.
SLI General Purpose Construction Projects
Modernizing infrastructure that supports the SC national laboratories ensures the critical needs of future science initiatives and user facilities are met, while maximizing efficiency, minimizing unwanted disruptions through resilience, reliability, and safety enhancements, and improving sustainability by transitioning to carbon-free energy via electrification. SLI uses funding for line-item construction projects and minor construction projects (historically called general plant projects, GPPs) to transform and modernize enabling infrastructure at the SC laboratories to support scientific discovery and innovation to solve the challenges of today and the future. Based on user of the capability, other investment sources for enabling infrastructure modernization include Science program line-item and minor construction projects, laboratory directed overhead-funded institutional minor construction project (IGPP) and routine maintenance & repair.
Since FY 2006, SLI has invested $2.4 billion in laboratory infrastructure, completing 20 Line-Item projects and 29 minor construction projects. These resulted in over 1.5 million square feet of new space, over 500,000 square feet of renovated space, removal of 350,000 square feet of excess space, research & office space for over 3,200 researchers & staff, and multiple electrical & utility improvements, as well as site improvement, safety, and environmental projects.
Infrastructure Support and Management
In addition to funding line-item and minor construction projects, the SLI program also funds Infrastructure Support for SC stewardship responsibilities at the Oak Ridge Reservation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Nuclear Operations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It also provides Payments in Lieu of Taxes to local communities around the SC Argonne, Brookhaven, and Oak Ridge National Laboratories, and recently launched a laboratory trades apprenticeship program.
Sustainability
SC and its laboratories and sites must strive to meet environmental and sustainability goals required in laws and executive orders. Sustainability requirements are reported in the sites’ annual Site Sustainability Plans. SLI serves as the coordinator for the implementation of new policies and performance reporting of SC activities related to sustainable infrastructure.
Infrastructure Management Planning
SLI oversees campus planning activities via the SC Annual Laboratory Planning Process. The campus plans identify general purpose infrastructure needs along with research program plans to ensure facilities are mission ready, efficient, safe, and meet environmental and sustainability requirements. Direct and indirect infrastructure investments for each laboratory are provided for a ten-year planning period.