This is just part of the story of how the partnership of the laboratory, the University of Tennessee, the state, and the local community are transforming the campus. Other results include a new functional genomics laboratory, a new 300,000 square foot research complex for engineering and computational sciences, and a new neutron scattering experimental hall at the High Flux Isotope Reactor.

The pace of change is striking – largely due to the vision and leadership of Bill Madia. We are very aware and deeply appreciative of what he has done here.

Building these new facilities is already benefiting the economy of East Tennessee. Including SNS, there are 11 research buildings in various phases of construction at ORNL with 1000 construction workers currently on site. In addition, there are approximately 400 additional staff engaged in the SNS project. We calculate that they have also had a multiplier effect, and brought a total of approximately 3000 additional jobs to the region

But the real future economic impact of the laboratory stems from its capabilities as a center for scientific research and technology development– Oak Ridge can become a growth engine for the entire region.

As a world-class center for science, it will be a magnet for researchers nationally and internationally. When the facilities under construction are complete, thousands of additional researchers will come to Oak Ridge every year. Even more important, the facilities also form the basis for partnerships that extend universities and ORNL in new and exciting directions. For instance:

· The University of Tennessee has established many partnerships with the laboratory. There are 10 joint ORNL/UT Distinguished Scientists (with additional 6 searches/pending offers) and 23 Joint Faculty with 96 associated graduate students, and 81 postdocs doing research in materials science, neutron scattering, nuclear physics, chemistry, condensed matter physics, chemical engineering, computational science, and environmental science.

· The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences has been established with an ORNL/UT Distinguished Scientist as director and 14 joint postdocs and 4 graduate students. Housed in the same building will be the Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies, an intellectual center for workshops and study groups on science and technology issues, in partnership with UT, ORAU, and the UT-Battelle core universities (Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State, Duke, Virginia, and Virginia Tech).

· Other Joint Institutes include the well established Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research (ORNL, UT, Vanderbilt) which has provided a focus for nuclear physics activities throughout the Southeast, and developing joint institutes for Biological Sciences and Neutron Sciences.

· ORNL is a partner in five large UT research centers including the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, the Tennessee Advance Materials Laboratory, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Center for Structural Biology, Food Safety Center, and Center for Information Research. These Centers involve more than 20 ORNL researchers and joint grants from NIH, NSF, and USDA.

· ORNL is participating with UT, Vanderbilt, St Jude Hospital, Meharry Medical School, U. Memphis, and ETSU on a successful $13.8M NIH grant for targeted mutagenesis of mouse genome and neural phenotypes.

The capabilities of the laboratory have also spurred the development of over 30 new companies throughout the region which are being supported by the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth in one of the best examples of not only creating, but also supporting technology-based start-up companies. Additionally, the Knoxville Chamber’s Matching and Mining partnership with ORNL is bringing lab solutions to the problems of existing companies in the region, ensuring that they can leverage the one of a kind resources available right here in Oak Ridge as they seek to achieve prosperity. And an existing company, Theragenics, a producer of radiation therapy (cancer treatment, etc.) products based on radioisotopes, has built a $30M facility in Oak Ridge to take advantage of DOE plasma separation technology and isotope production at HFIR.

These partnerships are already expanding beyond the Oak Ridge/Knoxville region.

Last August, I had the privilege of dedicating a new network connection from Oak Ridge, through Chattanooga to link with NSF’s Internet2. This has already allowed new scientific collaborations to form between ORNL and various research universities, and enabled joint faculty appointments with Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. High speed network access to ORNL has also resulted in establishment of a new Simulation Center (~$5M computational science center) at UT Chattanooga and is central to the city’s “Connect the Valley” initiative to attract additional high-tech businesses to the region. I understand that Mayor Corker recently hosted a Mayor’s Town Hall Meeting focused on ORNL which drew over 500 business leaders to learn about Oak Ridge opportunities.

On the other end of the State, the Fed-Ex Institute, a partnership between Federal Express and the University of Memphis is now collaborating with the lab to provide a conduit for transmission of research results from ORNL to local biotechnology and information technology companies

As exciting as these examples are, I believe that they are only a beginning. Not only will the facilities that are now under construction spur additional growth, but I believe that the laboratory is beautifully positioned to compete for additional research funding and to be the site for future facilities with the potential for even greater impact on the regional economy.

In closing, let me thank you for your help in what has already been accomplished and say that I am excited about working together to make the most of the opportunities before us for the benefit of the region and the Nation.