Stony Brook University Office of Research Services
Investing in the Building Blocks of American Innovation

Federal R&D, Technology, and STEM Education in the 2011 Budget
February 3, 2010

President Obama's budget proposal for fiscal year 2011, released on February 1, has good news for many of the science agencies that fund research at Stony Brook. 

NSF (up 8%), Department of Energy Office of Science (up 4.6%), and NIST (up 6.9%) are on track for doubling their budgets over a decade starting from 2006.  NIH (up 3.2%) receives an additional $1billion.  NOAA’s budget is proposed for an increase of 14%, much of it for important Earth-observing satellite programs.  NASA’s Space Operations Budget (read human spaceflight) is down nearly 20%, but the science budget is up 12%. 

Within NSF important programs are proposed for sustainability, climate science, and information technology, among others, and a 16% increase in the Graduate Research Fellowship program.  NIH’s Ruth L. Kirschstein awards program is also increased 5%.  Department of Defense Basic Research – the so-called 6.1 category – is increased to $2 billion (percentage increases for DOD are unreliable because of accounting for earmarks).  Energy programs not in DOE’s Office of Science get significant boosts, including $300 million for the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E). 

Congress will certainly modify these numbers in the ensuing budget process, but many of these initiatives have received bipartisan support in the past, and the chances of appropriations will likely be more affected by broad efforts to reduce discretionary spending than by political considerations. 

Detailed information on science and technology programs is available in excellent summaries on the OSTP website (http://www.ostp.gov/cs/rd_budgets/) and descriptions for each department on the OMB website (www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Overview).     

 - Dr. John H. Marburger III, Vice President for Research

Key Highlights:

  • The Budget encourages American innovation. The 2011 Budget proposes a substantial increase in nondefense R&D to $66.0 billion, an increase of $3.7 billion or 5.9 percent over the 2010 enacted level, to move the United States toward the President’s goal of investing 3 percent of Gross Domestic Product on public and private R&D.
  • The Budget provides incentives for U.S. industry to keep investing in American innovation. The 2011 Budget proposes to make the Research and Experimentation (R&E) Tax Credit permanent.
  • The Budget invests in scientific discovery to meet our challenges in the economy, health, energy, climate, and security. The Federal research portfolio (comprising basic and applied research) totals $61.6 billion, up $3.3 billion or 5.6 percent compared to the 2010 enacted level.
  • The Budget sustains the President’s commitment to double the budgets of three key science agencies. The Budget proposes $13.3 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laboratories, an increase of $824 million or 6.6 percent above 2010.
  • The Budget reflects the President’s firm commitment to American leadership in biomedical research. The 2011 Budget proposes $32.1 billion in appropriations for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an increase of $1.0 billion.
  • The Budget proposes an expanded commitment to global change research. The 2011 Budget proposes $2.6 billion for the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), an increase of $439 million or 21 percent over the 2010 enacted level. 
  • The Budget invests in the skills and education of the American people. The Budget proposes $3.7 billion for the Federal investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to prepare our students for the future, including a historic $1 billion investment in K-12 STEM education.
  • The Budget invests in technology to spur economic growth. The Budget reflects the President’s commitment to target strategic investments in technology to spur innovation in the public and private sectors; and does so in a manner that changes the way Washington works. It proposes over $1 billion in additional investments to accelerate job creation through R&D commercialization, deliver broadband for all Americans, instill a culture of open government, and promote open data standards in national priorities.