February 6, 2003

The fiscal year 2004 budget which the Administration proposed on February 3 contains a welcome focus on science and technology research and development spending, but most of the increases focus directly on defense and homeland security with the rest of the portfolio slated for relatively flat or even decreased funding.

In addition to the looming war expenditures, suddenly rising deficits and the space shuttle tragedy, the budget picture is complicated by the fact that at the time of its submission, Congress had not yet passed fiscal year 2003 funding for any but defense appropriations. Thus, comparisons of the newly proposed levels are made to the President’s request for last year rather than actual expenditures. For example, the FY 04 request for the National Science Foundation shows a 9 percent increase – but if the Congressional numbers for FY03 were applied, the real increase would be only about 4 percent. Using either comparison, the Administration has requested far less than the approximate 15 percent increase authorized by the NSF "doubling" bill the President signed in December.

A positive note is the new emphasis on investments in the physical sciences including materials science and engineering. NSF’s Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences would receive a 12.7 percent increase, the Department of Energy would receive an 8.1 percent overall increase although the Office of Science would remain largely flat, and the multi-agency National Nanotechnology Initiative would jump 9.4 percent.

Initial Congressional reaction came from House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY): "The Administration’s budget proposal for science and technology is disappointing, although perhaps unsurprising given the budgetary constraints. On the positive side, the Administration has acknowledged the importance of funding for basic research, particularly in the physical sciences…On the other hand, many science programs do not even keep up with inflation. In many areas…there aren’t enough details yet to fully understand the proposals. Perhaps the best that can be said is that this budget document may have to be rethought in any event once Congress finally provides domestic appropriations for fiscal 2003…I look forward to working with the Administration, as I have in the past, to boost the funding for science beyond the initial proposals."

For a good overview of the budget proposal, check the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s R&D project at www.aaas.org/spp/rd

In response to a directive in last year’s Defense Authorization Act, DARPA has submitted its Strategic Plan to Congress, and posted it on its website at www.darpa.mil

After describing its structure and decision-making process, DARPA describes its emphases in research in eight "strategic thrusts" including counter-terrorism; assured use of space; networked manned and unmanned systems; robust, self-forming networks; detect, identify, trace and destroy elusive surface targets; characterization of underground structures; bio-revolution; and cognitive computing. The agency then notes that a major portion of its research emphasizes "Enduring Foundations" – such as materials – that historically have been the technological feedstocks enabling quantum leaps in U.S. military capabilities. DARPA says that over 40 percent of its budget can be considered as devoted to high-risk, high-payoff component technologies, consistent with the goal of the Under Secretary of Defense that such a percentage be for "core technologies."

The National Science Foundation has announced a broad interdisciplinary program of research and education on ultra-high capacity optical communications, including novel concepts in photonic devices, advanced fiber communication systems, component technologies for broadband optical access, new approaches to low-cost processing and manufacturing, and new mathematical models to simulate the device and system performance. The objective is to enable the continued growth of broadband optical access and high-capacity optical communications into the next decade. DARPA will be involved in the reviews and identification of proposals of mutual interests, but awards will be made by NSF. Letters of intent are due by March 31. Details are available at www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf03537

On February 6, Secretary of Education Rod Paige convened a math and science summit to discuss ways to improve student achievement and instruction, further engage the public, develop a research base, and enhance teacher knowledge. Secretary Paige called the summit "the first step in our five-year mathematics and science initiative, which will help develop the next generation of scientists and engineers who help keep American stay strong and keep our country safe." The three major goals of the initiative are to:

• Conduct a broad-based public engagement campaign that draws attention to the need for better math and science education;

• Initiate a major campaign to recruit, prepare, train, and retrain teachers with strong backgrounds in math and science; and

• Develop a major academic base to improve our knowledge of what boosts student learning in math and science

The initiative is being developed and implemented by the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and NASA. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for March 13.