Energy department gets $1.55bn to strengthen US national labs

Money will help tackle “decades of underfunding” at facilities, says Department of Energy

The US government is putting $1.55 billion into overhauling the country’s national laboratories, saying “decades of underfunding” have damaged their ability to conduct vital research.

The Department of Energy said on 4 November that the money would finally allow ageing scientific facilities to be upgraded and modernised. As the country’s largest funder of basic research in the physical sciences, the DOE’s Office of Science oversees the majority of the department’s national laboratories, programmes and facilities.