Fiscal Year 1997 National Science Foundation Budget Request

“Given the times, we are doing quite well.” -- NSF Director Neal Lane (March 20, 1996)

The National Science Foundation has requested a 4.6% increase in its budget for Fiscal Year 1997. This increase of $145 million brings the foundation’s proposed budget to $3.325 billion. (The 1996 budget figure is based on the unsigned appropriations bill plus a carryover from previous years.)

Under this request, Research and Related Activities spending would increase 8.7%; Education and Human Resources, 3.3%; and Major Research Equipment, 35.7%. The Academic Research Infrastructure budget would be zeroed.

This budget would fund close to 20,000 research and education projects, and, the foundation estimates, “directly involve over 200,000 researchers, teachers and students, over 2,000 colleges, universities, and research institutions, including almost 600 businesses.”

The Mathematical and Physical Sciences Activity, supporting research in physics, astronomy, and materials research, is slated for an 8.8% increase to $708.0 million.

The Geosciences Activity request is for an 8.6% increase to $454.0 million.

The Polar Programs budget request seeks a 4.1% increase to $226.0 million.

The Education and Human Resources request is for a 3.3% increase to $619.0 million.

NSF projects that under this budget request, the total number of continuing and new awards would increase by 2.6%, or 494, to 19,597. The number of new FY 1997 competitive awards would increase by 1.6%, or 150, to 9,800. The FY 1997 funding rate would increase by 1% to 31%. The median annualized award size for research projects would increase by $2,000 to $61,000, while the average annualized award size for research projects would increase by $4,450 to $78,700.

The FY 1997 proposed budget is distributed as follows: 56% for research projects, 20% for facilities, 20% for education and training, and the remaining 4% for administration and management.

Future issues of FYI will provide detailed information about the physics, astronomy, materials research, geosciences, major research equipment, academic research infrastructure, education and human resources, and polar programs budget requests.