FY 2009 Budget Request: Science Education and NIBIB

FY 2009 BUDGET REQUEST DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - MATH SCIENCE PARTNERSHIP:

The Bush Administration has requested $179.0 million for this program in FY 2009, the same level as FY 2008 funding.

The budget document stated:

“This program makes formula grants to help States and localities improve academic achievement in mathematics and science. It promotes development of teaching skills by elementary and secondary school teachers, including skill in integrating teaching methods based on scientifically based research and technology into the curriculum. Partnerships focus on developing rigorous mathematics and science curricula, distance learning programs, and incentives to recruit college graduates with degrees in math and science into the teaching profession.

“A 2006 PART review of this program produced a Results Not Demonstrated rating due to limited performance and evaluation data. In response, the Department revised the program’s performance measures and expects baseline performance data to become available in 2008.” A PART review is an Office of Management and Budget appraisal tool.

Note that the National Science Foundation administers a program with the same name, for which $51.0 million was requested (see http://www.aip.org/fyi/2008/021.html .)

FY 2009 BUDGET REQUEST: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING

NIBIB is part of the National Institutes of Health, for which no budget increase was requested for FY 2009.

The Administration is requesting a reduction of 1.2 percent or $3.7 million in the budget, from NIBIB’s enacted FY 2008 budget of $304.0 million to $300.3 million. Note that there was a $5.3 million rescission in the FY 2008 budget, providing $298.7 million in the “amounts available for obligation.”

The budget document at http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/UI/2008/NIBIB.pdf?pageID=263 on page 7 provides a summary of Major Changes in the FY 2009 Budget Request:

Research Project Grants: down $2.9 million

Research Training: up $2.0 million

Technological Competitiveness – Bridging the Sciences: up $1.2 million

Intramural Research: up $1.4 million