FY 2014 National Science Foundation Budget Request
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds non-biomedical basic research and education across all fields of science and engineering and is the only agency to do so, Acting Director Cora Marrett explained at yesterday’s briefing on the FY 2014 NSF budget request. She emphasized that the foundation funds high-risk, high-reward research projects in addition to funding advanced instrumentation and facilities. Also of note, 204 Nobel laureates received NSF funding including 23 within the last 5 years.
Marrett stated that while the budget request provides increased support in all areas of research, there is particularly strong support for cyberinfrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and sustainability research. This budget “empowers the National Science Foundation to rely on partnerships” and “strengthens its capacity to evaluate its programs.”
Marrett also highlighted the FY 2014 NSF performance goals which include ensuring that key program and infrastructure investments are on track, using evidence-based reviews to guide management investments, improving undergraduate education, enhancing the National Graduate Research Fellowship program to provide a wide variety of career development opportunities, promoting career-life balance policies, fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion, modernizing the financial system, informing proposal applicants in a timely manner, and improving the ability to use virtual merit review panels by incorporating technical innovation into the merit review process.
The Foundation’s budget outlines specific areas of particular importance. Those include:
NSF FY 2014 budget priorities
- Cyber-Enabled Materials, Manufacturing, and Smart Systems (CEMMSS): $300 million
- Cyberinfrastructure Framework for 21st Century Science, Engineering, and Education (CIF21): $155 million
- NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps): $25 million
- Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary Research and Education (INSPIRE): $63 million
- Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES): $223 million
- Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC): $110 million
Total National Science Foundation The total request for FY 2014 is $7,625.8 million which is an increase of $592.7 million or 8.4 percent over the FY 2012 enacted budget of $7,033.1 million.
There are six budget accounts within the NSF:
Research and Related Activities The FY 2014 budget request is $6,212.3 million which is an increase of $523.3 million or 9.2 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $5,689.0 million.
Within Research and Related Activities are the following selected Directorates:
Engineering: the budget request for FY 2014 is $911.1 million which is an increase of $85.0 million or 10.3 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $826.2 million.
Geosciences: the budget request for FY 2014 is $1,393.7 million which is an increase of $72.7 million or 5.5 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $1,321.1 million.
Mathematical and Physical Sciences: the budget request for FY 2014 is $1,386.1 million which is an increase of $77.2 million or 5.9 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $1,308.9 million.
Within this Directorate are six Subactivities, including
Astronomical Sciences: the budget request for FY 2014 is $243.6 million which is an increase of $9.1 million or 3.9 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $234.6 million.
Materials Research: the budget request for FY 2014 is $314.6 million which is an increase of $20.1 million or 6.8 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $294.6 million.
Physics: the budget request for FY 2014 is $289.0 million which is an increase of $11.7 million or 4.2 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $277.4 million.
Mathematical Sciences: the budget request for FY 2014 is $244.5 million which is an increase of $6.8 million or 2.8 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of 237.8 million.
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction The FY 2014 budget request is $210.1 million which is an increase of $13.1 million or 6.6 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $197.1 million.
Agency Operations and Award Management The FY 2014 budget request is $304.3 million which is an increase of $4.9 million or 1.6 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $299.4 million.
National Science Board The FY 2014 budget request is for $4.5 million which is an increase of $0.03 million or 0.7 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $4.4 million.
Office of Inspector General The FY 2014 budget request is for $14.3 million which is an increase of $0.1 million or 0.8 percent over the FY 2012 enacted level of $14.2 million.
Other NSF FY 2014 investment highlights include the following programs for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education:
- Catalyzing Advances in Undergraduate STEM Education (CAUSE): $123 million
- National Graduate Research Fellowship program (NGRF): $325 million
- NSF Research Traineeships (NRT): $55 million
For more information on the FY 2014 NSF budget request, visit the website.
