[en] For an improved high-flux reactor for purposes of neutron scattering, isotope production, and materials irradiation, ORNL is beginning an effort to produce the world's best research reactor. We expect to achieve a peak thermal flux in a D₂O reflector of 5 x 10¹⁵ n/cm² s. Through improved beam tube design and focusing monochromators, the number of neutrons incident on the sample could be increased by an order of magnitude over the best now available. The reactor would be fully equipped with two cold sources, a hot source, and about 30 advanced instruments. The six cold guides would have a potential scientific value four times greater than the comparable facilities at the Institut Laue-Langevin. Our initial efforts have been focused on a major upgrade of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR)