The Bush Administration has submitted an FY 2003 request for the National
Institute of Standards and Technology that calls for large increases
in some programs, and large cuts in others. Total NIST funding would
decline 15.2%, or $103.2 million, from $680.8 million to $577.5 million.
There are three major components of the NIST budget. Funding for Scientific
& Technical Research & Services (STRS) would increase 23.5%,
while the budget would fall 58.5% for Industrial Technology Services
(ITS). The budget for Construction of Research Facilities would decline
14.3%.
NIST Laboratories in the STRS budget would
see an increase of 23.5%, or $75.5 million. This increase would be applied
for research in the following areas:
| Homeland
Security: Standards, Technology, and Practices for Buildings
and Emergency Responders |
$2 million |
| Critical
Information Technologies |
$2 million |
| Computer
Security |
$1 million |
| Health Care |
$3 million |
| Nanotechnology |
$4 million |
| Neutron Science |
$6 million |
| Building
Competence for Advanced Measurements Program |
$4.7 million |
| Advanced
Measurement Laboratory (for equipment and fit-up) |
$35 million |
| Construction
on NIST Boulder, CO campus |
$17.3 million |
|
Also under the STRS program is the Baldridge
National Quality Program, which would increase 11.7%, or $0.6
million, to $5.8 million.
The two programs in the other major NIST component, Industrial Technology
Services, would be greatly reduced in funding:
The FY 2003 budget for the Adavanced Technology
Program would decline 41.5%, or $76.6 million, from $184.5 million
to $107.9 million. The NIST budget document says little about this funding
level, stating that it will provide "funding for awards in FY 2003,
as well as for ongoing projects selected in previous years. Reforms
also will be implemented to improve the program." Later in the
document, it states, "Commerce Secretary Don Evans has evaluated
the ATP and has recommended to Congress a series of modifications that
will stabilize the program."
The FY 2003 budget for the Manufacturing Extension
Partnership would be cut by 87.9%, or $93.6 million, from $106.5
million to $12.9 million. The budget document declares that the "request
would return the partnership to its original plan, which called for
the phase out of federal monies to centers about six years of funding.
Federal funding will continue to be provided to two centers that are
less than six years old; the MEP will focus on providing a central coordination
role."
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