WASHINGTON
NEWS
July 31,
2002
NSF RESEARCH ON DOUBLING
PATH
The
next step toward doubling the budget for research and development funded by the
National Science Foundation was taken in the Senate just before the August
recess. The Senate Appropriations
Committee called for an 11.8 percent increase in the NSF fiscal year 2003 total
budget over the FY 2002 level, exceeding the Administration’s request by
approximately $400 million. Under
the Senate appropriations bill, NSF’s R&D funding would increase 11.9
percent, including a 14.8 percent boost in the Research and Related Activities
account which may be the first step toward a doubling over five years. Within Research and Related Activities, the
Mathematical and Physical Sciences budget would increase 14.8 percent; Engineering would increase 20.3 percent;
Education and Human Resources would increase 8.3 percent.
The
Appropriations Committee’s report language, always important in how the money
actually gets spent, is particularly instructive this year. In discussing the large increase for the
math and physical sciences directorate, the Committee says it “remains concerned
that support for the physical sciences has not kept pace with the growth in
other disciplines. Yet it is the
sustained investment in these disciplines that has enabled the development of
today’s advanced weapon systems, state-of-the-art medical diagnostic equipment,
and improved communications systems.”
Among other programs, the bill provides an additional $50 million for the
major research instrumentation program.
In its report, “The Committee reiterates its long-standing concern about
the infrastructure needs of developing institutions, historically black colleges
and universities, and other minority-serving colleges and universities. The Committee directs NSF to use these
additional funds to support the merit-based instrumentation and infrastructure
needs of these institutions. The
Committee’s recommendation includes and additional $10 million for the
innovation partnership program.
With these funds, NSF is to support competitive, merit-based
partnerships, consisting of States, local and regional entities, industry,
academic institutions, and other related organizations for innovation-focused
local and regional technology development strategies.”
While the appropriations
action is important and welcomed by the science and technology community, there
is still concern that the Senate has not yet passed an NSF authorization bill
setting out a plan to double the research budget over five years, as the House
has done. Jurisdiction over NSF is
divided between two Senate committees – the Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee, and the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee –
both of which plan to mark up NSF authorization bills in
September.
When Congress returns in
September, conferees will be working to resolve differences between the massive
“comprehensive” energy bills passed by the House and Senate. The Senate version is much more generous
to the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and now a move is underway in
the House to pressure conferees to adopt those provisions. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) and a number of
cosponsors introduced legislation to double the DOE Science budget over five
years and to upgrade science management within the Department. Rep. Biggert notes that the budget for
the Office of Science is still only at its 1990 level, and that current
appropriations allow the Office to fund only 10 percent of the unsolicited,
peer-reviewed proposals it receives annually. Additional funding is needed for new
initiatives planned by the Office of Science, including nanoscience centers,
Genomes to Life, Advanced Computing, and workforce and education programs. On the management side, while the
House-passed energy authorization bill provides for only a study of the best way
to raise the profile of science at DOE, the Senate version and Rep. Biggert’s
new bill would create a new Undersecretary for Science and Energy Research, and
elevate the Director of the Office of Science to an Assistant
Secretary.
The
Department of Homeland Security bill approved by the House on July 26 included
key provisions developed by the House Science Committee creating an
Undersecretary for Science and Technology and otherwise increasing the
visibility of science and engineering concerns. Science Committee Chairman Sherwood
Boehlert said that “With this Undersecretary, the bill ensures that one senior
official in the new Department will be responsible – and accountable – for the
science and technology activities of the entire Department. This approach will also ensure that the
science and technology activities of the Department have the critical mass and
the skilled leadership they need to succeed.” Science Committee provisions included in
H.R.5005 also blocked the transfer of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology’s Computer Security Division, strengthened cyber security provisions
of the bill, and ensured that entrepreneurs and inventors can get through
quickly and easily to government officials who can help them develop their ideas
for Homeland Security.
The
Senate will take up its Homeland Security Department bill as soon as it returns
from the August recess, but it is unlikely that legislation will be on the
President’s desk by September 11, as originally
envisioned.
SIGNIFICANT DOD
INCREASE ADVANCES
The
Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a 9.2 percent increase in the
Department of Defense science and technology programs, increasing 6.1, 6.2 and
6.3 programs by $904 million in FY2003.
In terms of percentage of the total defense budget, the Senate bill
allocates 3.0 percent for S&T, exactly what is recommended by the Defense
Science Board. The Administration
had requested 2.7 percent, and the House Appropriations Committee approved 3.2
percent.