DOE manages the federal government's largest research and development system, consisting of about 30 laboratories, with about 58,000 employees and operating budgets of about $7.5 billion annually. Nine of these are multiprogram national laboratories that account for about 70 percent of DOE's laboratory budget. DOE estimates that it has invested more than $100 billion in all of its laboratories over the past 20 years. Most of DOE's multiprogram national laboratories were established during or just after World War II as part of the Manhattan Project, which developed the world's first atomic bombs. These national laboratories have since expanded their missions to encompass civilian research and development in many disciplines-from high-energy physics to advanced computing to human genetics. DOE owns the laboratories but contracts with universities and private-sector organizations for their management and operation. Nearly all of DOE's national laboratories are operated by nonprofit institutions.