January 20, 2005

Remarks of President Dynes to The Regents

Regarding Authorizing the University to Submit a Competitive Proposal for the Management and Operation of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Mr. Chairman and members, today I am asking for authority to submit a competitive proposal for the continued management and operation of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. As you are aware, the Department of Energy has issued a formal request for management proposals, and these are due to the Department by February 9 th .

The University of California has managed the Berkeley Lab since its inception in 1931. The laboratory has experienced enormous success under the University's management and continues today as a premiere source of scientific and technological discovery for our nation and, indeed, the world.

I would like to share with you a few points about the relationship between the University and the Berkeley laboratory that underscore how the institutions have affected and influenced each other:

There are more than 250 Berkeley Lab faculty and scientists who hold joint appointments with UC Berkeley and other UC campuses.   Researchers at Berkeley Laboratory have won nine Nobel Prizes and 12 National Medal of Science awards.

Of the 13 major scientific focus areas of the Department of Energy, the Berkeley laboratory has significant roles in 8 of them.   The lab is playing a central role in many of the most exciting emerging areas of scientific investigation, including "dark matter" and the acceleration of the universe, the human genome, nanoscience, and high-performance computing.

When one looks over the horizon to the future of science over the next 20 years, the work is going to be extremely exciting, and a UC-managed Berkeley Lab is going to be a very exciting place to be.

The task before the Regents today is to decide whether to respond to the competitive solicitation.   My staff has spent several months preparing for the University's response.   Vice President Foley and Laboratory Director Chu have been engaged in the process of assessing, commenting on, and asking questions about the contents of the solicitation.   And they have developed the proposal which I now ask the Regents to authorize.

Due to the competitive nature of the process, the University would not be well served by publicly detailing the entirety of our proposal.   However, I do feel it is appropriate to make the following comments:

•  The University will be proposing to be the prime contractor at the Berkeley Laboratory, as in the past.

•  The fee proposal will be financially responsible and will continue our practice of maximizing the benefit to scientific programs.

•  The government has authorized, and we will propose, that the laboratory staff remain part of the systemwide pension and benefits programs.   I am gratified that DOE recognizes the value in our preserving the "UC" brand and making employment at the Berkeley laboratory as indistinguishable from employment at the campuses as practicable. I know this has been a concern of staff at the Berkeley laboratory, so I think it important they know that the University wishes to maintain this relationship as strongly as we possibly can.

•  Finally, our technical proposal will highlight the strengths of the University and what I believe to be our unparalleled capability to produce scientific achievements at the Berkeley laboratory.

I have asked Vice President Foley and Laboratory Director Chu to be available for your questions. I ask your indulgence in advance if, in response to any of your questions, they seem a little vague.   This will not be due to a lack of understanding of the underlying subject matter, but rather a reflection of the need to be careful about the level of detail we discuss publicly due to the competitive nature of the Department of Energy's process.

Mr. Chairman, thank you.