The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that the Battelle-State University of New York-Stony Brook team has been selected to operate Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, New York.

The five-year management and operations contract is valued at approximately $2 billion. BNL employs 3,400 staff at its 5,300-acre Long Island facility.

The Battelle-Stony Brook team will operate the laboratory under a newly formed company - Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA). Core universities associated with the team include Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Yale. Key subcontractors include Bechtel National (environmental restoration), Waste Management Federal Services (waste management), and Duke Engineering and Services (reactor operations and safety). “We are proud to be selected for the important responsibility of operating this outstanding science and technology laboratory,” said Battelle President and CEO Douglas E. Olesen. “BNL is a world leader in numerous areas of science and technology and we are excited to be affiliated with it.”

Olesen emphasized four major priorities for operating the laboratory:

• Strong Laboratory Leadership - The BSA team has designated Dr. John H. Marburger as the new lab director. He is a physicist and former president of Stony Brook.
• Continuation of Outstanding Science - The laboratory will be characterized by a culture of scientific excellence that promotes innovation and creativity, and continues to attract outstanding staff.
• Responsible Stewardship for the Environment - The development of strong environment, safety, and health programs.
• Community Involvement - The laboratory will be a valued community asset. Brookhaven must earn the trust and respect of the public through openness and clear avenues for community involvement.

Ranked among the top public research universities in the country, a recent survey of American research universities labeled SUNY-Stony Brook “one of the nation’s most dramatic rising stars.” The first public university in New York to be ranked a “Type 1 Research University” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Stony Brook has nearly 10,000 employees and receives more than $100 million in annual external research support.

Its faculty is engaged in more than 2,000 sponsored research projects, some involving the use of facilities, staff, and equipment at BNL. The non-profit Battelle Memorial Institute employs about 7,500 scientists, engineers, and supporting specialists worldwide, assisting more than 2,000 industrial and government clients in developing new technologies and products.

A key part of Battelle’s $1 billion-a-year business is the management of laboratories, including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, which employs 3,500 staff members and has an annual budget of more than $500 million.

In addition to Ohio and Washington, Battelle operates major technology centers in Massachusetts, Texas, Germany, and Switzerland, and has specialized facilities, regional centers, and offices in more than 50 locations in the U.S. and Europe.

Battelle serves industry and government by developing, commercializing, and managing technology. With a wide range of scientific and technical capabilities, Battelle puts technology to work for clients in 30 countries.