The Institute for Defense Analyses is a non-profit corporation that administers three federally funded research and development centers to assist the United States Government in addressing important national security issues, particularly those requiring scientific and technical expertise.

IDA only works for the government. To avoid institutional pressures to support Service positions, IDA does not work directly for the military departments. Also, to ensure freedom from commercial or other potential conflicts of interest, IDA does not work for private industry.

IDA takes great pride in the high caliber and timeliness of its analyses, which are produced in an atmosphere that encourages independent thinking and objective results. While working closely with sponsors to define research goals, IDA enforces a rigorous review to ensure its analyses and conclusions are thorough and sound.

Since its formation in 1956, IDA has maintained a high-quality research program embodying the qualities our government sponsors require of its three FFRDCs:

The Studies & Analyses Center
The Science and Technology Policy Institute
The Center for Communications and Computing

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (http://www.ida.org/stpi/index.html), located in Washington, D.C., supports the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation. STPI assembles timely and authoritative information regarding significant science and technology developments and trends in the United States and abroad, and analyzes this information, with particular attention to how it affects the federal science and technology research and development portfolio and interagency and national issues. STPI also provides analytic support on S&T issues for other federal agencies who need the independence and objectivity of an FFRDC.