ABSTRACT
Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) are government-funded entities that have long-term relationships with one or more federal agencies to perform research and development (R&D) and related tasks. FFRDCs are typically entirely federally funded, or nearly so, but they are operated by contractors or other nongovernmental organizations. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has reported that federal agencies provide billions of dollars each year for R&D activities at FFRDCs. Federal agencies sponsor FFRDCs by establishing contracts or other agreements with nonprofit, university-affiliated, or private industry organizations, which in turn operate the FFRDCs. The FFRDC functions as the only national laboratory dedicated solely to cybersecurity, providing research, development, technology and engineering expertise in support of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the rest of the federal government. The FFRDC also provides access to expertise across the University of Maryland system and nine other university affiliates around the country.
