Sandia National Labs FY20 LDRD Annual Report

FY20 ANNUAL REPORT

R&D 100 Awards Another relevant indicator of advancement and leadership in a ST&E field is R&D 100 Awards. The prestigious “Oscars of Invention” honor the latest and best innovations and identify the top technology products of the past year. The LDRD Program Offices at each NNSA site often partner with sister organizations, such as the Intellectual Property Office and Public Affairs, to track whether R&D 100 winners (in the standard category or special awards) have “LDRD roots.” Because of the long development time from idea (LDRD) to practical implementation (R&D 100 Award candidate) the staff who work on something that wins an R&D 100 Award may not be the same staff who worked on the original R&D. Each site’s LDRD Program Offices engage in an extensive interview process to uncover how the LDRD work led to the celebrated invention. Since 1976, Sandia has won 140 awards, illustrating the Labs’ contributions in developing products and technologies with the potential to change industries and make the world a better place. Over the past three years, 60% of Sandia’s R&D 100 winning contributions have been rooted in LDRD; over the past fifteen years, more than 70% have come from LDRD. LDRD and R&D 100 Awards Earned by Sandia National Laboratories Counts in the metrics below include standard R&D 100 awards and special recognition awards, as well as awards led by other organizations where Sandia was a key partner.

Single Years

Five Years

To Date*

FY18

FY19

FY20

FY11-15 FY16-20

FY06-20

Total Awards

5 4

8 4

7 4

20 15

32 22

73 52

Awards with LDRD Roots

% with LDRD Roots

80% 50% 57%

75%

69%

71%

Average Years from First LDRD Investment

7

3.8

8

5

5.6

5

*Initial year to date: Each NNSA laboratory has chosen the appropriate lookback period to ensure data integrity.

R&D 100 Award winner Vincent Urias

12

LABORATORY DIRECTED RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT