OSTP Director John Gibbons on FY 1997 R&D Budget Request

“I’ll get right to be bottom line. The President’s FY 97 budget marks the fourth consecutive year that President Clinton has called for increases in science, technology, and education investments -- investments we need to carry us into the 21st century. This budget delivers on President Clinton’s commitment to maintain critical science and technology investments as a priority while balancing the budget.” -- John Gibbons, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology

With this introduction, John Gibbons introduced the Clinton Administration’s FY 1997 budget request for science and technology programs at a March 19 briefing. And while most of his briefing was a review of the S&T highlights of the budget request, Gibbons was blunt in his appraisal of congressional actions during last year, stating “With this budget, [the President] is saying again that he will not back down in the face of myopic Congressional proposals to slash R&D.”

Over-all research funding would increase by 2%, or $1,229 million, to $72,679 million under the administration’s budget request. (Since final appropriations have not yet been signed for some R&D agencies, the FY 1996 basis represents the administration’s best approximation.)

Basic research funding would increase by 2%, or $268 million, to $14,327 million.

Applied research funding would increase by 4%, or $622 million, to $14,872 million.

Over-all civilian R&D would increase by 3%, or $1,057 million, to $34,404 million.

Over-all defense R&D would increase 0.005%, or $172 million, to $38,275 million. Gibbons noted that the ratio between civilian and defense R&D has not changed much in this budget request.

R&D support to universities would increase by 1%, or $155 million, to $12,728 million.

Merit or peer reviewed R&D program funding would increase by 6%, or $1,246 million, to $22,406 million.

Over-all spending on facilities would increase by 45% under this budget request. It was explained that this is because of a change in the way that facilities would be financed, with the requested $1,742 million being used to provide more up-front funding for facilities such as the DOE’s RHIC and B-Factory. Aircraft carriers are now funded this way, as was as the replacement of a major radio antenna at the Green Bank, WVA observatory.

Upcoming issues of FYI will provide details on the administration’s FY 1997 budget request for NSF, NASA, and the Department of Energy. See FYI #42 for the FY 1997 NIST budget request.