NSF News

Statement by NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan on the President’s FY22 Budget Request

The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2022. As the Administration continues to make progress defeating the pandemic and getting our economy back on track, the Budget makes historic investments that will help the country build back better and lay the foundation for shared growth and prosperity for decades to come.

“This request will bolster the U.S. economy and our leadership in critical and emerging areas of research and technological advancements, which are essential to our long-term economic and national security,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “NSF’s mission is unique in supporting research across all fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and all levels of STEM education. Seven decades of experience building the necessary partnerships between federal, state, and local government, academia, and industry have produced remarkable results for the country. With this budget, we can rapidly scale our investments and build even stronger bridges between discovery, innovation, and commercialization.”

The Budget includes more details on what is proposed in the two historic plans the President has already put forward — the Americans Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan – and reinvests in education, research, public health, and other foundations of our country’s strength. At the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Budget would:

  • Enhance Fundamental Research and Development. $9.43 billion, an increase of $1.55 billion above 2021 enacted level will support research across the spectrum of science, engineering and technology. This includes biological sciences; computer and information sciences; engineering; geosciences; math and physical sciences; social, behavioral, and economic sciences; and education. With this additional funding, NSF will continue to be the champion of basic and fundamental research and will strengthen it at speed and scale.
  • Strengthen U.S. Leadership in Emerging Technologies. Includes the establishment of a new directorate for technology, innovation and partnerships within NSF to help translate research into practical applications. The directorate will work with programs across NSF and with other federal and non-federal entities to expedite technology development in emerging areas that are crucial for the United States’ technological leadership.
  • Advances Equity in Science and Engineering. +$100 million, an increase of about 50 percent, in funding for programs that aim to increase participation in science and engineering of individuals from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in these fields. Funding will support curriculum design, research on successful recruitment and retention methods, development of outreach or mentorship programs, fellowships, and building science and engineering research and education capacity at historically black colleges and universities, and other minority-serving institutions.
  • Advances Climate Science and Sustainability Research. $1.2 billion for climate and clean energy-related research will fund a broad portfolio of research related to climate science and clean energy, including research on atmospheric composition, water and carbon cycles, modeling climate systems, renewable energy technologies, materials sciences, and social, behavioral, and economic research on human responses to climate change.
  • Continues Construction of Forefront Research Infrastructure. Invests in the continued construction of major NSF research facilities, including long-term upgrades of NSF’s major Antarctic infrastructure. It also supports construction of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to enable astronomy research. In addition, the budget request seeks funding for the construction and procurement of smaller research facilities and equipment across the nation.

Enacting the Budget policies into law this year would strengthen our Nation’s economy and lay the foundation for shared prosperity, while also improving our Nation’s long-term fiscal health.

For more information on the President’s FY22 Budget, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/

For more information on the NSF budget, please visit: https://beta.nsf.gov/budget

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