Federal Facilities and Use Agreements
The U.S. federal government funds a variety of specialized facilities hosted by third parties, such as Department of Energy National Laboratories, that ñ researchers may propose to use for research. The hosts of these facilities use a variety of approaches to govern access and use, often requiring an inter-institutional contract. Below is a non-exhaustive list of facilities, use agreements actively managed by the Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) and processes for accessing. If access is needed to a facility not on this list, contact your OCG Contract Officer.
Use of federal facilities not hosted by third parties will typically be addressed through direct agreements with the managing agency or as part of a funded award.
Department of Energy (DOE) User Facilities
host over twenty facilities that can be used by university researchers to conduct ground-breaking research. These facilities offer opportunities for researchers across the ñ campus. Learn more: .
Accessing DOE Facilities
To access most DOE User Facilities, an active umbrella facility use agreement (“Non-Proprietary User Agreement (NPUA)”) between the National Laboratory and ñ, signed by an OCG Contract Officer, must be in place. The agreements are for:
Non-proprietary research only. No proprietary research may be conducted under the umbrella facility use agreements.
Non-proprietary research is work that is not confidential and does not require data protection. The results are also intended to be published in open scientific literature.
ñ has NPUAs with the following facilities as of May 2026:
| Facility Name | Research Area | Host Laboratory | Agreement Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) | High Energy Physics (HEP) | Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) | 2031 |
| Advanced Light Source (ALS) | Basic Energy Sciences – X-Ray Light Sources | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) | 2031 |
| Advanced Photon Source (APS) | Basic Energy Sciences – X-Ray Light Sources | Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) | Auto-renewal |
| Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) | Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) | ANL | Auto-renewal |
| Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) | Nuclear Physics | ANL | Auto-renewal |
| Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) | Basic Energy Sciences - Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs) | Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) | 2031 |
| Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) | Basic Energy Sciences - Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs) | Sandia National Laboratories / Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) | Expires Jul 2026 |
| Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) | Basic Energy Sciences - Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs) | Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) | 2027 (with auto renewal) |
| Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) | Basic Energy Sciences - Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs) | ANL | Auto-renewal |
| Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) | Nuclear Physics | Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF) | TBD |
| Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) | Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) | LBNL | 2031 |
| Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) | Biological and Environmental Research (BER) | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) | Auto-renewal |
| Facility for Advanced Accelerator Experimental Tests-II (FACET-II) | High Energy Physics (HEP) | SLAC National Accelerator Lab (SLAC) | 2031 |
| Fermilab Accelerator Complex | High Energy Physics (HEP) | Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) | Expires Aug 2026 |
| High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) | Basic Energy Sciences – Neutron Scattering Facilities | ORNL | 2027 (with auto-renewal) |
| Joint Genome Institute (JGI) | Biological and Environmental Research (BER) | LBNL | 2031 |
| Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) | Basic Energy Sciences – X-Ray Light Sources | SLAC | 2031 |
| National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) | Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) | LBNL | 2031 |
| National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) | Basic Energy Sciences – X-Ray Light Sources | BNL | 2031 |
| Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) | Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) | ORNL | 2027 (with auto-renewal) |
| Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) | Nuclear Physics | BNL | 2031 |
| Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) | Basic Energy Sciences – Neutron Scattering Facilities | ORNL | 2027 (with auto-renewal) |
| Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source (SSRL) | Basic Energy Sciences – X-Ray Light Sources | SLAC | 2031 |
| The Molecular Foundry | Basic Energy Sciences - Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs) | LBNL | 2031 |
If access is needed to a facility not on this list, contact your OCG Contract Officer.
The following DOE facilities can be accessed without an active NPUA, requiring researchers to request access through individual accounts:
- Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility (ARM), a multi-laboratory user facility forming a global network
- Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), hosted by Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF)
- Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), hosted by Michigan State University (MSU)
Applying to Access DOE Facilities
When applying to use a DOE National Laboratory facility for which ñ has a NPUA as listed in the table above:
- Researchers should contact their OCG Contract Officer to discuss the nature of the work to be done.
- Researchers apply through the national laboratory facility use proposal submission portal.
- After applying for facility use, PIs must forward a copy of their application to their OCG Contract Officer.
National Institutes of Health National Centers for Cryoelectron Microscopy
The National Centers for Cryoelectron Microscopy (CryoEM) provide access to instrumentation for data collection (primarily, but not exclusively, high-end microscopes) as well as focused training programs to help labs become independent cryoEM practitioners.
The three centers are independent and have their own categories and review cycles. Applications are submitted to a specific center.
Accessing NIH Facilities
Access to CryoEM centers may require an active umbrella facility use agreement between the host and ñ, signed by an Office of Contracts and Grants Contract Officer. When required, the agreements are for:
Non-proprietary research only. No proprietary research may be conducted under the umbrella facility use agreements.
Non-proprietary research is work that is not confidential and does not require data protection. The results are also intended to be published in open scientific literature.
ñ has umbrella facility use agreements with the following facilities as of May 2026:
| Facility | Host | Agreement Status |
|---|---|---|
| National Center for CryoEM Access and Training (NCCAT) | New York Structural Biology Center | No agreement required |
| Pacific Northwest CryoEM Center (PNCC) | Oregon Health Sciences University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | No agreement required |
| Stanford-SLAC CryoEM Center (S2C2) | SLAC | Active |
Applying to Access NIH Facilities
When applying to use the Stanford-SLAC CryoEM Center (S2C2):
- Researchers should contact their OCG Contract Officer to discuss the nature of the work to be done.
- Researchers apply through the national laboratory facility use proposal submission portal.
- After applying for facility use, PIs must forward a copy of their application to their OCG Contract Officer.
Other Federal User Facilities
If access is needed to a facility not on this list, contact your OCG Contract Officer.