DOE Human Subjects Protection Program

DOE Mission/Strategic Goals

The Department of Energy (DOE) has a rich and diverse history. Although only in existence since 1977, the department traces its lineage to the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s.

DOE’s mission is:

  • to advance the national economic and energy security of the United States
  • to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission
  • to ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex.

DOE has four strategic goals toward achieving its mission:

  1. Defense Strategic Goal:  To protect our national security by applying advanced science and nuclear technology to the nation’s defense.
  2. Energy Strategic Goal:  To protect our national and economic security by promoting a diverse supply and delivery of reliable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy.
  3. Science Strategic Goal:  To protect our national and economic security by providing world-class scientific research capacity and advancing scientific knowledge.
  4. Environment Strategic Goal:  To protect the environment by providing a responsible resolution to the environmental legacy of the Cold War and by providing for the permanent disposal of the nation’s high-level radioactive waste.

DOE manages fundamental research programs in basic energy sciences, biological and environmental sciences, and computational science and is the Federal Government’s largest single provider of funds for materials and chemical sciences. Such a diverse research portfolio supports tens of thousands of principal investigators, post-doctoral students, and graduate students who are tackling some of the most challenging scientific questions of our era.

Content reviewed: May 3, 2007