AAAS R&D Program - R&D in the FY 2008 Budget

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R&D IN THE FY 2008 BUDGET

Current Headlines

Congress Wraps Up Another Disappointing Year for Federal R&D Funding

Congress gave final approval on December 19 to an omnibus appropriations bill combining the 11 unfinished 2008 appropriations bills, which the President signed into law on December 26 to bring the 2008 budget process to a close. The $550 billion bill, which includes regular funding for domestic programs, emergency funding for veterans programs and other priorities, and $70 billion in emergency war funding, is a sharp retreat from congressional plans over the last several months to add as much as $22 billion to the President's request for domestic spending. Instead of allowing domestic spending to at least keep pace with inflation as planned, appropriators responded to promised and actual presidential vetoes over the extra spending by keeping overall 2008 funding for most domestic programs flat with last year.

The federal investment in research and development (R&D) in 2008 would decline dramatically from earlier congressional plans. The AAAS FY 2008 Appropriations Summary Update shows the federal investment in basic and applied research for FY 2008 gaining just 1.1 percent to $57.5 billion, less than inflation and far less than earlier congressional appropriations. The federal research investment would decline in real terms for the fourth year in a row (see Figure below). Total federal R&D (including development) would increase 1.2 percent to $142.7 billion. In jettisoning most of the the $22 billion in domestic spending added in earlier appropriations bills, the omnibus bill would subtract roughly $2 billion from earlier appropriations for nondefense R&D. Although most R&D funding agencies would still receive increases, several key R&D agencies would fall behind the 2.4 percent expected inflation rate.

Funding for basic research in the physical sciences, a key element of various plans to sustain U.S. economic competitiveness, would fall well short of a planned doubling path over the next decade. The omnibus bill would take away most of the requested increases for the three physical sciences agencies in the American Competitiveness Initiative (the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laboratories) in order to reverse requested cuts in medical research, energy R&D, and environmental research. NSF would see only a 1 percent increase in its R&D funding instead of a larger increase, while most National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutes would get flat funding at FY 2007 levels instead of requested cuts. A 15 percent requested increase for DOE's Office of Science would be trimmed to just 5 percent to turn requested cuts in DOE's energy R&D programs such as carbon sequestration, biomass, and solar energy into a 23 percent increase. The omnibus bill would restore funding for climate change science and other environmental research in several agencies.

The omnibus bill contains $939 million in R&D earmarks in 2008 after an earmark moratorium in 2007, down from $1.5 billion in domestic R&D earmarks in 2006. The R&D earmarks in the 2008 omnibus bill would exceed the $786 million the bill would add to the President's request for nondefense R&D programs. In November, Congress approved a final Department of Defense (DOD) budget with $3.5 billion in R&D earmarks.

In addition to the AAAS FY 2008 Appropriations Summary Update, AAAS R&D Funding Updates on final 2008 appropriations for all the major R&D funding agencies are now available at the AAAS R&D web site (see below), and also available is an analysis of R&D earmarks in final 2008 appropriations.

- December 20, 2007 (updated January 7)

R&D in FY 2008 Appropriations

December 20 (updated Jan. 7) -
AAAS FY 2008 Appropriations Summary Update

"Congress Wraps Up Another Disappointing Year for Federal R&D Funding" (HTML)

(PDF version - 14 pp)

This report is a summary of AAAS estimates and analyses of federal R&D in the FY 2008 omnibus appropriations bill, and includes on final 2008 appropriations. This report will be updated in early January with additional information.

- Table 1. Total R&D by Agency in 2008 Appropriations (as of 12/18; PDF)
- Table 2. Basic and Applied Research by Agency in 2008 Appropriations (as of 12/18; PDF)
- Table 3. Major Functional Categories of R&D in 2008 Appropriations (as of 12/18; PDF)
- Table A. Congressional Earmarks for R&D by Agency and Program (revised 1/04; PDF)
Detailed agency updates and tables on final 2008 appropriations:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Defense
- Department of Energy
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Environmental Protection Agency
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Institutes of Health and HHS
- National Science Foundation

Table. FINAL Status of FY 2008 Appropriations (1/4)

AAAS October R&D Funding Update (October 5)

"R&D Increases on Hold as Budget Battles Stretch into FY 2008" (HTML)

(PDF version - 13 pp)

AAAS August R&D Funding Update (August 6)

"Congress Endorses Competitiveness Increases,
Adds Funds for Biomedical, Environmental, and Energy R&D" (HTML)

(PDF version - 13 pp)

Agency Updates for FY 2008 Appropriations:

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (FINAL - January 3) - "Congress Resumes Earmarking of USDA R&D Funds" (PDF) - (HTML version)
-(House and Senate - July 25) - "House and Senate Add Funds to Agriculture R&D" (PDF) - (HTML version)

Dept. of Commerce - (FINAL - January 3) - "Commerce R&D Gains in Final 2008 Budget" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House - July 20) - "House Boosts NOAA and NIST R&D" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - July 5) - "Commerce R&D Up 20 Percent in Senate Plan" (PDF) - (HTML version)

Dept. of Defense (Conference FINAL - Nov. 7 updated Nov. 29) - "DOD "6.1" Up, S&T Funding Down in 2008" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - September 19) - "DOD "S&T" Falls in Senate Plan" (PDF) - (HTML version)
(House - July 31 updated August 16) - "DOD "S&T" Falls in House Plan Despite Added Funds" (PDF) - (HTML version)

Dept. of Energy (FINAL - January 2) - "Energy Gains, Science Falters in 2008 DOE Budget" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - July 12) - "Senate Gives DOE $10 Billion for R&D" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House - June 13) - "House Boosts DOE Science and Energy R&D" (PDF) - (HTML version)

Dept. of Homeland Security (FINAL - January 3) - "Congress Boosts DHS R&D in Final 2008 Budget" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - June 19) - "DHS R&D Climbs 11 Percent in Senate Plan " (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House - June 12) - "House Proposes Slight Increase in DHS R&D" (PDF) - (HTML version)

Dept. of the Interior (FINAL - January 3) - "Congress Finalizes USGS R&D Increase for 2008" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - June 29) - "Senate Increases USGS R&D" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House - June 13) - "USGS R&D Climbs in House Plan" (PDF) - (HTML version)

Dept. of Transportation (FINAL - January 2) - "DOT R&D Gains 7 Percent in Final 2008 Budget" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Conference - Nov. 16) - "DOT R&D Could Rise 7 Percent, But Veto Looms" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House and Senate - July 18 (revised July 19) - "DOT R&D Up 7 Percent in Senate Plan" (PDF) - (HTML version)

Dept. of Veterans Affairs (FINAL - January 2) - "VA Gets $891 Million for R&D in 2008" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Conference - November 6) - "VA Gets $891 Million for R&D in 2008" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - June 25) - "VA R&D Climbs in Senate Plan" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House - June 12) - "VA R&D Climbs in House Plan" (PDF) - (HTML version)

Environmental Protection Agency (FINAL - January 3) - "EPA R&D Falls in Final 2008 Appropriation" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - June 29) - "EPA R&D Edges Up in Senate Plan" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House - June 13) - "EPA R&D Rebounds in House with $50 Mil. Climate Change Commission" (PDF) - (HTML version)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration - (FINAL - January 4) - "NASA R&D Climbs on Human Space Flight Spending, Research Falls" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House - July 20) - "House Adds Earth Science Funding to NASA Budget" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - July 5) - "Senate Adds to NASA Earth Science" (PDF) - (HTML version)

National Institutes of Health (FINAL - January 2) - "NIH Funding Flat in 2008 for Most Institutes" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- Table. NIH Budgets by Institute, FY 1998-2008 (revised 11/07; PDF)
- (Conference - November 6 VETOED) - "NIH Wins $1.1 Billion Increase, But Veto Looms" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House - July 16) - "NIH Budget Up 2.4 Percent in House Proposal" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - July 2) - "Senate Adds $1.3 Billion to NIH Request for 3.3 Percent Boost" (PDF) - (HTML version)

National Science Foundation (FINAL - January 2) - "Final NSF Budget Disappoints" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (House - July 20) - "NSF Budget Up 10 Percent in House Plan" (PDF) - (HTML version)
- (Senate - July 3) - "NSF Budget Climbs 11 Percent in Senate Plan" (PDF) - (HTML version)

R&D Earmarks in FY 2008 FINAL Appropriations (January 7)

"R&D Earmarks Total $4.5 Billion in 2008" (HTML)

(PDF version - 6 pp)

This analysis is part of a AAAS effort to enumerate congressionally designated, performer-specific R&D projects not appearing in agency budget requests (earmarks) in final FY 2008 appropriations bills. For the first time, the complete database of earmarks is available (below).
Table A. Congressional Earmarks for R&D by Agency and Program (in House, Senate, and final 2008 appropriations; 1/08)

Spreadsheet of R&D Earmarks in Final 2008 Appropriations Bills as of January 2008 (MS Excel file)

R&D Earmarks in FY 2008 House and Senate Appropriations (September 25 update)

"Congress Earmarks 2008 R&D Dollars" (HTML)

(PDF version - 6 pp)

R&D Earmarks in FY 2008 House and Senate Appropriations (August 20)

"Congress Earmarks 2008 R&D Dollars" (HTML)-(PDF version - 6 pp)

Climate Change Science Program Funding Update (Sept. 21)

"Climate Change Research Flat in 2008 Budget" (HTML)
(PDF version - 3 pp)

Table. Discretionary Spending by Appropriations Bill (updated 6/15)

FY 2008 Appropriations (May 18) -

"FY 2008 Appropriations Begin With More Money for R&D and Other Programs" (HTML) - ( PDF version )
This analysis is the first of a series of AAAS R&D Funding Updates on the FY 2008 congressional appropriations process, with information on the FY 2008 budget resolution.

R&D in the FY 2008 Budget Request

The complete book is now available on line.

AAAS Report XXXII: Research and Development FY 2008
April 23, 2007 - Full Text On Line

Our annual report on R&D in the federal budget is now available on line. The full text of the 294-page report, including nearly 40 tables, is available in HTML and PDF formats. This reference work provides a comprehensive analysis of R&D in the President's budget for FY 2008, including specialized analyses by theme, major agency, and discipline. A 13-page summary containing highlights from this book is available as a Preview of the FY 2008 AAAS R&D Report. To order the report, click here.
The book is available for purchase.

April 23 - A Preview of the FY 2008 AAAS R&D Rerport

"Federal Research Falls in 2008 Budget Despite ACI Increases;
Development Funding Gains" (HTML)

(PDF version - 13 pp)

This AAAS analysis updates previous analyses of R&D in the FY 2008 budget. It contains revised AAAS estimates of R&D, based on agency data obtained after the release of the President's budget and the latest estimates of FY 2007 appropriations. This analysis is a preview of AAAS Report XXXII: R&D FY 2008, a comprehensive look at the President's budget for R&D in FY 2008. The full report will be released at the AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy (May 3-4, Washington DC) and is available for purchase online. .
Table 1. R&D in the FY 2008 Budget by Agency (revised 4/07)
Table 2. Research in the FY 2008 Budget by Agency (revised 4/07)
Table 3. Major Functional Categories of R&D in the FY 2008 Budget (revised 4/07)
Table 4. Homeland Security R&D (revised 4/07)
Table 5. R&D by Appropriations Subcommittee (revised 4/07)
Table 6. Interagency Science and Technology Initiatives (revised 4/07)

March 12 AAAS Analysis of R&D in the FY 2008 Budget (HTML) - (PDF)
Feb. 7 Preliminary Analysis of R&D in the FY 2008 Budget (HTML) - (PDF)

Links to agency FY 2008 budget documents (updated)

Agency Updates for FY 2008:

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (March 21) - "USDA R&D Falls in 2008 Budget" (HTML) - ( PDF version )

Dept. of Commerce (March 21) - "NIST Labs Surge but Other Programs Fall in 2008" (HTML) - ( PDF version )

Dept. of Defense (Feb. 21) - "DOD Research Plummets in 2008 Budget, Development Hits New Highs" (HTML) - (PDF version)

Dept. of Energy (March 13 revised March 21) - "DOE Science Leads the Pack in 2008 Budget" (HTML) - (PDF version)

Dept. of Homeland Security (Feb. 23) - "DHS R&D Holds in 2008 After Steep Cuts in 2007" (HTML) - ( PDF version )

Dept. of the Interior (March 7) - "USGS R&D Falls Again in 2008 Proposal" (HTML) - ( PDF version )

Dept. of Transportation (March 2) - "DOT Proposes Increase for Highway R&D, Cut in Aviation R&D" (HTML) - (PDF version)

Dept. of Veterans Affairs (March 1) - "VA R&D Flattens Out in 2008 Budget" (HTML) - (PDF version)

Environmental Protection Agency (March 2) - "EPA R&D Falls Again in 2008 Proposal" (HTML) - ( PDF version )

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (March 21) - "NASA Rebounds in 2008 With $1.1 Billion Increase" (HTML) - ( PDF version )

National Institutes of Health (Feb. 22) - "NIH Funding Falls in 2008 Budget" (HTML) - (PDF version)

National Science Foundation (Feb. 21) - "NSF Gains for the 2nd Year in 2008 Budget" (HTML) - (PDF version)

Tables on FY 2008 R&D Request by character of work (PDF):
(The tables and charts below marked preliminary will be revised in later releases. Others have been revised since the February release of the budget.)

-Table. Total R&D by Agency (revised 4/07)
-Table. Basic Research by Agency (revised 4/07)
-Table. Applied Research by Agency (revised 4/07)
-Table. Research in the FY 2008 Budget (revised 4/07)
-Table. Development by Agency (revised 4/07)
-Table. Conduct of R&D by Agency (revised 4/07)
-Table. R&D Facilities and Capital Equipment by Agency (revised 4/07)

Agency tables (from AAAS Report XXXII: R&D FY 2008)

Historical Tables and Charts

-Historical Table 1. R&D by Agency, 1976-2008 (revised 4/07)
-Historical Table 2. R&D by Agency, 1976-2008 in Constant Dollars (revised 4/07)
-Chart. Trends in Federal R&D, 1976-2008 (revised 4/07) - Data Table
-Chart. Trends in Federal R&D by character of work, 1976-2008 (revised 4/07)
- Chart. Trends in Federal R&D as % of GDP, FY 1976-2008 (revised 4/07) - Data Table
-Chart. Selected Trends in Nondefense R&D, 1976-2008 (revised 4/07)
-Chart. Trends in Research by Agency, 1976-2008 (revised 4/07) - Data Table
-Chart. Trends in Basic Research, 1976-2008 (revised 4/07)- Data Table
-Chart. Trends in Defense R&D, 1976-2008 (revised 2/07) - Data Table
-Chart. Trends in DOD S&T, 1994-2008 (revised 2/07) - Data Table
-Chart. Trends in DOD R&D by Agency, 1991-2008 (revised 2/07) - Data Table
-Chart. Trends in Federal R&D, FY 1995-2008 (DOD, NIH, NSF, DOE, NASA, USDA) (revised 4/07)
-Chart. Trends in Federal R&D, FY 1995-2008 (DOC, DOI, DOT, EPA) (revised 4/07)
-Chart. Trends in DOE Office of Science, 1987-2008 (revised 3/07) - Data Table
- Chart. Trends in DOE R&D, 1990-2008 (revised 3/07)
- Chart. NIH Budget by Institute, 1996-2008 (revised 2/07) - Data Table
- Chart. NIH Budget by Funding Mechanism, 1996-2007 (revised 2/07)
- Chart. NSF Budget, 2000-2008 (revised 2/07)
- Chart. NSF Budget by Directorate, 2000-2008 (revised 2/07)

-Chart. Defense and Nondefense R&D, 1955-2008 (revised 9/07) - Data Table
-Chart. Nondefense R&D by Function, 1955-2008 (revised 9/07) - Data Table

Other Tables

-Table. Major Functional Categories of R&D (revised 4/07)
-Table. R&D by Appropriations Subcommittee in the FY 2008 Budget (revised 4/07)
-Table. "Federal Science and Technology Budget" by Agency (revised 4/07)
-Table. Interagency S&T Initiatives in the FY 2008 Budget (revised 9/07)
- - - Chart. Networking and IT R&D, FY 1991-2008 (revised 9/07)
- - - Chart. Nanoscale Science and Engineering, FY 1999-2008 (revised 9/07)
- - - Chart. Climate Change Science Program, FY 1997-2008 (revised 9/07)
- - - Table. Climate Change Technology Program Budget (9/07)
-Table. Federal Homeland Security R&D by Agency (revised 3/07)
- - - Chart. FY 2008 Homeland Security R&D by Agency (revised 3/07)
- - - Chart. Federal Homeland Security R&D, FY 2002-2008 (revised 3/07)

-Other Charts. The first pie chart shows that the top seven federal sponsors of R&D provide 96 percent of all federal support for R&D, with DOD the largest sponsor. The second pie chart shows that in basic research, NIH is by far the largest sponsor. For all research, the picture is similar. Another chart shows proposed changes for FY 2008 and the relative sizes of the R&D budgets in the seven largest agencies. The fifth chart shows the proposed R&D budget for FY 2008 by character of work; the character of work is quite different for defense and nondefense R&D. Development is by far the largest component of defense R&D; by contrast, basic research is the largest category in nondefense R&D. The remaining charts illustrate the tables above.

-Chart. FY 2008 R&D by Agency (revised 3/07)
-Chart. FY 2008 Basic Research by Agency (revised 3/07)
-Chart. FY 2008 Research by Agency (revised 3/07)
-Chart. R&D in the "Big Seven" Agencies, FY 2006-2008 (revised 4/07)
-Chart. Defense and Nondefense R&D by Character of Work, FY 2008 (revised 4/07)
-Chart. FY 2008 R&D by Function (revised 4/07)
-Chart. R&D by Appropriations Subcommittee FY 2008 (revised 4/07)

There is a chart comparing the FY 2008 request to FY 2007. The chart shows percentage changes between FY 2007 and FY 2008 for the 12 largest R&D funding agencies.

-Chart. FY 2008 R&D Request, Percent Change from FY 2007 (revised 4/07)

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