President Proposes Cuts at NSF

The President has proposed a 6.5 percent cut to the National Science Foundation (NSF) in fiscal year (FY) 2021. The science agency is slated to receive $7.7 billion, which is $537 million below the FY 2020 level enacted by Congress. According to the budget proposal, NSF will continue to invest in its Big Ideas and Convergence Accelerator, providing support for “bold inquiries into the frontiers of science and engineering” in order “to break down the silos of conventional scientific research funded by NSF to embrace the cross-disciplinary and dynamic nature of the science of the future.” Among the research-focused Big Ideas, Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL), Navigating the New Arctic (NNA), and Windows on the Universe would each receive flat funding of $30 million relative to FY 2019. The agency would allocate $45 million each to Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR) (+50 percent) and the Future of Work at the Human Technology Frontier (+50 percent). Quantum Leap (QL): Leading the Next Quantum Revolution, would receive $50 million, which is a 67 percent increase relative to FY 2019. NSF INCLUDES, which supports education and career pathways to help broaden participation in science and engineering and build a diverse and skilled American workforce, would receive $18.9 million (-6 percent). Growing Convergence Research at NSF would receive a 3.8 percent cut, while Mid-scale Research Infrastructure would receive a boost of 63 percent compared to F...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news