Agency Profile

This year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) celebrated its 50th Anniversary as leader and steward of the nation’s science and engineering enterprise. These fifty years have been marked by path-breaking advances in science and engineering knowledge that have spurred innovation, fueled economic growth, and led to the highest standard of living in U.S. history. Discoveries at the frontiers of knowledge have transformed agriculture, communications, transportation, and industry. They have contributed to significant improvements in a broad array of areas—among them public safety, national defense, health, and the environment—that have secured greater social well being for everyone in the U.S.

In just the past decade, the U.S. has enjoyed an unprecedented period of economic expansion that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has attributed to advances in science, engineering, and technology. More than ever before in history, strengthening national capabilities to create and make use of knowledge will determine U.S. prospects for the future. Building on its record of achievement, NSF aims in its next fifty years to advance fundamental research and learning in all fields of science, mathematics and engineering to ensure that future generations will enjoy sustained prosperity and a higher quality of life.

The NSF Mission: Enabling the Nation’s future through discovery, learning and innovation
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, recognizing the important role that science and technology played in the war effort, foresaw the potential contribution of the science and engineering enterprise to the postwar world. At President Roosevelt’s request, Vannevar Bush, then director of the wartime Office of Scientific Research and Development, wrote a report, Science- the Endless Frontier (1945), which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Foundation. On May 10, 1950, President Harry S. Truman signed into law The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (P.L. 81-507) which created NSF and its mission “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and for other purposes.” The Act authorizes and directs the Foundation to initiate and support basic scientific research and research fundamental to the engineering process; programs to strengthen scientific and engineering research potential; and education programs at all levels in all fields of science and engineering. The Act also authorizes the establishment of an information base for science and engineering appropriate for development of national and international policy. Over time, additional responsibilities have been added, such as developing computer science and other methodologies; providing Antarctic research, facilities and logistic support; and addressing issues of equal opportunity in science and engineering. Today, NSF stands alone as the only agency of the federal government devoted to supporting basic science and engineering research and education in all fields of science and engineering at all levels.

What NSF Does and How We Do It
NSF supports research and education via grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to about 1,800 colleges, universities, K-12 schools, academic consortia, nonprofit organizations, small businesses and other research institutions in all parts of the United States. The Foundation itself does not conduct research or operate laboratories. Instead, NSF’s role is that of a catalyst—seeking out and funding the best ideas and most capable people, making it possible for these researchers to pursue new knowledge, discoveries, and innovation.

Each year NSF receives nearly 30,000 proposals for research and educational projects. Given NSF’s available resources only about one in three new proposals are funded. In addition to funding individuals and small groups, NSF funds national research centers and state-of-the art research facilities and instrumentation, such as the National Astronomy Centers, oceanographic research ships and Antarctic research stations. NSF also supports cooperative research between universities and industry as well as U.S. participation in international scientific efforts. Education and training activities supported by the Foundation benefit students from kindergarten through the post-doctoral level, including the funding of about 900 new graduate research fellowships each year.

Rigorous merit review is a critical component of NSF’s decision making process for funding research and education projects. Award selections based on a competitive merit review process with peer evaluation ensure that the best ideas from the strongest researchers and educators will be identified for funding. NSF awards directly engage an estimated 200,000 research scientists, engineers, mathematicians, teachers and students, ranging from K-12 to post-doctoral associates. Recipients of NSF funds are wholly responsible for conducting their project activities and preparing the results for publication.

In FY 2000, NSF support of research activities totaled $2.9 billion and NSF support of education activities totaled $0.6 billion, as indicated in the Statement of Net Cost. Investment priorities focused on augmenting the nation’s information technology (IT) knowledge base and strengthening the IT workforce, and fostering research in Biocomplexity in the Environment to better understand the dynamic interactions among the biological, physical and social components of the Earth’s diverse systems. A new program initiated in FY 2000 was Partnerships for Innovation (PFI). PFI’s goal is to build creative interactions in local communities between colleges and universities, government agencies, foundations and private corporations that will act as catalysts in helping
communities transform new knowledge into innovations, create opportunities for new wealth, and build strong local and regional economies.

NSF is committed to ensuring that the U.S. has world class scientists and engineers, a national workforce that is scientifically, technically and mathematically strong, and a
citizenry that understands and can take full advantage of basic concepts in science, math, engineering and technology (SMET). NSF supports education and training efforts in all regions of the country, focusing on developing new initiatives and instituting change, such as curriculum and instructional materials development and comprehensive systemic improvement efforts at the pre-college and undergraduate levels. NSF-supported informal science programs reach a wide and diverse audience of millions, such as Galapagos, a 3-D film currently being shown at the Smithsonian that shares with viewers the experience of traveling with a team of researchers to a field site in the exotic Galapagos Islands.

In FY 2000, NSF also provided support for development of a National SMET Digital Library, a virtual facility to link students, teachers, and university faculty and provide broad access to standards-based science and math educational materials and learning tools for schools and academic institutions nationwide.

NSF’s Organizational Structure
NSF is headed by a Director who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve a six-year term. NSF’s current director, distinguished biologist Dr. Rita R. Colwell, became NSF’s eleventh director in 1998. Dr. Colwell holds the distinction of being the first woman to head NSF. A 24-member National Science Board (NSB) oversees the policies and programs of the Foundation. Members are appointed by the President with the consent of the Senate, and serve six-year terms. The NSF Director is a member ex officio of the Board. The NSB also serves the President and the Congress as an independent advisory body on policies affecting the health of U.S. science and engineering in research and education.

NSF is structured much like an academic institution, with divisions organized by disciplines and fields of science and engineering, and for science, math, engineering and technology education. There are seven operating directorates, two management offices and an Office of Polar Programs. More detailed information is provided in the Appendix, “Description of NSF Directorates and Management Offices.”
NSF is funded primarily by Congressional appropriations and maintains a staff of about 1,200 (full-time equivalents). To ensure that science and engineering funded by the Foundation remains at the frontier of the research enterprise, NSF utilizes the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) and Visiting Scientists, Engineers and Educators (VSEE) programs to regularly recruit outstanding scientists, engineers and mathematicians to serve short-term periods, who bring with them new and innovative ideas.

NSF is a well-managed, cost-effective agency, with internal operations consuming only 4% of its total budget. However, workload has become a management issue as the Foundation’s budget, workload volume and workload complexity have increased significantly while staffing has remained relatively stable over the past decade. In an attempt to accommodate an increased workload, NSF has been reengineering the way it does business, streamlining and simplifying work processes. In its pursuit of a paperless proposal and award process, NSF has been recognized as a leader in the use of advanced information technologies to improve internal operations and business transactions with the academic research community. In FY 2000, 81% of full proposal submissions were received and processed electronically and over 90% of grantee project reports were submitted to NSF through the new Internet-based Project Reporting System.