NSF FY 1995 Budget Request: Materials Research

The National Science Foundation has requested a 5.3 percent increase for the Materials Research Subactivity budget for fiscal year 1995. This increase of $9.37 million would bring funding up to $185.46 million, allocated as follows:

Materials Research Project Support. FY 1993 (last year) budget: $80.54 million. FY 1994 Current Plan budget: $88.40 million. FY 1995 budget request is up 7.8% to $95.27 million.

Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers. FY 1993 budget: $51.33 million. FY 1994 Current Plan budget: $54.81 million. FY 1995 budget request is up 0.9% to $55.31 million.

National Facilities and Instrumentation. FY 1993 budget: $32.44 million. FY 1994 Current Plan budget: $32.88 million. FY 1995 budget request is up 6.1% to $34.88 million.

In the budget document provided to Congress, NSF details its request as follows:

"$6.87 million increase for individual investigators and small groups through the Materials Research Project Support Program to a total of $95.27 million. The requested increase focuses on the research and education initiatives in strategic areas. Particularly important aspects of this research involve computational approaches to real materials and the enhancement of the materials science basis of manufacturing. In addition, the Subactivity will pursue innovative approaches to course, curriculum and training activities for future materials scientists and engineers.”

"$500,000 increase for multi-investigator research primarily through the Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers Program. The increase will emphasize the establishment of university-industry-federal laboratory partnerships in the research initiatives in strategic areas.”

"$2.00 million increase to a total of $34.88 million for the national user facilities including centers for synchrotron radiation, small-angle neutron scattering, high magnetic fields, and nano-fabrication technology. The budget also provides for the support of major instrumentation. The requested increase will be used to upgrade the facilities, to provide researchers will instrumentation at the national synchrotron facilities, and to develop novel characterization instruments.”

“Within the National Facilities and Instrumentation program element, funding for the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) at Florida State University will remain constant at $12.00 million, with funds shifted from capital investment to operations as this laboratory moves toward full operation in 1998. Over half of the funds for construction of the laboratory have come from the state of Florida. In prior years, funding for the NHMFL was located in the former Major Research Equipment Subactivity in MPS. Beginning in FY 1995, the NHMFL will be funded in the Materials Research Subactivity.”