United States Department of Energy National Laboratories

[2] The National Laboratory system was established in the wake of World War II, during which the United States had quickly set-up and pursued advanced scientific research in the sprawling Manhattan Project.

[16] A total of over 30,000 scientific users from universities, national laboratories, and technology companies use these facilities to advance their research and development.

The staff of experts at each facility who build and operate the associated instruments and work with visiting scientists to mount experiments with them.

This access and support is provided without charge to qualified scientific groups, with priority based on recommendations by expert review panels.

After the war and its scientific successes, the newly created Atomic Energy Commission took over the future of the wartime laboratories, extending their lives indefinitely (they were originally thought of as temporary creations).