Remarks

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the National Science Foundation. We are here today to share with you the President's FY2018 Budget Request for NSF.

That video is a great visual overview of NSF's impact and contributions, which touch the lives of Americans every day. NSF supports research that enhances our Nation's security, drives the U.S. economy, and advances our knowledge to sustain America's global leadership.

We appreciate your interest in NSF, and with the engagement of the Assistant Directors of our individual Directorates, we will answer your questions about the Budget Request following my presentation. I'm also pleased to note that Dr. Diane Souvaine, Vice Chair of the National Science Board, has joined us for this important event.

As you know, NSF is the only federal agency dedicated to the support of basic research and education across the full spectrum of science and engineering. This slide provides an overview of NSF's funding, administration, and impact on the Nation.

As a reminder, about 93 percent of our budget goes to support research and educational activities in states and communities across the country, engaging the talents of more than 360,000 professionals.

We must be doing something right, because at last count we supported 223 Nobel Laureates -- many early in their careers, long before they were recognized for their breakthrough discoveries.

We fund research in all fields of science and engineering, as shown in this slide. We also support research in STEM education and development of the STEM Workforce.

The Foundation's annual budget represents just four percent of the total federal budget for research and development, yet it accounts for 27% of the total federal support for basic research conducted at U.S. colleges and universities.

In many fields, NSF is the primary source of federal academic support. For example, in computer science, we account for 83 percent of that support.

We fund curiosity-driven ideas that push the frontiers of knowledge and discovery. As you just saw in the video, these gains in knowledge have led to innovations with tremendous impact - for example, solar panels, 3-D printing, the Internet, lifesaving technologies and therapies, and much, much more.

Now let's turn to the President's Budget Request for FY2018, which totals $6.65 billion, a decrease of 11 percent from the FY2017 budget as enacted in the omnibus appropriations bill signed by the President earlier this month.

The FY2018 proposed budget reflects the Administration's emphasis on the safety and security of the American people. This request protects NSF's core values as an agency, including cross-directorate participation, which allows for cooperation across scientific disciplines, even as we pursue emerging interdisciplinary research opportunities.

While tough choices had to be made, you'll see that we are continuing to selectively invest in fundamental research and talented people who make the innovative discoveries that will transform our future.

We've carefully looked at all our programs and taken the approach to reset some of our investments closer to the levels you would have seen in NSF's budget a decade ago.

NSF remains committed to our mission - to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; and to secure the national defense. With this proposed budget, we will continue that vital work.

More details of the proposed Budget Request are contained in the handouts available to you and on the website.

Through the FY2018 Request, we continue our robust investments in research infrastructure to enable transformative discoveries. For example, we will continue construction of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, which will be the world's largest solar telescope. DKIST will enable the study of solar and magnetic phenomena to better understand and predict space weather events that can impact our telecommunications and the U.S. power grid.

We will also continue building the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, which will collect nearly 40 terabytes of multi-color imaging data every night. This telescope, sited in Chile, will produce the deepest, wide-field sky image ever. Ninety-five percent of the universe contains matter or energy that is unknown to us, and we have the wherewithal to explore these mysteries with this telescope.

NSF will also begin construction of the first of three Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRV) that will enable oceanographic research on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts, and provide jobs for U.S. workers.

We will continue commissioning planned upgrades to the laser interferometer systems for the LIGO experiment, which discovered gravitational waves in 2015. These upgrades will allow improved sensitivity to cosmic phenomena at vast distances from Earth.

We will invest in the scientific foundations for cyber-infrastructure, as well as training the next generation cybersecurity workforce.

Our budget request also continues our investment in the ALMA observatory, extending its capabilities and keeping it on track to reach steady-state operations within a few years.

NSF never forgets that we have the Nation's trust to enable the bold ideas of today's scientists to be transformed into tomorrow's realities.

With this FY2018 Budget Request, NSF will seed "Ten Big Ideas for Future Investment." This exciting initiative presents unique opportunities to position our Nation at the cutting edge of global science and engineering leadership and to invest in basic research that advances the U.S.' prosperity, security, health, and well-being.

NSF will continue to invest in developing research foundations, piloting select new programs, building capacity in the research community, and supporting the community-wide visioning and planning that will be crucial for effective implementation in the future.

These are ideas on the frontiers of science and technology. They each have targeted goals that are particularly suited to NSF's broad portfolio of Science and Engineering, and can be realized with increased future investment.

We understand and appreciate the apprehension felt by many, particularly in the research community, caused by the potential effects of adjusted funding levels.

NSF remains committed to supporting fundamental research and the development of tomorrow's researchers, and making all investments - no matter the size - meaningful, relevant, and impactful.

It's crucial for us to come together as a community and focus on the importance of the work we do for the country every day.

To do this will require new approaches - and this is where partnerships are important. Partnerships have played - and will continue to play -- a critical role in the science and engineering enterprise. In this slide, you see some of our important partnerships.

Scientific partnerships help leverage federal investments among government entities, academic institutions, foundations, NGOs, and industry.

We believe it is imperative that we keep investing in fundamental science and engineering across all disciplines. This is important not only to remain competitive on the global scale, but to discover the next scientific breakthroughs that will change lives and improve our world.

We continuously remind decision-makers and NSF constituencies of the substantive impacts that our investments in basic research have had - and continue to have on all of our lives.

Research funded by NSF has underpinned vast segments of the American economy. Consider a few examples: Advances in understanding plant gene networks have led to development of new crops with improved cold tolerance and yield.

We have accelerated the transference of basic research results into the commercial marketplace, leading to many new products made in the U.S. Our research has led to a faster, more secure Internet and created touchscreen functions now found in smartphones everywhere. And it has helped companies personalize customers' on-line experiences with neuroscience-based algorithms.

NSF-funded research is helping police agencies predict and prevent crime; enabling state and federal law enforcement agencies to track and disrupt online hackers and cyberattackers; and giving returning soldiers better access to mental health services.

The world celebrated LIGO's discovery of gravitational waves last year, but NSF's initial funding was made in 1992, a quarter-century ago.

It was the biggest investment NSF has made to date, and it was a big risk. But NSF takes these kinds of risks. We fund trailblazers. That's why the U.S. continues to be a global leader in advancing knowledge.

Today, LIGO has expanded to become the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, a group of more than 1,000 scientists from universities around the United States and in 14 other countries.

NSF-funded basic research in areas of health has made it possible for doctors -- particularly those serving rural communities - to have low-cost, high-precision surgical instruments that reduce patient trauma. Our research has enabled new approaches to combating mosquito-borne diseases; helped mobility-impaired children and adults move more independently; and developed new drugs to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's.

And NSF programs help prepare children for the technology jobs of tomorrow by funding the design and testing of innovative school curricula and programs. These initiatives help students of all ages learn skills such as computer programming and computational thinking, with an emphasis on recruiting women and minorities into the STEM fields.

These examples and so many more remind us what a vital role NSF plays in funding basic research. New products and processes do not suddenly emerge full-grown - they are built on a foundation of new concepts and discoveries - which in turn are painstakingly developed by basic research in the purest realms of science.

Today, it is truer than ever that basic research is the pace-setter of technological progress, a point emphasized in the video.

For nearly seven decades, the National Science Foundation has empowered discoveries - and discoverers -- across a broad spectrum of scientific inquiry, and we never lose sight of our commitment to explore the unexplored.

NSF's mission remains vital. It is important to the Nation because economic growth depends on advances in science and technology. Our mission contributes to a healthier, more resilient and more prosperous Nation, and a safer, more secure Nation.

We will continue to fund excellent basic research.

We will continue to welcome all disciplines to put forth their best ideas.

We will continue to encourage people to work across disciplinary boundaries to create new approaches to knowledge.

We will continue to invest in high-risk research that has potentially large impact.

We will continue to develop the STEM researchers of the future because they will take us to the frontier of the unknown.

We invite all to join us in this mission. We will continue to fund the very best research because our goal is be the very best.

Thank you again for joining us today.

Now we would be happy to answer your questions.