NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
The President’s 2009 Budget will:
• Support aggressive funding for key research agencies to advance basic science through the
President’s American Competitiveness Initiative;
• Invest in the foundations for innovative technologies that drive future economic growth;
• Provide research facilities needed to keep America at the forefront of science and engineering;
and
• Enhance fellowship and early-career opportunities for beginning researchers.
Doubling Basic Research through the American Competitiveness Initiative
• Increases funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF).
¡ Maintains the President’s commitment to aggressive funding of critical basic research
investments in the physical sciences, engineering, and related fields.
¡ Increases 14 percent over the 2008 enacted level, including a 16-percent increase for NSF’s
primary research activities.
Investing in the Future Economic Competitiveness of the United States
• Promotes investment in new technologies.
¡ $397 million for nanotechnology research and facilities to continue advancing fundamental
understanding of those devices and materials with revolutionary properties.
¡ $1.1 billion for fundamental information technology research and cutting-edge
supercomputing and networking resources, including: $100 million, an 110-percent increase,
for an NSF-wide effort to develop radically new computational concepts and tools; and $30
million for a new targeted cyber-security research effort in privacy, fundamental theory,
and usability.
• Supports a state-of-the-art computing infrastructure. $186 million, a 17-percent increase,
for a widely accessible suite of supercomputers, data warehouses, advanced networks, and
experimental facilities.
• Constructs key new scientific facilities. $148 million for the design or construction of four major
new cutting-edge research facilities in astronomy and physics, and $115 million for a diverse
portfolio of smaller-sized instruments and other tools.
• Maintains and extends the life of current facilities. Nearly $1 billion for the ongoing operation
and maintenance of a wide range of major research facilities, including a research vessel
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126 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
fleet, astronomical telescopes, geological and environmental monitoring networks, and the
NSF-owned and operated South Pole Station.
Enhancing Opportunities for Beginning Researchers
• Recognizes young researchers. $182 million, an 8-percent increase, for NSF’s most prestigious
award program in support of the early career-development activities of those faculty members
likely to become the academic leaders of the future.
• Promotes student pursuit of advanced degrees. $125 million, a 30-percent increase, for the
NSF-wide graduate research fellowship program, which recognizes and supports outstanding
graduate students who are expected to significantly contribute to research, teaching, and future
innovations in science and engineering.
• Provides opportunities for new students. $62 million, a 6-percent increase, to support active and
meaningful research participation by undergraduate students in NSF-funded research.
Major Savings and Reforms
• Improves project management and
oversight by strengthening NSF’s project
office and instituting new processes that
provide clear go/no-go decision points
for policy makers. The Budget slows
funding of some facility projects that do
not have fully developed project plans,
and continues projects that have passed
appropriate project reviews.
Since 2001, the National Science
Foundation has:
Source: Stephen Swallen, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Advanced all fields of science, engi- A new type of glass—developed by NSF-supported scientists—may
ultimately aid drug delivery in the body.
neering, and mathematics research
by funding 70,000 grants at academic
institutions via a competitive, merit-based process.
• Strengthened the foundations of the science and engineering workforce by directly supporting
academic works of 77,600 graduate students and 31,500 undergraduate students.
• Enabled breakthroughs with potentially significant future economic impacts through its key
role in supporting and encouraging American science, math, and engineering.
• Advanced understanding of the Earth’s poles, including detailed studies of environmental
change in the Arctic, through its participation in the International Polar Year.
THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009 127
National Science Foundation
(In millions of dollars)
2007 Estimate
Actual 2008 2009
Spending
Discretionary Budget Authority:
Research and Related Activities ..................................................................... 4,672 4,805 5,594
Education and Human Resources ................................................................. 797 726 790
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction ........................ 191 205 148
Agency Operations and Award Management ............................................ 248 282 305
Inspector General ................................................................................................. 11 11 13
National Science Board...................................................................................... 4 4 4
Total, Discretionary budget authority ................................................................. 5,923 6,033 6,854
Total, Discretionary outlays ................................................................................... 5,469 6,061 6,263
Mandatory Outlays:
H–1B Fee Programs ............................................................................................ 52 148 128
All other .................................................................................................................... 8 47 23
Total, Mandatory outlays ........................................................................................ 60 195 151
Total, Outlays .............................................................................................................. 5,529 6,256 6,414
