Oak Ridge National Laboratory

10/22/2026

has a big impact close to home.

Laboratory spending supports businesses and workers, new technologies create opportunities for industry, and ORNL’s capabilities help attract more investment in East Tennessee. In fact, ORNL activity generated $3.6B in Tennessee economic output in 2025, with $3.3B concentrated in the Knoxville metro area.

Learn more in the 2025 Economic Impact Report: https://bit.ly/3U8wxZS

10/21/2026

ORNL researchers are creating more detailed ways to model how water moves through watersheds, including rivers, groundwater, drainage systems, levees, pumping stations and detention ponds.

By testing thousands of possible scenarios, the models can help communities and infrastructure managers better understand risks and evaluate strategies for reducing them.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4s0JnFT

10/20/2026

For every 100 jobs at ORNL, another 130 are supported across Tennessee!

ORNL’s work supports local business, suppliers, and workers, and the lab’s scientific capabilities continue to attract new opportunities to East Tennessee.

In 2025, ORNL helped state and regional partners secure six projects representing $1.6 billion in capital investment and more than 1,000 high-paying Tennessee jobs.

Learn more in the 2025 Economic Impact Report: https://www.ornl.gov/economic-development/

10/19/2026

Nuclear innovation takes more than a single breakthrough. It depends on research, specialized facilities, industry, a skilled workforce and collaboration across the nuclear community.

For Nuclear Science Week, hear perspectives on what it takes to deliver next-generation nuclear energy and why East Tennessee has the pieces needed to move that work forward.

Oak Ridge’s nuclear legacy is part of that story, alongside the research and capabilities advancing the field today.

https://bit.ly/4zCxnwV

10/19/2026

From robots that adjust to changing conditions in real time to systems that combine multiple manufacturing steps into one, ORNL is developing technologies that help manufacturers overcome workforce shortages, reduce production times and strengthen domestic supply chains.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4AQVXvH

10/17/2026

📸 ORNL in Focus: Did you know you can 3D print electronics?

This 3D printer deposits functional materials with exceptional precision so ORNL researchers can rapidly prototype electronic devices and explore new ideas faster than they can with traditional manufacturing methods.

Capabilities like this help accelerate the design, testing, and evaluation of next-generation electronic systems for advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies.

10/16/2026

Lithium is a key material for batteries, but much of the world’s lithium processing happens overseas.

A new commercial lithium extraction facility in Texas is helping to change that using technology developed at ORNL to recover lithium from wastewater generated during oil and gas production in the Permian Basin. The lithium is converted into battery-grade lithium carbonate for use in batteries and energy storage.

The facility marks the first new U.S. lithium mining project in about 50 years and represents a step toward a more domestic, secure critical-minerals supply chain. Read more 👇

With support from the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Texas-based company Element3 has launched the first domestic lithium mining project in 50 years. This achievement is likely to have a big impact, turning the United States from a n...

10/16/2026

Did you know that small businesses provide goods, services and expertise that help support ORNL’s people, facilities and research, too?

In 2025, ORNL spent nearly $500 million with small businesses across nearly all 50 states. This investment carries the economic impact of federally funded research into communities in East Tennessee and beyond.

Learn more in the 2025 Economic Impact Report: https://bit.ly/3U8wxZS

10/15/2026

From fusion energy and critical minerals to water forecasting, advanced materials and autonomous science, ORNL is leading and collaborating on projects designed to move promising ideas into practical scientific capabilities with broad national impact.

See the full list of ORNL's Phase I and Phase II projects: https://bit.ly/4jS5oVk

ORNL-led projects Phase I AI-assisted fusion power plant designs Developing an AI platform that will integrate high-performance computing tools and robotic system design. Low-energy AI for scientific discovery Analyzing scientific data at unprecedented rates and scales with lower costs and higher sp...

10/14/2026

📢 High school students will work alongside researchers at ORNL, Idaho National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as part of Battelle’s new High School Fellowship.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3TPckIs