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Increased Funding for R&D: Part 2

By Francis Dietz, ASME Government Relations

When the dust settled from lengthy debates on federal budget priorities for the new fiscal year, overall funding for research and development programs was increased significantly for most agencies. Last month, we looked at R&D funding at the Department of Energy and NASA. This month, we'll wrap up with the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Defense.

National Science Foundation: The NSF Task Force of ASME's Inter-Council Committee on Federal Research and Development provided testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees last spring on funding for programs at NSF.

In the end, Congress increased NSF's budget 8.4 percent ($373 million) to $4.8 billion, significantly more than the 1.3 percent that had been requested by the administration. Of the total budget, $3.6 billion will be allocated to the Research and Related Activities budget line, an increase of 7.6 percent, or $256 million. Within the RRA budget, engineering programs will receive $468 million (8.5 percent), a significant boost over the president's request for $431 million. The fiscal 2002 budget for Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction, a new budget category, is $138.8 million. Although NSF requested $55.0 million for the terascale computing program, appropriators provided only $35.0 million. Appropriators earmarked $12.5 million for initial construction of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array radio telescope, or ALMA, even though NSF requested only $9 million.

The budget for the Education and Human Resources line will increase 11.4 percent, or $89 million, for a total of $875 million. The Math and Science Partnership program to improve pre-college science and math education will receive $160 million of NSF's requested $200 million.

Department of Defense: The Defense Department Task Force of ASME's Inter-Council Committee on Federal R&D delivered oral testimony before the House and Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittees earlier this year. The testimony focused on the need for Congress to sustain its recent increases in defense R&D investments, noting that such investments are the underpinnings of today's technologically advanced military.

Basic research and applied research, which provide a significant share of federal support for several key science and engineering disciplines, both received significant increases in funding. Basic research increased 5 percent to $1.4 billion, while applied research increased 14.6 percent ($459 million) to $4.2 billion. The Advanced Technology Development line of the budget increased 11.4 percent ($457 million), for a total of $4.5 billion.

ASME also worked closely with the Coalition for National Research Security to support an investment of $10 billion in fiscal 2002, a goal that was surpassed by the $10.5 billion total appropriated by Congress.

National Institute of Standards and Technology: Practically every year since its inception, the Advanced Technology Program run by NIST has been threatened with elimination by some in Congress—particularly in the House—who consider the program to be a form of "corporate welfare." The Advanced Technology Program provides matching grants to corporations for high-risk research that otherwise would likely not be initiated. This year was no exception, except that it was the administration, rather than Congress, attempting to scuttle the program.

In its budget request, the administration proposed that all new grants under the program be suspended pending a review by the Department of Commerce, under whose jurisdiction NIST falls. In its version of the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill, the House concurred with the president.

As in past years, the Senate disagreed with the House, and provided a significant increase for the program. In the House-Senate conference committee, the House, as it had in past years, bowed to the Senate's wishes, and the program was increased 26.9 percent ($39.1 million), for a total of $184.5 million in new funds. Combined with carryover funds from last fiscal year, the program will have $217.6 million in fiscal 2002.

The administration requested a significant increase (11.3 percent) for the Scientific and Technical Research and Services budget, which funds the NIST in-house laboratories and the Baldridge National Quality program. In the final bill, Congress provided only a 2.9 percent ($9.2 million) increase, for a total of $321.1 million.

While R&D funding was increased this year above what was expected, it is clear that the war on terrorism was a contributing factor. President Bush appeared to have little interest in fighting with Congress over spending bills while occupied with military and homeland security concerns.

Increased spending on airline safety measures, military preparedness, and disaster relief, along with significant increases in other areas of the federal budget, combined to send the budget into deficit once again.