Where We Specialize

FRD staff expertise is organized into four primary sections: Defense and National Security; Law and Criminal Justice; Science and Technology; and Healthcare and Business. As many research requests fall outside these specific categories, the division’s specialists regularly work across sections to accommodate the clients’ needs.

Examples of research topics by section that convey the breadth and depth of FRD’s work are:

Defense and National Security

Domestic defense spending analyses; aspects of foreign defense industries and capabilities; research-backed guidance for implementing commission-derived recommendations; and the effects of U.S. sanctions on foreign militaries.

Healthcare and Business

Impact of counterfeit goods on U.S. economy; financial resources for and lending practices supporting small-, minority-, and women-owned businesses; effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on government business- and healthcare-related programs; and operational research for Library divisions and service units.

Law and Criminal Justice

Domestic laws regulating gender-based violence, privacy concerns for felons, and youth marriage; foreign laws concerning drug scheduling and tableting equipment; and global legislation focused on sex offender registration and notification policies.

Science and Technology

Foreign-language audits and translations of U.S. government websites; digitization, metadata tagging, and quality assurance of internal and external collections; histories of international space programs; and best practices for incorporating technology modernizations into customer services.