As in any budget there are winners and losers, but for the tech-based economic development community, there are far more winners than losers in the Obama Administration's FY11 budget proposal. Percentages referenced in this summary reflect the change from FY10 appropriations. Among the winners: The National Science Foundation, NIST laboratories, and the Department of Energy's Office of Science continue on the path to doubling their budgets. The Administration tries to move regional innovation and clusters forward with proposals in a number of agencies, including:
$75 million in the Economic Development Administration in the Department of Commerce for regional planning and matching grants within EDA to support the creation of Regional Innovation Clusters
$135 million in budget authority at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a Regional Innovation Initiative for rural communities which could translate to $280 million in program activities
$108 million at the Department of Labor for the proposed Workforce Innovation Fund that would provide funding for the demonstration of promising new ideas and for the replication of proven practices
$11 million at the Small Business Administration to support enhanced small business participation in regional economic clusters by awarding competitive grants to facilitate greater coordination of resources
The Manufacturing Extension Partnership would increase by 4 percent to $129.7 million.
The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) would increase 14 percent or $10 million to $79.9 million.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program would increase 21 percent or $439 million to $2.6 billion. The program is designed to improve understanding of uncertainties in climate science, expand global observing systems, develop science-based resources to support policymaking and resource management, and communicate findings broadly.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) R&D budget would increase by 22 percent or $171 million to $949 million.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) would receive its first regular appropriation of $300 million.
New and previously approved Energy Innovation Hubs would receive $107 million through the Department of Energy.
The Department of Energy would launch a new $50 million program, Regaining our Energy Science and Engineering Edge (RE-ENERGYSE) to inspire students and workers to pursue careers in science, engineering, and entrepreneurship related to clean energy.
Solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy programs in the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy would all see double digit percentage increases.
Myriad National Science Foundation programs are proposed for increases, some double digit increases, including Partnerships for Innovation (109 percent increase), the Engineering Research Centers (22.9 percent increase), Science and Technology Centers (14.3 percent increase), and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) (4.9 percent increase).
The total amount spent on Pell Grants for college students would increase by 29 percent or $7.9 billion to $34.9 billion. Among the losers:
One of the most publicized budget casualties was NASA's Constellation program, the program to return astronauts to the moon. Coming on the heels of the findings of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, the shift in strategy away from returning to the moon was not surprising.
NSF programs that did not fare as well as some others in the agency, include: the National Nanotechnology Initiative (3.9 percent decrease), Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers (13.1 percent decrease), the Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (level funding), and the Education and Human Resources Directorate with a 2.2 percent increase.
The Department of Defense's Research, Testing, Development and Evaluation (RTD&E) would receive $71.6 billion (5 percent decrease). RTD&E spending supports defense modernization through basic and applied research, fabrication of technology-demonstration devices, and development and testing of prototypes and full-scale preproduction hardware. The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate would receive $1 billion (1 percent decrease).
The Office of Fossil Energy in the Department of Energy would be cut by 20 percent to $760.4 million. A detailed write-up in a special pdf report on the FY11 budget proposal can be downloaded here. Agencies included in the report are:
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of DefenseDepartment of Education
Department of EnergyDepartment of Health and Human Services
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
Department of Transportation
Department of Treasury
Environmental Protection Agency
NASA
National Science Foundation
Regional Commissions and Authorities
Small Business Administration Redistributed with permission, credit to: State Science & Technology Institute