The University of Chicago helps manage Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. These two laboratories have a significant impact on the Illinois economy. Through their innovative research, technological advancements, and programming to support science education, the laboratories attract visitors, funding, and jobs to the state.
Argonne
The United States’ first national laboratory, Argonne was founded in 1946 to continue the successful collaborations that began on the Manhattan Project. Led by University of Chicago physicist Enrico Fermi, scientists in the Manhattan Project created the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
Today, Argonne is the largest national laboratory in the Midwest and a center for government and corporate research and development, as well as academic collaborations.
In FY 2010, Argonne
- Hosted 5,500+ visiting researchers at its eight user facilities
- Created nearly 5,000 jobs in Illinois
- Generated $213.7 million in income to Illinois households
- Added $696.9 million in economic output to the Illinois economy
For more information and statistics on Argonne’s economic impact in Illinois, download:
Fermilab
As the leading facility for particle physics research in the United States, Fermilab draws thousands of scientists to the region to work on experiments that expand knowledge of the universe.
Fermilab is home to the world’s most intense high-energy beam of neutrinos—particles that may hold the key to understanding why the universe is made of matter. Full-time Fermilab scientists and visiting researchers use the facility’s Remote Operations Center and Grid Computing Center to conduct experiments with Switzerland’s Large Hadron Collider. The work of these scientists, and their engagement in the community, adds to regional and state economies.
In FY 2010, Fermilab
- Hosted 2,300 visiting researchers from 42 countries
- Created 4,500+ jobs in Illinois—87 percent of which were in the eight-county Chicago region
- Generated $196.6 million in income to Illinois households
- Added $643 million in economic output to the Illinois economy
For more information and statistics on Fermilab’s economic impact in Illinois, download:
The above statistics are a result of a 2011 study on Argonne and Fermilab economic impact by the Anderson Economic Group, LLC.
