Research Winners And Losers

2005 R&D Budget (in billions)

$1.2
Homeland Security

• Biggest winner in 2005
• 20 percent over 2004
• $102 million more than administration request
• Increased: biomedical countermeasures
• Added: university programs, interoperable communications, shipping container and air cargo technologies
• Proposed in 2006: 23.8 percent increase to $1.5 billion

$2.4
Agriculture

• 7.8 percent over 2004, mostly for laboratory construction
• 2.5 percent increase for basic and applied research
• Record $180 million for National Research Initiative competitive grants program
• Proposed in 2006: 15.6 percent decrease to $2 billion

$70.3
Defense

• Largest R&D budget in Pentagon history in 2005
• 7.1 percent over 2004
• All-time high for science and technology, 7.9 percent increase to $13.6 billion.
• Proposed in 2006: 0.6 percent increase to $70.8 billion
• Weapons development: modest increase
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: 3.6 percent increase to $3.1 billion

$11.0
NASA

• Overall budget increase in 2005: 4.5 percent, mostly for space shuttle
• R&D increase: 2 percent
• Cut aeronautics, astronomy and earth science to cover shuttle, space station and exploration costs
• Proposed in 2006: 4.9 percent R&D increase to $11.5 billion
• Cancellation of Hubble Telescope repair; more cuts in aeronautics

$27.8
National Institutes of Health

• 2.6 percent over 2004
• Proposed in 2006: 0.5 percent increase to $27.9 billion

$1.2
Commerce

• 4.6 percent over 2004
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration R&D: $684 million
• National Institute of Standards and Technology: 16.2 percent increase for in-house R&D
• 24 percent cut for Advanced Technology Program
• Proposed in 2006: $565 million for NOAA; 12.6 percent research increase for NIST; ATP would be eliminated

$8.9
Energy

• $4.3 billion for defense-related R&D
• $3.3 billion for Office of Science (nondefense R&D in nuclear and high energy physics, fusion, advanced scientific computing, biology and environment)
• $1.2 billion for energy-related R&D
• Proposed in 2006: R&D budget decline to $8.5 billion includes $4 billion for defense, $3.2 billion for science and $1.3 billion for energy

$4.1
National Science Foundation

• First R&D budget cut since 1996
• 0.3 percent less than in 2004
• Five key research directorates anticipate cuts approaching 2 percent
• Proposed in 2006: 2.7 percent increase to $4.2 billion, mostly for facilities not research

$0.541
U.S. Geological Survey

• 0.3 percent under 2004
• Proposed in 2006: 4.6 percent decrease to $516 million

$0.598
Environmental Protection Agency

• 2.8 percent under 2004
• Proposed in 2006: Decrease to $569 million