Skip to main content

Federal Relations Blog

Filtering posts by topic: National Science Foundation

Senate Approves U.S. R&D Competitiveness Bill

The Senate has approved, by a 68-32 vote, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 (USICA). The package, aimed at countering China's scientific and economic aspirations, includes the Endless Frontiers Act (EFA).

The EFA has been discussed and altered since first introduced last Congress. The latest version would establish a Directorate for Technology and Innovation at the National Science Foundation. The legislation authorizes $120 billion over five years largely for the NSF ($81 billion), Department of Energy ($16.9 billion), National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($10 billion), Department of Commerce regional technology hubs ($8 billion) and existing manufacturing programs ($3.6 billion). Within the NSF authorization is $52 billion for existing basic research functions and $29 billion for the new tech directorate. The new directorate will focus on 10 key technology areas that include artificial intelligence, advanced computing, robotics and automation, natural disaster prevention or mitigation, advanced communications, biotechnology, data storage and management, advanced energy, advanced materials science, and innovation methods.

The bill also contains provisions to promote research security, including new penalties for failure to disclose outside compensation.

A companion bill must pass the House and then be reconciled with the Senate prior to final votes and approval by President Biden. The House and president are expected to support some version of the Senate's bill. 

What research groups are saying:

APLU Hails Passage of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act

FSU-IU Op-ed on the Endless Frontiers Act

 

Jonathan Nurse

SUS Research Leaders Meet with New NSF Director

Yesterday, research leaders and government relations officers from the 12 State University System campuses met virtually with NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan to discuss agency priorities. Dr. Panchanathan began his tenure as the NSF chief in June and is currently seeking to engage industry, academia, state and local governments, nations and other federal research agencies in partnerships that will help the agency promote innovation at speed and scale.

In response to a question on the agency's response to the impacts of COVID-19 on research, he explained that the agency is working through ways to mitigate the impact on grantees and on young researchers in particular. 

PowerPoint Presentation

Jonathan Nurse

President’s FY21 Budget Request Released

President Trump's recent budget request to Congress for FY 2021 kicked off the annual appropriations process on Capitol Hill. The administration recommended significant reductions to research and student financial aid line-items in the budget. 

Proposed cuts would impact students directly with the elimination of programs like the Supplemental education Opportunity Grants and the halving of the Federal Work Study budget. These cuts are part of a proposed 7.8 percent reduction to the Department of Education.  Additionally, proposed cuts to agencies like the NIH and NSF would stifle R&D at a time when global competitors are increasing investments.

Over the next few weeks, House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees will hold hearings with agency officials and other stakeholders. The panels will then put forward their own funding allocations. If recent history is a guide, Congress will likely oppose the proposed cuts in the president's request. FSU Federal Relations will join with counterparts from across the country to advocate for increases to relevant agencies and programs.

Presidential Budget Request for FY 2021

Agency/Office/Program   Dollars in thousands, except Pell Grant maximum award FY20 Final FY20 Final % Change (from FY19) FY21 Pres. Request

FY21 Pres. Request % Change (from FY20)

 FY21 House FY21 Senate FY21 Final
Department of Defense*, RDT&E 104,431,232 10.0          
DOD, 6.1 Basic Research 2,603,345 -0.6 3,319,000 -10.91      
DOD, 6.2 Applied Research 6,069,765 0.0          
DOD, 6.3 Advanced Technology Development 7,400,767 0.5          
DOD, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 3,458,321 0.8 3,566,000 +3.12      
Department of Education, Pell Grant 22,475,372 0.0 22,475,000 0.0      
DOEd., Pell Grant Maximum 6,345 2.4 6,345 0.0      
DOEd., Work Study 1,180,000 4.4 500,000 -57.63      
DOEd., Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants 865,000 3.0 0 X      
DOEd., Institute of Education Science (IES) 623,462 1.3 565,400 -9.32      
DOEd., IES Regional Educational Laboratories 56,022 1.1          
Department of Energy, Office of Science 7,000,000 6.3 5,800,000 -17.14      
DOE, Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy 425,000 16.1 22,200 -94.78      
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Science 716,449 1.4 484,700 -32.3      
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science 7,138,900 3.4 6,306,000 -11.67      
National Endowment for the Humanities 162,250 4.7 33,400 -79.42      
National Institutes of Health 41,684,000 6.7 37,905,000 -9.1      
National Institute of Standards and Technology 1,034,000 4.9          
NIST Industrial Technology Services, Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Manufacturing USA 162,000 4.5 5,000 Funds to end program -96.58      
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 548,384 4.4 327,000 -40.33      
National Science Foundation 8,278,330 2.5 7,700,000 -7.0      
Kaelyn Hughes

Federal Look at Foreign Threats on College Campuses Continues

Congress and federal agencies have continued forward with an examination of campus-based threats from foreign entities. The threats of interest are largely the foreign theft of intellectual property from federally funded research groups and the spread of undemocratic ideologies through campus-based platforms. ... Read More

Laura Hall

Tweets