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Summary
The Bush Administration requested $132.4 billion in federal research and
development (R&D) funding for FY2006. This sum represents a $400 million
increase over the FY2005 estimated funding level of $132 billion. CRS estimates that
Congress has approved a record $135.7 billion for federal R&D in FY2006, a 2.8%
increase over the FY2005 estimated funding level. However, nearly all of that
increase can be attributed to increases in defense weapons systems and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration’s $877 million increase for human space
exploration technology.1 (See Table 13)
Basic research funding would decline by 0.5% below the FY2005 estimated
level, declining to an estimated $26.7 billion in FY2006. Five agencies account for
90% of all federal basic research expenditures. Total federal research funding (the
sum of basic and applied research) is projected to increase $1 billion to $57 billion.
However, the majority of that increase would go to NASA, while most of the
remaining federal agencies would receive below inflation increases for research
funding.
While the President essentially requested flat funding for the Department of
Defense (DOD) R&D programs, Congress approved an estimated $ 72.1 billion DOD
R&D, a 4.2 % increase over FY2005 funding levels. Most of that increase is a result
of Congress increasing DOD’s proposed science and technology budget by $2.5
billion more than was requested by the Administration.
Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would decline, in nominal
dollars for the first time in 36 years. Since the completion of doubling NIH’s budget
(between 1998-2003), funding has declined to the FY2003 funding level, after
adjusting for inflation.
Most R&D funding agencies now face budgets that are shrinking to levels of
years past, in real dollars. While it has been 24 years since NIH’s budget declined in
real dollars, other agencies such as the National Science Foundation, DOE’s Office
of Science, NASA (excluding human space exploration), and Agriculture, have lived
with stagnate budgets for several years. Consequently, in real dollars, all of these
agencies will have less R&D funding in FY2006 than they did in FY2003.
1
The FY2006 R&D funding totals, in this section do not reflect the 1% across-the-board
funding recision approved by Congress. see P. L. 109-148
Contents
Recent Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
List of Tables
Table 1. U.S. Department of Agriculture R&D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 2. Department of Energy R&D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Table 3. Department of Defense RDT&E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Table 4. NASA R&D Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Table 5. National Institutes of Health (NIH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Table 6. National Science Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Table 7. Department of Homeland Security R&D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Table 8. NOAA R&D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Table 9. NIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Table 10. Department of Transportation R&D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Table 11. Department of Interior R&D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Table 12. EPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Table 13. FY2006 Federal R&D Appropriation in the 109th Congress . . . . . . . 28
Federal Research and Development
Funding: FY2006
Recent Developments
2
The FY2006 R&D funding totals, in this section do not reflect the 1% across-the-board
funding recision approved by Congress. see P. L. 109-148
CRS-2
for buildings and facilities, $66.4 million above the request, and $55.1 million below
the FY2005 level.
The FY2006 appropriation provides support for several research priority areas
and strategic goals. Priority has been given to the mapping and sequencing projects
funded by USDA, such as sequencing genomes of agriculturally imported species.
The sequencing projects will be coordinated with ongoing genomics initiatives
supported by other federal agencies and facilitated by interagency working groups.
Increases are provided animal genomes and plant genomes research. Also, the
FY2006 appropriation provides an increase in support of research on emerging and
exotic diseases as part of the infrastructure to enhance homeland security. USDA
states that this research is significant to protecting the Nation from deliberate or
unintentional introduction of an agricultural health threat. The USDA has
biocontainment complexes where research and diagnostic work is done on organisms
that pose serious threats to the crop, poultry, and livestock industries. Other research
areas receiving increased support by conferees include bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, air and water quality, food safety, obesity/nutrition, biobased
products/bioenergy research, and agricultural information. Conferees have instructed
ARS not to redirect support for programs from one state to another without prior
notification and approval of the Committee on Appropriations.
The Economic Research Service (ERS) is the principal intramural economic and
social science research agency in USDA. The FY2006 appropriation for ERS is
$75.9 a $1.8 million increase over FY2005. The increase will continue the
CRS-3
a. Funding levels are contained in U.S Department of Agriculture FY2006 Budget Summary and other
documents internal to the agency.
b. Higher education includes payments to 1994 institutions and 1890 Capacity Building Grants
program, the Native American Institutions Endowment Fund, and the Alaska Native and Native
Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Grants.
c. Program totals may reflect set-asides (non-add) or contingencies. The CSREES total includes
support for Integrated Activities, Community Food Projects, and the Organic Agriculture
Research and Education Initiative.
d. Funding levels for specific programs are not yet available.
The requested funding for Science was $3.5 billion, a 3.8% decrease from
FY2005. The House and Senate each provided $3.7 billion; the final bill provided
$3.6 billion. In the Basic Energy Sciences program, DOE expects to complete
construction of the Spallation Neutron Source in the third quarter of FY2006, so
funds will start to shift from construction to operations. In Fusion Energy Sciences,
the congressional debate has centered on U.S. participation in the International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).In June 2005, after an 18-month delay,
the participating countries agreed to build ITER in France. Both House and Senate
shifted funds from ITER to the domestic fusion program pending the decision on a
site; the final bill provided the requested amount. In the Biological and
Environmental Research program, the request was a decrease of $126 million, of
which $80 million corresponded to one-time projects funded at congressional
direction in FY2005. The House and Senate restored about half of this requested
reduction and allocated $35 million and $51 million respectively for directed
projects; the final bill restored the entire reduction, with $130 million for
congressionally directed projects. To improve utilization of Office of Science
research facilities in several programs, the House and Senate provided $66 million
and $100 million respectively to fund increased facility operating time; the
conference report was silent on this issue.
The requested funding for R&D in National Security was $3.3 billion, a 3.8%
decrease. The House decreased R&D in Weapons Activities by $224 million below
the request, while the Senate increased it by $73 million; the final bill provided $3.4
billion, an increase of $147 million above the request. Within these totals, the House
increased Inertial Confinement Fusion and reduced most other programs, the Senate
did the opposite (completely eliminating funding for continued construction of the
National Ignition Facility), and the final bill approximately accepted the House
increase for Inertial Confinement Fusion but omitted most of the decreases. The
request would have increased funding for R&D on nuclear proliferation detection by
$46 million or 43%; the House, the Senate, and the final bill all increased funding for
this activity even more than requested.
CRS-5
The requested funding for R&D in Energy Supply was $1.6 billion, down 6.4%
from FY2005. Within this total, Fossil Energy R&D was down $80 million, with the
natural gas and oil technology programs proposed for termination. The Senate
provided $305 million more than the request, including increases of $150 million for
Fossil Energy R&D ($91 million of it coal-related) and $60 million for Nuclear
Energy R&D. The final bill provided $1.8 billion, with its increases allocated
similarly to the Senate bill.
The requested funding for R&D in Environmental Quality was $21 million.
This was less than half the FY2005 level and followed several years of substantial
reductions that resulted from a reorientation of the program after an internal review
of the Office of Environment in 2002. The House provided the requested amount;
the Senate provided $56 million; the final figure was $30 million. (CRS Contact:
Daniel Morgan.)
a. Includes Stockpile Services (R&D Support, R&D Certification and Safety, Advanced Concepts,
Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, and Reliable Replacement Warhead only), Science
Campaigns, Engineering Campaigns (except Enhanced Surety and Enhanced Surveillance),
CRS-6
Inertial Confinement Fusion, Advanced Simulation and Computing, and a prorated share of
Readiness in Technical Base and Facilities. Additional R&D activities may take place in the
subprograms of Directed Stockpile Work that are devoted to specific weapon systems, but these
funds are not included in the table because detailed funding schedules for those subprograms
are classified.
b. Excluding Weatherization and Intergovernmental Activities.
c. FY2006 enacted figures do not reflect the government-wide 1% rescission enacted in the FY2006
defense appropriations act (PL 109-148, Section 3801).
The House approved its Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 2863) on June 20,
2005. The House voted to appropriate $71.7 billion for Title IV RDT&E, or $2.3
billion above the Administration’s request. In this appropriation the House also
provided an additional $45 billion to cover expenses for the first six months of
FY2006, for troops in the field and other support associated with the war on
terrorism. This includes an additional $88.1 million for Title IV RDT&E ($13.1
million for the Navy account and $75 million for the Defense Agencies account.
CRS-7
The House appropriated net increases for all of the major accounts, except for
Missile Defense. Nearly half ($480 million) of the Army’s $1.2 billion increase went
to the Army’s medical technologies programs. Major reductions were made to the
Army’s Future Combat System, the Navy’s DD(X) Next Generation destroyer
project, and the Air Force’s Transformational Satellite and Spaced Based Radar
programs. Missile Defense programs were reduced a net $143 million from what the
Administration requested. The House appropriated $13 billion for S&T, over 3.6%
of the total amount they recommend in the defense appropriations bill. The House
appropriated more for basic research ($1.4 billion) than what was requested, but less
than the estimated FY2005 amount.
The Senate passed its defense appropriations bills on October 7, 2005. The
Senate provided $70.4 billion for Title IV RDT&E. In addition, it appropriated $516
million for RDT&E within the Defense Health Program (including $150 million for
peer reviewed breast cancer research and $85 million for peer reviewed prostrate
cancer research) and $73 million for RDT&E within the Chemical Agents and
Munitions Destruction Program. As did the House, the Senate provided additional
funds for contingency operations during the first six months of FY2006. The Senate,
however, provided $50 billion, with $92 million going toward RDT&E. These are
funds above and beyond Title IV funding.
The Senate funded S&T at $12.2 billion, or roughly 3.1% of its total DOD
appropriation, not counting the contingency funds. Basic research received $1.4
billion. However, an approved floor amendment (No. 1991) would allow additional
funds from each RDT&E account to be spent on basic research. The amendment
states a sense of congress that basic research should be 15% of the S&T budget. As
appropriated, i.e. without using the authority granted by the amendment to allocate
up to a certain amount in additional funds, basic research received approximately
11% of the S&T funding.
The conference committee filed its report (H.Rept. 109-359 in support of H.R.
2863) on December 18, 2005. The House approved the bill on December 19, the
Senate on December 21. The final bill provided $72.1 billion for Title IV RDT&E.
It also provided $67.8 million for the RDT&E within the Chemical Agents and
Munitions Destruction Program and $542 million for RDT&E in the Defense Health
Program. In addition, the bill provided an additional $50.6 million in RDT&E as part
CRS-8
of the additional advanced supplemental funding (Title IX). Finally, the bill included
Katrina-related emergency supplemental funding which included another $41.3
million in RDT&E to DOD. The final bill provided $13.4 billion in S&T funding,
which included $1.5 billion for basic research. S&T funding remained 3% of the
total DOD appropriation of $442.8 billion.
(CRS Contact: John Moteff.)
House
Approp.f
FY2005 FY2006 (H.R. Senate Conf.
Estimate Request 2863) Approp.h Approp.i
Accounts
Army 10,558 9,734 10,827 10,521 11,172
Navy 16,907 18,038 18,482 18,558 18,993
Air Force 20,812e 22,612 22,665 21,859 22,000
Defense Agencies 20,612 18,803 19,515 19,301 19,799
(DARPA) (2,977) (3,084) (3,104) (2,666) (3,024)
(MDAa) (8,783) (7,775) (7,632) (7,921) (7,797)j
Dir. Test and Eval. 310 168 168 168 168
Total Ob. Auth. 69,199 69,355 71,657 70,407 72,132
Budget Activity
Basic Research 1,513 1,318 1,453 1,446 1,491
Applied Research 4,850 4,139 5,057 4,842 5,244k
Advanced Dev. 6,708 5,064 6,462 5,880 6,480
Advanced Component Dev.
14,711 14,143 13,909 14,095 14,310
and Prototypes
Systems Dev. and Demo. 17,222 19,754 19,179 19,363 19,588
Mgmt. Supportb 3,721 3,777 3,941 3,990 4,071
Op. Systems Dev.c 20,475 21,160 21,655 20,790 20,948
Total Ob. Auth.d 69,200 69,355 71,656 70,406 72,132
Other Defense Programs
Defense Health Program 507 169 444g 516 542
Chemical Agents and
205 48 48 72 68
Munitions Destruction
Source: Figures based on Department of Defense Budget, Fiscal Year 2006 RDT&E Programs (R-1),
February 2004. Figures for Defense Health Program and Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction
Program come from OMB’s FY2006 Budget Appendix.
a. Includes only BMD RDT&E. Does not include procurement and military construction.
b. Includes funds for Developmental and Operational Test and Evaluation.
c. Includes classified programs.
d. Numbers may not agree with Account Total Obligational Authority due to rounding.
e. Includes $100 million for Air Force Tanker Transfer Fund.
f. H.Rept. 109-119. This does not include the separate $88.1 million in “bridge” funding allocated
to the Navy and Defense Agencies RDT&E accounts.
g. This program is now funded through the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2528).
h. S.Rept. 109-141.
i. H.Rept. 109-359.
j. This includes a $200 million unspecified general reduction in ballistic missile defense programs.
CRS-9
k. Most of the ballistic missile defense programs are funded in the Advanced Development account.
This figure includes the $200 million unspecified general reduction. However, some of the
reduction could be taken from other accounts.
For the purposes of this report, NASA’s “R&D budget” is NASA’s total budget
minus the space shuttle program, space flight support, and Inspector General. Using
that definition, NASA received an estimated $10.7 billion for R&D in FY2005, the
FY2006 R&D request was $11.5 billion, and Congress appropriated approximately
$11.5 billion for R&D. Those numbers should be used cautiously, however. NASA
has repeatedly changed its budget structure, and shifted programs from one account
to the other, making comparisons across fiscal years, and between requested and
appropriated levels, difficult. In addition, funding requirements for the space shuttle
program during the “return to flight” effort following the 2003 Columbia tragedy
remain unsettled, meaning that funds might be shifted into the shuttle program from
R&D programs. More definitive figures may become available when the FY2007
budget request is submitted.
In January 2004, President Bush directed NASA to focus its efforts on returning
humans to the Moon by 2020, and someday sending them to Mars and “worlds
beyond.” Most of the funding for this “Vision for Space Exploration” would come
from redirecting money from other NASA activities. For example, the space shuttle
program would be terminated in 2010, when space station construction is expected
to be completed; U.S. space station research activities would be descoped from the
broadly-based program that was planned, to only research needed to support extended
stays by humans on the Moon and eventual trips to Mars; and NASA would end its
involvement in the space station program by 2016. By terminating the shuttle and
space station earlier than expected, and reducing funding for space station research,
those funds can be redirected to accomplishing other aspects of the Vision. NASA
is building a new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), and a launch vehicle for it (the
Crew Launch Vehicle or CLV), whose primary purpose is transporting astronauts to
and from the Moon. It also could be used to take astronauts to and from the space
station. The President directed that the CEV be available by 2014, but NASA
Administrator Michael Griffin wants to accelerate that to 2012 in order to minimize
the gap between the end of the space shuttle and the availability of the CEV.
During that gap, U.S. astronauts would have to rely on Russia to take them to and
from space. NASA’s support for activities in the fields of aeronautics, and Earth and
CRS-10
space science, also could be affected by the need to fund the Vision. In the FY2006
SSJC appropriations act, and the 2005 NASA authorization act, Congress expressed
its support for the Vision, but stressed that NASA needs to maintain a balanced
program that includes aeronautics and science. Other issues include whether the
shuttle should be terminated in 2010, or retained until the CEV is available, and
whether U.S. use of the space station should end in 2016 and its research agenda
narrowed, or if NASA should continue using it as originally planned. See CRS Issue
Brief IB93062, Space Launch Vehicles: Government Activities, Commercial
Competition, and Satellite Exports; and CRS Issue Brief IB93017, Space Stations,
both by Marcia S. Smith, for more information.
Another issue is whether NASA should send a servicing mission to the Hubble
Space Telescope so it can continue scientific operations with new instruments. A
shuttle servicing mission had been planned prior to the 2003 space shuttle Columbia
accident, but then-NASA Administrator O’Keefe canceled that mission, primarily
because of shuttle safety concerns. Hubble advocates sought a reversal of that
decision, arguing that Hubble can continue to deliver important scientific data for
many more years if the new instruments and other equipment are installed. NASA’s
current Administrator, Dr. Griffin, pledged to revisit the Hubble issue after the space
shuttle completes its two “return to flight” missions and its current safety
characteristics are better understood. The first return to flight mission, in July-
August 2005, experienced problems during launch, but was generally judged to be
a success. The second return to flight mission is expected some time in 2006. See
CRS Report RS21767, Hubble Space Telescope: Should NASA Proceed with a
Servicing Mission?, by Daniel Morgan, for more on the Hubble issue. (CRS
Contacts: Marcia Smith and Daniel Morgan.)
SSJC Approps.
Category FY2005 Est. a FY2006 Req.b (P.L. 109-108)
Science, Aeronautics, and Exploration 7,889. 9,661. 9,761.
c
Exploration Capabilities (R&D only) 2,772. 1,857. 1,777.
c
Total R&D 10,661. 11,518. 11,538.
d e
Total NASA 16,196. 16,456. 16,457.
Sources: NASA FY2005 and FY2006 budget documents; congressional bills and reports; and CRS
(for R&D estimates).
a. Figures in this column are based on NASA’s September 30, 2005 operating plan update for
FY2005 and are not final. NASA continues to change its budget structure and shift programs
from one account to the other, making comparisons across fiscal years, and between requested
and appropriated amounts, difficult. The figures in this table should be used cautiously.
b. NASA submitted an amended FY2006 request in July 2005, but the appropriations committees
acted on the original request, so the original request is shown here.
c. The amounts shown here are estimates, based on appropriations conference committee report
language (H.Rept. 109-272) stating that the final bill cuts $80 million from the International
CRS-11
Space Station. However, a $10 million general reduction also was made to this account, which
may or may not impact R&D funding.
d. Includes $126 million from a FY2005 supplemental for recovery from the 2004 hurricanes; regular
appropriations were $16.07 billion (adjusted for an across-the-board rescission).
.e. Does not include additional NASA funding for recovery from the 2005 hurricanes in P.L. 109-148
($350 million), or cuts to NASA funding from across-the-board rescissions in P.L. 109-108
(0.28%) and P.L. 109-148 (1.0%).
The President had requested a total FY2006 budget for NIH of $28.745 billion,
an increase of $195 million (0.7%) over the FY2005 level. The House (H.Rept. 109-
143) accepted the President’s funding levels, while making some shifts in the
accounts that supply the funds. The Senate (S.Rept. 109-103) provided a higher
program level of $29.553 billion, an increase of $1,003 million (3.5%) over FY2005
and $808 million over the request and House levels. The conferees on H.R. 3010 set
the increase at $10 million over the request. The bulk of NIH’s budget comes
through the Labor-HHS-Education appropriation. An additional small amount for
environmental work related to Superfund comes from the Interior, Environment, and
Related Agencies appropriation (H.R. 2361, P.L. 109-54). (Formerly, the funding
came through the VA-HUD appropriations bill.) Those two sources constitute NIH’s
discretionary budget authority. In addition, NIH receives $150 million pre-
appropriated in separate funding for diabetes research, and has other funds transferred
to and from other appropriations (see Table 5).
FY2003 was the final year of the five-year effort to double the NIH budget from
its FY1998 base of $13.6 billion to the FY2003 level of $27.1 billion. The annual
increases for FY1999 through FY2003 were in the 14%-15% range each year. For
FY2004 and FY2005, faced with competing priorities and a changed economic
climate, Congress and the President gave increases of between 2% and 3%, levels
which were below the estimated 3.5% and 3.3% biomedical inflation index for those
two years. The research advocacy community had originally urged that the NIH
budget grow by about 10% per year in the post-doubling years. For FY2006,
advocates modified their recommendation, maintaining that a 6% increase would be
needed to keep up the momentum of scientific discovery made possible by the
increased resources of the doubling years (the projected biomedical inflation index
for FY2006 is 3.2%).
The agency’s organization consists of the Office of the NIH Director and 27
institutes and centers. The Office of the Director (OD) sets overall policy for NIH
and coordinates the programs and activities of all NIH components. The individual
institutes and centers (ICs), each with a focus on particular diseases, areas of human
CRS-12
health and development, or aspects of research support, plan and manage their own
research programs in coordination with the Office of the Director. As shown in
Table 5, Congress provides a separate appropriation to 24 of the 27 ICs, to OD, and
to a buildings and facilities account. (The other three centers, not included in the
table, are funded through the NIH Management Fund, financed by taps on other NIH
appropriations.) On average, the ICs devote over 80% of their budgets to supporting
peer-reviewed extramural research by awarding research project grants (RPGs),
research center grants, contracts, training grants, construction grants, and many other
types of funding to researchers in universities and other institutions around the
country. The other 15%-20% of the IC budgets supports their intramural research
programs and research management costs. An alternate way, therefore, to describe
the NIH budget is by “funding mechanism,” which reveals the balance between
extramural and intramural funding, as well as the relative emphasis on support of
individual investigator-initiated research versus funding of larger projects,
comprehensive research centers, agency-directed research contracts, research career
training, facilities construction, and so forth.
When the final shape of the FY2006 budget became clear, NIH announced the
policies it would apply for funding RPGs and other award mechanisms. All non-
competing RPG awards will be reduced by 2.35% below committed levels. The
average cost of competing RPGs (new and renewal awards) will be maintained at
FY2005 levels, with the number of awards at 1% below what the conference level
would have supported. All other funding mechanisms will be reduced by 1.1% from
the conference level, with the exception of Research Management and Support,
which will be level with the conference amount. By undertaking these measures,
NIH expects that the “success rate” of applicants receiving funding will be about
19.5% compared to 22.3% in FY2005. They expect to fund a total of about 38,300
competing and non-competing RPGs, representing a decrease of about 570 RPGs, or
1.5%, below FY2005. NIH is quite concerned about the support of new
investigators, particularly younger scientists making the transition from training to
independent research. In January 2006, NIH announced a new Pathway to
Independence Award program to support promising postdoctoral scientists. The five-
year awards will have a two-year mentored phase and a three-year independent phase.
NIH expects to support 150-200 awards beginning in Fall 2006, and a similar number
in each of the following five years, for a total commitment of almost $400 million.
FY2005) and chemical threats ($50 million, new in FY2006). The remaining
increase for OD provides an 8% boost for OD’s portion of the initiatives collectively
known as the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. The Roadmap addresses
scientific gaps in biomedical research that need to be approached on an NIH-wide
basis. A list of initiatives in high-risk basic research, clinical research, and
multidisciplinary collaborative research will receive up to $333 million for FY2006
($250 million from the institutes and centers and $83 million from the Office of the
Director), up $98 million, or 42%, from FY2005.
NIH and other Public Health Service (PHS) agencies are subject to a budget
“tap” called the PHS Program Evaluation Transfer (section 241 of the PHS Act),
which has the effect of redistributing appropriated funds among PHS agencies. The
appropriation keeps the tap at 2.4%, the same as in FY2005.
After a hiatus of a dozen years, there has been some congressional movement
toward action on reauthorization legislation for NIH. A number of hearings have
been held in the past several years, and evolving drafts of proposed legislation are
fostering discussions on such issues as the balance of authority and control between
the central NIH Director’s Office and the individual institutes and centers; the best
methods of facilitating and funding cross-institute research initiatives; and possible
changes in how authorization and appropriations levels for the institutes and centers
are handled. (CRS Contact: Pamela Smith.)
CRS-14
Included in the FY2006 request is $4,333.5 million for Research and Related
Activities (R&RA), a 2.7% increase ($112.9 million) over the FY2005 level of
$4,220.6 million. R&RA funds research projects, research facilities, and education
and training activities. Partly in response to concerns in the scientific community
about the imbalance between support for the life sciences and the physical sciences,
the FY2006 request provides increased funding for the physical sciences—$230.1
million, a 2.3% increase ($5.2 million) over the FY2005 estimate. Research in the
physical sciences often leads to advances in other disciplines. R&RA includes
Integrative Activities (IA), and is a source of funding for the acquisition and
development of research instrumentation at U.S. colleges and universities. It funds
also Partnerships for Innovation, disaster research teams, and the Science and
Technology Policy Institute. The FY2006 request for IA is $134.9 million, a 3.8%
increase ($5 million) over the FY2005 estimate. The Office of Polar Programs is
funded in the R&RA. The FY2006 request would transfer responsibility to NSF from
the U.S. Coast Guard for funding the maintenance and operation of polar ice breaking
activities.
Research project support in the FY2006 request totals $2,757.1 million. Support
is provided to individuals and small groups conducting disciplinary and cross-
disciplinary research. Included in the total for research projects is support for centers,
proposed at $358.5 million. NSF supports a variety of individual centers and center
programs. The FY2006 request provides $51 million for Science and Technology
Centers, $58 million for Materials Centers, $61.8 million for Engineering Research
Centers, $19.5 million for Physics Frontiers Centers, $36 million for the Plant
Genome Virtual Centers, and $17.2 million for the Mathematical Science Research
Institutes.
and technology. Of all federal agencies, NSF is the primary supporter of “forefront
instrumentation and facilities for the academic research and education communities.”
First priority for funding is directed to ongoing projects. Second priority is given to
projects that have been approved by the National Science Board (NSB) for new
starts. NSF requires that in order for a project to receive support, it must have “the
potential to shift the paradigm in scientific understanding and/or infrastructure
technology.” NSF contends that the projects receiving support in the FY2006 request
meet that qualification. There are no new starts proposed in the FY2006 request.
However, two new starts are requested in FY2007, and one start is requested in
FY2008. In the order of priority, they are the Ocean Observatories in FY2007; the
Alaska Region Research Vessel in FY2007; and the Advanced Laser Interferometer
Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) in FY2008. Those projects receiving
support in the FY2006 request are Atacama Large Millimeter Array Construction
($49.2 million), EarthScope ($50.6 million), IceCube Neutrino Observatory ($50.5
million), Rare Symmetry Violating Processes ($41.8 million), and Scientific Ocean
Drilling Vessel ($57.9 million).
The FY2006 request provides support for several interdependent priority areas:
biocomplexity in the environment ($84 million), human and social dynamics ($39
million), and mathematical sciences ($89 million). Additional priority areas include
those of strengthening core disciplinary research, providing broadly accessible
cyberinfrastructure and world-class research facilities, broadening participation in the
science and engineering workforce, and sustaining organizational excellence in NSF
management practices. The NSF states that researchers need not only access to
cutting-edge tools to pursue the increasing complexity of research, but funding to
develop and design the tools critical to 21st century research and education. An
investment of $509 million in cyberinfrastructure will allow for funding of modeling,
simulation, visualization and data storage, and other communications breakthroughs.
NSF anticipates that this level of funding will make cyberinfrastructure more
powerful, stable, and accessible to researchers and educators through widely shared
research facilities. Increasing grant size and duration has been a long-term priority
for NSF. The funding rate for research grants applications has declined from
approximately 30% in the late 1990s to an estimated 20% in FY2005.
The NSF was directed to improve its oversight of large projects by developing
an implementation plan that included comprehensive guidelines and project oversight
review. One continuing question focused on the selection process for including
major projects in the upcoming budget cycle. In February 2004, the National
Academies released the congressionally mandated study of the process for
prioritization and oversight of projects in the MREFC account. The report
recommended a more open process for project selection, broadened participation
from various disciplines, and well-defined criteria for the selection process. In May
2005, the National Science Board (NSB) approved a report detailing the new
guidelines for the development, review, and approval of major projects—Setting
Priorities for Large Research Facility Projects Supported by the National Science
Foundation.3 Also at the May 2005 meeting, the NSB approved a facility plan,
3
National Science Board, Setting Priorities for Large Research Facility Projects Supported
(continued...)
CRS-17
describing facilities under construction and those being considered for future funding.
The facility plan is to be made available when final edits identified by the NSB are
completed.
a. The totals do not include carry overs or retirement accruals. Totals may not add due to rounding.
b. Additional funding resulting from H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Receipts is $57.3 million in
FY2004, $100 million in FY2005, and a projected $100 million in FY2006.
c. Specific funding allocations for each directorate or for individual program or activity will be
determined at a later time.
The FY2006 request for the Education and Human Resources Directorate (EHR)
is $737 million, a 12.4% decrease ($104.2 million) from the FY2005 estimate. The
EHR portfolio is focused on, among other things, increasing the technological
literacy of all citizens, preparing the next generation of science, engineering, and
mathematics professionals, and closing the achievement gap in all scientific fields.
Support at the various educational levels in the FY2006 request is as follows:
precollege, $140.8 million; undergraduate, $135 million; and graduate, $155 million.
The focus at the precollege level in FY2006 is for teacher development activities
($58.8 million) and informal science education ($63.1 million). At the undergraduate
level, approximately 72% of the funding is in support of new awards and activities.
Priorities at the undergraduate level include the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program,
Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement, STEM Talent Expansion Program,
the National STEM Education Digital Library, the Federal Cyber Service, and
Advanced Technological Education. At the graduate level, priorities are those of
3
(...continued)
by the National Science Foundation, NSB05-77 (Pre-publication Draft), Arlington, VA,
May 26, 2005, 10 pp.
CRS-18
Both the House and Senate have passed the conference agreement on FY2006
appropriations for the NSF, contained in the Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, FY2006, (H.R. 2862, H.Rept. 109-272). The
House passed the conference agreement on November 9, 2005 and the Senate passed
the agreement on November 16, 2005. The bill provides a total of $5,653.4 million
for NSF in FY2006, $48.4 million above the Administration’s request and $180.6
million above the FY2005 estimate. Included in the total is $4,387.5 million for
R&RA, $54 million above the request and $166.9 million above the FY2005 level.
The EHR receives $807 million in H.R. 2862, $70 million above the request and
$34.4 million below the FY2005 estimate. The EHR will fund the Louis Stokes
Alliance for Minority Participation program at $25.8 million and the Historically
Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program at $35.8 million. Funds
have been provided for continued support of the Tribal Colleges and Universities
Program, the Robert Noyce Scholarship program and the Advanced Technological
Education program. Conferees agreed with the Senate in providing $64 million for
the MSP. Also, the Committee rejected the Administration’s request to have the
MSP operate only in the Department of Education.
H.R. 2862 funds the MREFC at $208.2 million in FY2006, $41.8 million below
the request and $34.5 million above the FY2005 estimate. The projects receiving
support are the Atacama Large Millimeter Array ($49.2 million), EarthScope ($50.6
million), IceCube Neutrino Observatory ($50.5 million), and Scientific Ocean
Drilling Vessel ($57.9 million). Support is not provided for the Rare Symmetry
Violating Processes (RSVP). The Committee is concerned with the “unacceptable
increases” in the project cost and suggests that the RSVP proposal be altered or
descoped. If the necessary changes can be made, the restructured RSVP can be
considered for inclusion for project support within the R&RA. EPSCoR is funded at
$100 million in FY2006, $6 million above the request and $6.7 million above the
FY2005 estimate. The Senate Committee directs the NSF to assume polar
icebreaking activities from the Coast Guard. If the Coast Guard is unable to provide
CRS-19
icebreaking services, the NSF is directed to obtain services from other sources.
(CRS Contact: Christine Matthews.)
The request for the newly created Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO)
was $227 million Although funded under S&T, DNDO has been made a freestanding
office that reports directly to the Secretary. Noting this fact, the House report
provided $100 million less than was requested and stated that “DHS still needs to
clarify its role in regard to other federal agencies ... that have similar and more
mature programs.” The Senate committee, stating that it was “troubled by the manner
in which this initiative has been handled,” also recommended $100 million less than
requested for DNDO, and recommended restricting the obligation of all but $15
million until further details are provided to the appropriations committees. Some
DNDO activities were formerly funded by the S&T Directorate’s radiological and
nuclear countermeasures program, whose FY2006 request was $19 million, down
from $123 million. The House provided the requested amount for radiological and
nuclear countermeasures, while the Senate provided an increase to $226 million,
including $125 million requested under Customs and Border Prevention for testing,
4
The House committee recommended $1.34 billion, but a floor amendment by Rep. Obey
reduced this by $50 million to fund state conformance with drivers' license standards under
the REAL ID Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-13).
CRS-20
5
OMB’s R&D Bureau estimates differ: $650 million for FY2005; and $551 million
requested for FY2006. However, those amounts include capital costs for equipment and
maintenance of R&D facilities, which NOAA does not score as R&D obligations.
CRS-22
The President’s FY2006 budget requested $532 million in funding for NIST, a
23% decrease from FY2005 due primarily to an absence of support for the Advanced
Technology Program (ATP) and a significant cut in financing for the Manufacturing
Extension Partnership (MEP). Included in the total figure was $426.3 million for the
Scientific and Technology Research and Services (STRS) account which primarily
finances the internal R&D activities of the laboratory. This amount was 12.5% above
the previous fiscal year and included $5.7 million for the Baldrige National Quality
Program. MEP was to be funded at $46.8 million, 56% below FY2005 support. The
construction budget was $58.9 million. (See Table 9.)
H.R. 2862, as originally passed by the House, would have provided $548.7
million for NIST, 21% below FY2005 funding. The STRS account was to receive
$397.7 million, 5% more than FY2005 but 6.7% below the President’s request.
Financing for MEP totaled $106 million, a decrease of 1.4% from the earlier fiscal
year and over twice the Administration’s budget request. There was no funding for
ATP. Construction activities would have received $45 million.
The version of H.R. 2862 initially passed by the Senate would have funded
NIST at $844.5 million, almost 21% above the FY2005 budget. Included in this
amount was $399.9 million for the STRS account (incorporating $7.2 million for the
Quality Program), an increase of 5.6% over previous funding. MEP was to receive
$106 million. Support for ATP, absent from both the President’s budget request and
the original House-passed bill, would total $140 million, 2.6% more than the
financing provided in FY2005. The construction budget was to be funded at $198.6
CRS-23
million, more than double the earlier figure. This construction funding was over
three times that proposed by the Administration and more than four times that
included in the original House version of the bill.
For FY2005, the Omnibus Appropriations Act, P.L. 108-447, provided the NIST
with $695.3 million (after a mandated 0.8% across-the-board rescission and a 0.54%
rescission from Commerce, Justice, State discretionary accounts). This amount was
14% above FY2004 funding. Internal research and development under the STRS
account was $378.8 million (including funding for the Baldrige National Quality
Program), almost 12% over the previous fiscal year. The Manufacturing Extension
Partnership was funded at $107.5 million, an increase of 178% that brought support
for the program up to pre-FY2004 levels. The Advanced Technology Program was
financed at $136.5 million (20% below FY2004) and the construction budget
received $72.5 million. The legislation also rescinded $3.9 million of unobligated
balances from prior year funds in the ATP account.
Continued support for the Advanced Technology Program has been a major
funding issue. ATP provides “seed financing,” matched by private sector investment,
to businesses or consortia (including universities and government laboratories) for
development of generic technologies that have broad applications across industries.
Opponents of the program cite it as a prime example of “corporate welfare,” whereby
the federal government invests in applied research activities that, they argue, should
be conducted by the private sector. Others defend ATP, arguing that it assists
businesses (and small manufacturers) in developing technologies that, while crucial
to industrial competitiveness, would not or could not be developed by the private
sector alone. While Congress has maintained support for the Advanced Technology
Program, the initial appropriation bills passed by the House since FY2002 provided
no funding for ATP. While support again is provided in the FY2006 appropriations
legislation, it is 41% below the earlier fiscal year.
level of support has been maintained for FY2006. For additional information see
CRS Report 95-30, The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An
Overview; CRS Report 95-36, The Advanced Technology Program; and CRS Report
97-104, The Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program: An Overview, all by
Wendy Schacht. (CRS Contact: Wendy H. Schacht.)
Table 9. NIST
($ in millions)
for an airport technology R&D program, and restored proposed cuts to other aviation
research programs.
a. “Other” includes Office of the Secretary, Federal Motor Safety Administration, Federal Railroad
Administration, Pipeline Hazardous Materials Administration, and the Research & Innovation
Administration.
b. FY2006 R&D data for the House, and Senate is from the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. FY2006 funding levels do not include the 1% across-the-
board funding
Within the earth sciences, the USGS plays a major role in important geological
hazards research, including research on earthquakes and volcanoes.
Both the House (H.R. 2361, H.Rept. 109-80) and Senate passed bill (H.R. 2361,
S.Rept. 109-80) rejected the Administration’s proposal to cut funding for DOI’s
R&D programs. The House bill would increase funding for USGS R&D programs
by $12 million over FY2005 estimates, while the Senate bill approved a $9 million
increase. The Administration has proposed to cut Geological Resources program by
13%, however both the House and Senate approved a modest increases for that
program. Given the funding similarities in both bills, it is likely the DOI R&D
funding will essentially remain flat, in real dollars, for FY2006. Congress approved
an estimated $555 million for USGS R&D for FY2006, a 2.5% increase over
FY2005. Total Interior R&D spending increased 1.4% to $620 million in FY2006
(see P.L. 109-54). (CRS Contact: Mike Davey.)
FY2006 Approp.
U. S. Geological Survey Request House Senate 2006
National Mapping 43 41 39
Geological Resources 179 210 208
Water Resources 119 126 128
Biological Research 173 175 174
Enterprise Informationa 1 1 1
USGS totalb 515 553 550 555
c
Other agencies 66 66 66 65
Total all agencies 581 619 616 620
c. Other includes, the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, the Minerals
Management Service, and the National Park Services.
Among the noteworthy details are these. The FY2006 amount of $18.9 million
(including the rescission) for climate protection programs is slightly less than the
FY2005 level of $19.0 million. The FY2006 amount of $33.1 million for
“Research/Congressional Priorities” (for research projects such as the Center for Air
Toxic Metals at the University of North Dakota, the Environmental Systems Center
of Excellence at Syracuse University, the Texas Air Quality Study 2, and the National
Alternative Fuels Training Consortium at West Virginia University, each getting
about $2 million) is much less than the FY2005 level of $65.7 million. The FY2006
amount of $19.8 million for global change clean air research is slightly greater than
the FY2005 level of $19.6 million. The FY2006 amount of $50.9 million for water
quality—clean water research exceeds the FY2005 level of $45.0 million. The
FY2006 amount of $11.9 million for human health and ecosystem research
fellowships is slightly less than the FY2005 level of $12.0 million. The FY2006
amount of $11.3 million for land protection and restoration research exceeds the
FY2005 level of $9.1 million. Beyond the appropriateness of funding levels, a
continuing question is the degree to which efforts to insure sound science (such as
the Information Quality Act (IQA) and the Office of Management and Budget’s Peer
Review guidelines) will impact EPA’s S&T work, including the magnitude of
Agency resources to satisfy IQA requirements and peer-review guidelines. (CRS
Contact: Michael Simpson.)
P.L. 109-54
FY2005 FY2006 H.R. 2361 H.R. 2361 [reflecting
EPA Enacted Request House-passed Senate-passed rescission]
S&T total 772.3
779.9 791.2 795.9 761.4
[768.6]
Specifically for S&T 741.7
744.1 760.6 765.3 730.8
[738.2]
Transferred from 30.6
35.8 30.6 30.6 30.6
Superfund [30.5]
CRS-28
Basic research funding would decline by 0.5% below the FY2005 estimated
level, declining to an estimated $26.7 billion in FY2006. Five agencies account for
90% of all federal basic research expenditures. Total federal research funding (the
sum of basic and applied research) is projected to increase $1 billion to $57 billion.
However, the majority of that increase would go to NASA, while most of the
remaining federal agencies would receive below inflation increases for research
funding.
6
The FY2006 R&D funding totals, in this section do not reflect the 1% across-the-board
funding recision approved by Congress. see P. L. 109-148
CRS-29
While the President essentially requested flat funding for the Department of
Defense (DOD) R&D programs, Congress approved an estimated $ 72.1 billion DOD
R&D, a 4.2 % increase over FY2005 funding levels. Most of that increase is a result
of Congress increasing DOD’s proposed S&T budget by $2.5 billion more than was
requested by the Administration.
Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would decline, in nominal
dollars for the first time in 36 years. Since the completion of doubling NIH’s budget
(between 1998-2003), funding has declined to the FY2003 funding level, after
adjusting for inflation.
Most R&D funding agencies now face budgets that are shrinking to levels of
years past, in real dollars. While it has been 24 years since NIH’s budget declined in
real dollars, other agencies such as the National Science Foundation, DOE’s Office
of Science, NASA (excluding human space exploration), and Agriculture, have lived
with stagnate budgets for several years. Consequently, in real dollars, all of these
agencies will have less R&D funding in FY2006 than they did in FY2003.