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News Release 09-033

National Science Foundation Requests $7 Billion for Fiscal Year 2010

Budget reflects science and technology priorities

Photo of the entrance to the NSF headquarters building.

The National Science Foundation is requesting a budget for fiscal year 2010 of $7 billion.


February 26, 2009

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The National Science Foundation is requesting a budget for fiscal year (FY) 2010 of $7.0 billion.

The proposed budget reflects several national science and technology priorities. These priorities include:

  • Investment in the sciences. Investments in science and technology foster economic growth; create millions of high-tech, high-wage jobs that allow American workers to lead the global economy; improve the quality of life for all Americans; and strengthen our national security. For these reasons, the budget doubles funding for basic research over 10 years, beginning with $3 billion for NSF in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and a 2010 budget that increases NSF funding by $950 million over FY 2008.
  • Supporting researchers at the beginning of their careers. Ensuring America's economic competitiveness requires that we develop the future scientific and technical workforce for our universities, national labs and companies. To help accomplish these goals, the budget provides substantial increases for NSF's prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship and Faculty Early Career Development programs.
  • Strengthening the education of technicians in high-technology fields. The budget increases support for the Advanced Technological Education program, which focuses on two-year colleges and supports partnerships between academic institutions and employers to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians.
  • Encouraging promising high-risk research. The budget increases support for exploratory and high-risk research proposals that have that could fundamentally alter our understanding of nature, revolutionize fields of science and lead to radically new technologies.
  • Making climate change research and education a priority. The budget supports research to improve our ability to predict future environmental conditions and to develop strategies for responding to global environmental change. The budget establishes a climate change education program to help develop the next generation of environmentally engaged scientists and engineers.

More details on the FY 2010 budget, including requested allocations for specific programs and initiatives, will be made available in April when the full FY 2010 President's Budget is released.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Dana W. Cruikshank, NSF, (703) 292-8070, email: dcruiksh@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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