Higher Education

Research Excellence Programs

Advancing research through partnerships, mentoring and educational opportunities for students, faculty and researchers.

The mission of the Idaho National Laboratory’s Research Excellence Programs is to create an environment that inspires excellence and promotes a thriving research culture. INL is a world leader in basic and applied research in areas crucial to national security and energy independence. The lab’s research expands knowledge in energy and critical infrastructure.

INL strengthens the talent pipeline by investing in education and research partnerships with higher education institutions in our region and throughout the nation. To cultivate these relationships and strengthen INL’s research, the laboratory offers the several programs.

Programs

Awards

Whether it’s pioneering research, outstanding operations or exceptional community engagement, human research subjects. The INL Awards program supports the full nomination process and honors the achievements of our world-class staff members.

Faculty Programs

Joint appointments at INL foster collaboration and strengthen partnerships between the lab and universities. These appointments support long-term research, mentoring and academic collaboration. They also drive innovation and advance science and technology through shared institutional efforts.

Human Subjects Research / Institutional Review Board

INL’s Human Subjects Research Program protects the rights and welfare of human research subjects. The Institutional Review Board monitors INL research involving human subjects to ensure their protection.

Mentoring

The One INL Mentoring Program provides guidance and supports employees. The program pairs experienced mentors with mentees to foster professional growth, facilitate knowledge transfer and encourage collaboration across disciplines.

Office of Science

INL has a small portfolio of projects and programs funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. These efforts support basic research at INL that is not available from other customers that support more applied research and development. These projects are found across the lab’s research areas.

Postdoctoral Programs

INL postdoctoral research associates advance research, solve complex problems, and build skills during two- to three-year appointments addressing national challenges. The INL Postdoctoral Association supports postdocs through professional development and community-building events.

Professional Development

Aligning professional development with researcher career paths supports growth, retention, and innovation. INL tailors opportunities to strengthen skills, advance careers, and enhance research impact, including seminars, coaching, and investigator resources.

Research Integrity

The Research Integrity Office reviews allegations of research misconduct in the areas of plagiarism, fabrication and falsification. The committee creates resources for researchers, such as authorship guidelines and research integrity policies.

Research Lifecycle

INL’s research lifecycle is a framework that encompasses every stage of research activities – funding, planning, performing, communicating and close-out – to provide researchers with resources to deliver innovative and impactful research while working safely, securely and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Student Programs

INL offers a robust, paid internship program for undergraduate and graduate students across many fields, providing an enriching experience that fosters professional and personal growth while integrating interns into the research and development environment.

Scholarly Output

Publishing disseminates research findings, fostering collaboration and innovation. INL’s data analytics team reports research output and OSTI metrics to help leaders increase impact. INL Experts is a public, searchable database that enhances research visibility and collaboration.

Connect with our Team

Questions about our research, capabilities or collaboration opportunities? Our team is ready to connect you with the right experts and resources at INL.

Research Excellence Programs

General Inquiries

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Additional Resources