The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC) Office of Project Assessment (OPA) held its last independent project review of FRIB 1-2 February. The purpose of the review was to evaluate the project’s readiness for attaining Critical Decision 4 (CD-4) (Approve Project Completion) by 30 June.

CD-4 is the government action by the DOE-SC project management executive, marking achievement of all project completion criteria. CD-4 approval follows a positive recommendation by the Energy Systems Acquisition Advisory Board.

The OPA assessed all aspects of the FRIB Project — technical, cost, schedule, management, and environmental safety and health. It found that FRIB is ready to proceed to CD-4. 

The review committee was organized into six subcommittees, and FRIB staff gave 11 presentations. The committee answered all six charge questions affirmatively.

Michigan State University (MSU) operates the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) as a user facility for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), supporting the mission of the DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics. Hosting the most powerful heavy-ion accelerator, FRIB will enable scientists to make discoveries about the properties of rare isotopes in order to better understand the physics of nuclei, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions, and applications for society, including in medicine, homeland security, and industry.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of today’s most pressing challenges. For more information, visit energy.gov/science.