The AAAS Board of Directors, in accordance with Association policy, has approved publication of this report as a contribution to the understanding of an important process. The interpretations and conclusions are those of the authors and do not purport to represent the views of the Board or the Council of the Association.

This project is funded by grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Carnegie Corporation and Burroughs Wellcome are not responsible for any statements or views expressed in this report.

In 1996, the AAAS Center for Science, Technology, and Congress undertook an effort to produce a series of state and regional profiles of research and development (R&D) with an emphasis on the impacts of federal R&D spending. The goal of this project is to help state, local, and federal policymakers and opinion leaders, as well as members of the research community, better understand and appreciate the scope and importance of R&D in their state or region, and especially the current and future contributions of federal funding. To date the Center has prepared reports covering half of the 50 United States. This, the eleventh in the series, addresses the Gulf States region (Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi).

When this series began, the U.S. research community was facing sharp declines in R&D spending in coming years, due to efforts to balance the federal budget. Since then, R&D has experienced a roller coaster ride. Stronger economic growth has brought the federal budget into balance and we now are operating in a surplus environment with projected growth into the future. In fiscal year (FY) 1999, federal R&D received significant increases, but in FY 2000, R&D must remain within the strict discretionary caps. The prospect of reduced federal funding for research, although diminished, has not disappeared. The budget increases of the past two years have raised both the hopes and expectations in the research community. Nevertheless, the caps on discretionary spending, and the demands to dedicate the projected future surpluses to other national priorities all suggest that R&D programs will face an uphill battle.

Understanding the role that R&D plays in a state or region's economy and its importance for the future of that state or region as well as for the nation as a whole is no less critical in good budgetary times than it is in difficult times. The ability of the research community to compete for limited resources-and they are limited even in the best of times-depends on an informed public and on decision-makers who understand the value of research. This report is intended to contribute to the knowledge base that supports such an understanding.

In gathering information for The Future of Science and Technology in the Gulf States: Trends and Indicators, we used the most recent data available from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Because of the complexity of collecting information on a state-by-state basis, especially with regard to industry spending, the most recent NSF data detail obligations from FY 1997. We have augmented the NSF data with additional research and with projections of future government spending based on outyear funding projections from the President's FY 2000 budget request and the congressional budget resolution. The report provides a statistical portrait of the Gulf States R&D activity; examines the distribution of federal R&D within the state; discusses university-based research, federal laboratories, and industry-based research; and assesses the potential future impacts of trends in R&D spending.

We would like to thank the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund for supporting the AAAS Center for Science, Technology, and Congress, as well as Kei Koizumi for providing the statistical data, Julie Miller for research support, and Leandro Lagera for preparing the report.