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House Boosts NSF Funding by $439 Million as First Installment in =
Doubling Initiative
June 30, 2006 -- The U.S. House of Representatives passed an =
appropriations bill that would begin to double the budget of the =
National Science Foundation (NSF) over the next ten years. As the first =
installment in the doubling initiative, the bill would boost NSF funding =
by $439 million or 7.9 percent to $6.02 billion in fiscal year 2007. =20
"The passage of this bill may be looked back on as a landmark moment in =
American history," said Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), Chairman of the =
House Science Committee. "This bill put us on course to enact the =
President's American Competitiveness Initiative, which will double the =
combined budgets of three key science agencies, the National Science =
Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the =
Department of Energy's Office of Science." =20
Research and Related Activities. The House appropriations bill would =
increase funding for NSF's Research and Related Activities by 7.7 =
percent or $334 million to $4.7 billion, the same amount proposed in the =
President's budget request. =20
Although the American Competitiveness Initiative focuses on the physical =
sciences and engineering, NSF plans to increase funding across its =
entire research portfolio. The House bill does not provide specific =
funding allocations for NSF's disciplinary directorates, but the agency =
is required to notify Congress if "there are any deviations from the =
allocations proposed in the President's budget request." Under the =
President's budget request, NSF's disciplinary directorates would =
receive increases that range from 5.4 percent for Biological Sciences to =
8.2 percent for Engineering. =20
The House Appropriations Committee encouraged NSF to establish =
"innovation inducement prizes." The committee "strongly encourages NSF =
to use this mechanism, particularly in programs that specifically =
emphasize innovation, to focus on high risk/high payoff research =
projects." =20
Education and Human Resources. The House Appropriations Committee =
believes that the American Competitiveness Initiative should be =
broadened to include NSF's education programs: "In light of the =
challenges facing the nation in improving math and science educational =
participation and achievement, the American Competitiveness Initiative =
must not only bolster the NSF's basic research activities, but also its =
education programs." =20
Accordingly, the House appropriations bill would increase funding for =
NSF's Education and Human Resources account to $832 million, which is =
$16 million above the President's FY 2007 budget request and $36 million =
or 4.5 percent above the current funding level. The $16 million =
increment above the President's budget request would be allocated to the =
Robert Noyce Scholarship Program ($11 million), which provides =
scholarships to math and science majors in return for a commitment to =
teaching, and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research =
($5 million). =20
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction. The House =
appropriations bill would increase NSF funding for Major Research =
Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) to $237 million, an =
increase of $46 million or 24.3 percent above the current funding level =
and slightly below the President's budget request for FY 2007. =20
This account would provide funding for several major projects that have =
the potential to generate scientific breakthroughs and transform the =
environmental sciences. It would provide $11.8 million for initial =
implementation of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), =
$27.4 million for EarthScope, $42.9 million for the Scientific Ocean =
Drilling Vessel, and $9.1 million for the South Pole Station =
Modernization project. Two new starts are the Alaska Region Research =
Vessel ($56.0 million) and the Ocean Observatories Initiative ($13.5 =
million), both of which would help fulfill the Administration's 2004 =
U.S. Ocean Action Plan, developed in response to the U.S. Commission on =
Ocean Policy. =20
Next Steps. The House appropriations bill is pending before the Senate. =
NCSE is working with the Coalition for National Science Funding to =
increase funding for all areas of research and education supported by =
NSF. NCSE's testimony in support of the NSF doubling initiative is =
available online at www.NCSEonline.org/SciencePolicy/. =20
Craig Schiffries, Ph.D.
Director of Science Policy
National Council for Science and the Environment
1707 H Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20006
Tel: 202-530-5820
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
___________________________________________________
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is a =
non-profit organization working to improve the scientific basis for =
environmental decisionmaking. NCSE is supported by nearly 500 academic, =
scientific, environmental, government and business organizations.
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