Government After five years' growth R&D funds dip in constant dollars $ Billions for R&D obligations
Once again defense R&D gets biggest share
R&D funds now account for 6% of the federal budget R&D spending as % of all federal outlays
J^ftfjr^ I^W
s
^^^^^^^^^
1968
70
72
74
76
78
80
very little good news for R&D in new budget Spending for R&D activities would increase only 4.2% in fiscal 1980, well below rate of inflation; basic R&D would be up 9 % , however Janice R. Long and Chris Murray C&EN, Washington In his message to Congress, President J i m m y Carter characterized his proposed fiscal 1980 budget as "lean and austere." Federal outlays are expected to rise 7.7% to $532 billion, a rate barely above the 7% inflation rate the Administration itself expects in fiscal 1980. T h e deficit, in the unlikely event t h a t Congress goes along with the budget proposal in its entirety, will be held to $29 billion. How did federally funded research fare in the budget? According to Presidential Science Adviser F r a n k Press, " R & D has been given adequate attention, given t h e tightness of t h e overall budget." Depending on how one looks at it, the federal R&D budget either held its own—barely keeping u p with inflation—or fell far behind. Federal R&D obligations under the proposal would be u p only 4.2%, or $1.2 billion, to $30.6 billion in fiscal 1980. Outlays, however,
would increase 7.6%, or $2.1 billion, to $29.7 billion. Obligations are, perhaps, a better measure of future happenings. T h e y are in a sense "new monies" given federal agencies to spend. Outlays can be viewed as "old m o n e y " in t h a t a t least p a r t of t h e m are being used to pay for work t h a t already has been done or to support research grants and contracts t h a t already have been awarded. One bright note in the otherwise rather gloomy federal research outlook is that, in line with Carter's repeated commitments, basic research continues to-do very well. U n d e r t h e proposed fiscal 1980 budget, basic research obligations would rise 9%, or $380 million, to $4.6 billion. Outlays would be up 11.9%, or $462 million, to $4.3 billion. Making sure t h a t t h e federal agencies did not cut basic research funding, a popular area to cut in tight budget years, was the job of t h e Office of Science & Technology Policy and t h e Office of M a n a g e m e n t & Budget. T h e two offices, at t h e President's direction, last summer sent all federal agency heads a letter telling t h e m to pay particular attention to R&D. This fall agency heads again were reminded of the importance of basic research. And, according to Press, Carter himself m a d e t h e final decisions on research funding levels for t h e various federal agencies. Falling right in line with the overall rise
in federal R&D obligations, R&D support for colleges and universities is budgeted to rise 4.6%, or $172 million, to $3.9 billion in fiscal 1980. About half of the federal R&D funds t h a t colleges and universities receive goes to basic research, 40% to a p plied research (primarily medical), and the remainder to development activities. Obligations for constructing or renovating R&D facilities, acquiring major e q u i p m e n t items, and building and operating demonstration plants will increase 6.8%, or $99 million, to about $1.6 billion in fiscal 1980. An agency-by-agency breakdown of federal R&D funding shows t h a t as usual t h e D e p a r t m e n t of Defense will get more than any other agency. It comprises about 45% of total R&D obligations in the fiscal 1980 budget and totals $13.8 billion. This represents an increase of 6.8%, or $881 million, over fiscal 1979 funding levels. In line with t h e Administration's emphasis on basic research, DOD's basic research funding would increase a whopping 17% to $436 million. And, according to Press, DOD will be making "a very great effort" in fiscal 1980 to spend more money in support of research at colleges and universities. Included in the DOD budget request is $670 million for full-scale development of the M - X missile, and $41 million for a new, longer-range, sea-based missile—the T r i d e n t II. In addition, DOD will be emJan. 29, 1979 C&EN 19
phasizing a new research initiative aimed at developing very-high-speed integrated circuits for defense applications and continuing full-scale development of airlaunched cruise missiles. Defense research also is conducted by the Department of Energy, where defense activities would account for $3.0 billion, or 35.9%, of the total DOE budget in fiscal 1980. This represents a 12.6% increase over fiscal 1979 levels. DOE's naval reactor development program would be down 6.2% to $278.4 million. However, all other defense activities would increase under the budget proposal. For example, defense waste management would increase 44.7% to $372 million, weapons R&D would be up 13.9% to $543.5 million, and verification and control technology up 27% to $37.9 million. DOE's overall budget is slated for a 22% decrease to $8.4 billion in fiscal 1980. However, the decline is more apparent than real. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which was funded at $3 billion in obligations in fiscal 1979, would get only $8 million in fiscal 1980, because DOE will not be able to spend all the 1979 money. As a result, most of it will carry over into OMB director James Mclntyre examines the 1980 fiscal year. budget at Government Printing Office When strategic reserve funding is factored out, DOE's overall budget actually will increase 8%, or $624 million. Obligations, aside from its defense activities, would be for energy technology, $3.6 billion (42.6% of the total); conservation, Authority. Budget authc: rmallv $555 million (6.6%); basic sciences, $474 provided by Congress through appro million (5.6%); regulation and information priations acts, which allow government activities, $323 million (3.8%); policy and ncies to commit ι reasury tunas, me management, $308 million (5.6%); and I vsident's budaet reauests Conaress government-owned operations, such as to provide an amount of budget authority the regional power administrations, $149 sufficient to carrv out federal nroarams million (1.8%). during the next fiscal year. Obligations for DOE's civilian R&D programs are slated to decrease by only Deferral, Any executive branch action $79.2 million, or 2%, to $3.8 billion in fiscal or inaction 1980. Outlays also are scheduled to hit : >'· '-> ' , . $3.8 billion. However, this represents an :-,./.!·· : E H ! mm , · ι increase of 2.5% over fiscal 1979 levels. Obligations for basic research would rise igress 17.5% to $551 million. According to OSTP this leveling-off Fiscal year. Year running from Oct. 1 to reflects the view that the large-scale fedSept. 30. The fiscal year is designated eral energy R&D program of the past five by the calendar year in which it ends. years has successfully advanced nearterm technologies, and, with increases in Obligations. ligations. Commitments made by b; energy pricing and other incentives for federal aral agencies to pay out money for fo private investment, less reliance needs to products, ducts, services, or other purposes, purposes be placed on the federal budget to meet as distinct jistinct from the actual payments. payments national needs. Obligations larger gâtions incurred may not be large Three DOE research areas would be cut than the budget authority. substantially under the proposed budget—nuclear programs down 16.2% to rsedbythe $918 million, geothermal energy down Treasury. Outlays are rarely ly equal to 11% to $139 million, and fossil energy authorities or obligations becausee paydown 11% to $735.7 million. Conservation ment Is and Jsand R&D stays essentially even at $217.5 servir ay are are services are received, not when they million. The department again has refused to include funding for the Clinch River Recission. Enacted legislation canceling (Tenn.) breeder reactor in its proposed budget authority previously granted by nuclear budget. However, the $462 million Congress. Recissions proposed by the earmarked^ for liquid-metal fast breeder President must be approved by Conreactor R&D does include money for a gress within 45 days to become effecdesign study of a new 6- to 9-Mw tive. LMFBR. The only nuclear program
Glossary of budget terms
20
C&EN Jan. 29, 1979
Basic research funding outpaces inflation $ Millions
HEW NSF NASA Energy Defense USDA Interior Smithsonian Commerce EPA Other TOTAL
1979 a
$1561 741 530 469 373 252 176 37 32 8 29 $4208
1980 a
$1581 828 630 551 436 268 174 39 33 17 31 $4588
Change 1979-80
1.3% 11.7 18.9 17.5 16.9 6.3 -1.1 5.4 3.1 112.5 6.9 9.0%
a Estimates. Note Obligations
whose funding would increase under the budget proposal is commercial waste management, which would be up 4.6% to $199.4 million. The reduction in fossil energy funding comes mostly from a cutback in expensive demonstration projects. However, the proposed budget does include funding for construction of a facility to demonstrate either the liquid- or solid solvent-refined coal process. It also includes $51 million to support basic R&D of more advanced coal conversion and combustion technologies and $138 million to fund R&D on technologies to increase energy conversion efficiency, including cogeneration systems and fuel cells. All other DOE R&D programs are scheduled for funding increases ranging from 2% for magnetic fusion to almost 22% for both solar technology and basic energy sciences. Included in the $380 million budgeted for solar R&D is $47 million for advanced research on novel photovoltaic materials and systems with high-risk high-potential payoff. The proposed obligations of $250 million for basic energy sciences include $69.3 million for chemical sciences, an increase of 26.7% over fiscal 1979 levels. An additional $9 million, up from $3 million last year, has been earmarked for support of university research in basic energy sciences. Although its entire budget is considered R&D funds, the National Aeronautics & Space Administration's money package for fiscal 1980 is, strictly speaking, no longer the largest civilian R&D program; it has been surpassed by DOE. But since about $3 billion or so of DOE's budget goes for nuclear weapons and the like, NASA is still the big spender after defense. And NASA is not a spendthrift agency. With strictly R&D obligations pegged at $3.6 billion in fiscal 1980—a modest 3.6% more than the fiscal 1979 estimate—the new total is still a solid 20% more than the figure for fiscal 1978. The largest share of NASA's 1980 fund proposal continues to go for the big-ticket space shuttle program. Notes NASA administrator Robert A. Frosch of the space shuttle program, "There is no question
about this commitment. It carries our highest priority." Indeed, Frosch says, the first space shuttle will be fired into orbit on Nov. 9 of this year, a mere 10 months from now. Yet the largest increase in NASA's fiscal 1980 spending plans is for what the agency calls space sciences, such as physics and astronomy, planetary exploration, and life sciences. The space sciences' line in the NASA budget has been increased 20%, or nearly $100 million, out of a total increase for NASA R&D of roughly $125 million. These funds would go for: • The space telescope, which Frosch calls "the centerpiece and key to all our efforts in astronomy." • The Galileo Jupiter orbiter and probe, which will conduct the first direct measurements of Jupiter's atmosphere. • The third in the series of high-energy astronomical observatories, which are designed to collect gamma-ray and cosmic-ray data. • A variety of space vehicles, including the infrared astronomy satellite, the solar polar flight to observe the north and south poles of the sun, and the solar maximum mission to investigate solar flares. Frosch notes, too, that in the fiscal 1980 budget, "there is increased emphasis on involving the private sector on both benefit and investment sides of the equation in materials processing in space." A number of universities and firms already are planning materials processing experiments for inclusion in space shuttle flights where they can benefit from the nearly absolute lack of gravity. The bad news in the NASA budget proposal is that there will be no room for new programs and that it actually falls short of the ravages of inflation. Administrator Frosch predicts, too, that because of provisions of the Civil Service Reform Act, NASA will have to cut its manpower over the fiscal years 1979 and 1980. The total loss of jobs is expected to be 674 permanent positions, at NASA headquarters and at its 10 field locations. Evidence of the tightening federal purse string is most evident in the Department of Health, Education & Welfare's R&D budget, about 80% of which goes to support research at the National Institutes of Health. Citing the huge increases Congress gave NIH in 1979 over its budget request, Administration officials believed it was unnecessary to give HEW much of a raise in fiscal 1980. Thus, HEW's budget request for fiscal 1980 R&D obligations is up only 1% over fiscal 1979 funding levels to $3.7 billion. Asked what budget tightening at NIH would do to federally financed biomedical research, HEW undersecretary Hale Champion deadpans: "There'll be less of it." But Champion also adds that Congress has traditionally been generous with NIH by restoring Adminstration budget cuts. NIH, Champion observes, has "one of the most successful research budgets" in the federal government. Doubtless, this is because members of Congress are reluctant to develop the reputation of being
The Mai fed@Fal R&D package Agency by agency it breaks down like this for R&D funding Outlays
Obligations $ Millions
Defense Energy NASA HEW NSF USDA EPA Interior Transportation Commerce NRC Veterans Adm. Other TOTAL
1978 a
1978 b
1980 b
1973*
1979 b
$11,520 4237 3875 3199 749 608 385 357 372 268 139 117 413 $26,239
$12,961 4642 4392 3685 819 667 400 390 381 308 160 131 443 $29,379
$13,842 4665 4540 3721 910 664 436 377 357 310 183 129 485 $30,619
$10,726 3925 3833 2980 701 554 310 322 326 266 124 112 354 $24,533
$12,145 4508 4224 3218 773 620 374 382 345 302 150 124 413 $27,578
I980b
$13,433 4639 4412 3566 856 604 401 365 . 338 313 165 123 452 $29,667
a Actual, b Estimates.
Federal R&D funds to universities would climb about 5% Outlays
Obligations $ Millions
HEW NSF Defense Energy USDA NASA Other TOTAL
1978 a
1979 b
1980 b
1978 a
1979 b
1980 b
$1705 551 308 232 173 130 188 $3287
$1993 604 331 238 210 146 234 $3756
$2001 681 372 251 218 151 254 $3928
$1595 508 294 225 156 132 159 $3069
$1739 563 317 238 177 131 192 $3357
$1931 631 359 250 179 136 207 $3693
a Actual, b Estimates.
Funding for R&D facilities would go up 11 % to $1.5 billion Outlays
Obligations $ Millions
Energy Defense NASA HEW All other TOTAL
1978 a
1979 b
1980 b
1978 a
1979 b
1980 b
$684 233 162 77 126 $1282
$919 164 148 77 150 $1458
$936 261 158 61 141 $1557
$481 313 124 68 119 $1105
$747 212 154 87 145 $1345
$879 212 155 105 145 $1496
N
a Actual, b Estimates.
antihealth by cutting the institute's funds. Yet the apparent budget cuts at NIH aren't really so bad as they seem, notes Dr. Donald Fredrickson, the institute's director. He points out that $27 million has been eliminated from the proposed NIH budget because of construction work now completed at the institutes' Bethesda, Md., campus. Last year facility construction funds amounted to more than $30 million; this year only $3 million has been allotted. Fredrickson says that funding for research programs at NIH actually has increased about $10 million. But this represents only about a 3% in-
crease, and NIH officials are figuring on an annual inflation rate of about 8%. Altogether, basic research at HEW will increase 1.3% to $1.58 billion, according to OMB, and about 90% of HEW's R&D dollars go to NIH. Major initiatives at NIH include: • Studies into the role of nutrition in cancer, cardiovascular disease, human development, and the prevention of nutrition-related disease. • Research into the cause and prevention of environmentally related disease. • Increases in neuroscience and genetic research, particularly disorders of a neuJan. 29, 1979 C&EN
21
How the agencies fare
EPA's 1980 R&D budget would grow nearly 10% with toxics R&D leading the charge 1978 a
1979 b
1980 b
$133.1 72.4 44.3 12.8 16.6 12.3
$112.0 66.6 53.2 14.8 20.6 18.0 15.2
$102.5 63.7 72.0 34.0 24.5 23.7
7.4 0.8
8.1 2.0
9.6 8.1 2.9
$308.6
$310.5
$341.0
$ Millions
NSF budget, riding an 8.4% gain, passes the billion-dollar mark for the first time 1978 a
$ Millions
1979 b
1980 b
Mathematical and physical sciences and $248.5 $267.7 $295.7 engineering Astronomical, atmospheric, earth, and 211.6 223.5 243.3 ocean sciences 141.8 156.2 173.5 Biological, behavioral, and social sciences 84.7 73.9 80.0 Science education 62.4 55.1 62.8 Applied science and research applications 48.7 57.9 59.6 Program development and management 48.4 51.1 55.0 Antarctic program 25.8 Scientific, technological, and international 23.8 25.2 affairs 6.0 Special foreign currency program 5.4 $928.4 4.0 $1006.0 $857.2 TOTAL a Actual, b Estimates. Note: Obligations.
Funding for chemical research is up 17%, to more than $53 million . . % a
b
5
$ Millions
1978
1979
1980
Materials research Physiology, cellular, and molecular biology Ocean sciences Atmospheric sciences Physics Astronomical sciences Engineering Chemistry Earth sciences Environmental biology Behavioral and neural sciences Social sciences Mathematical sciences Computer research TOTAL
$59.9 57.6
$63.6 62.5
$70.4 70.3
58.2 68.7 63.0 56.4 65.8 58.5 59.9 65.0 63.0 57.6 58.6 59.3 43.9 54.3 47.6 43.1 53.4 45.6 34.1 44.2 36.7 31.5 39.2 34.0 28.5 37.1 34.2 24.2 26.9 25.5 21.4 25.5 22.8 16.6 17.4 19.3 $592.9 $633.7 $698.7
change 1979-80
10.7% 12.5 9.0 12.5 3.2 -1.2 14.1 17.1 20.4 15.3 8.5 5.5 11.8 10.9 10.3%
a Actual, b Estimates. Note: Obligations.
. . . with structural and thermodynamics getting the largest share $ Millions
1978 a
1979 b
Structural chemistry and chemical thermodynamics Chemical dynamics Quantum chemistry Synthetic inorganic and organometallic chemistry Synthetic organic and natural products chemistry Chemical analysis Chemical instrumentation TOTAL
$8.37
$9.07 $10.45
a Actual, b Estimates. Note: Obligations.
22
C&ENJan. 29, 1979
1980 5
7.55 6.46 4.92
8.39 7.34 5.66
10.15 8.54 6.65
5.12
5.67
6.21
4.61 5.13 6.10 4.34 6.02 5.31 $43.05 $45.60 $53.41
Energy Water quality Air Toxic substances Interdisciplinary Drinking water Pesticides Solid waste Radiation TOTAL
8.9
a Actual, b Estimates. Note: Obligations.
NASA budget for R&D would rise nearly 4% and total funds increase a like amount $ Millions
Conduct of R&D Space shuttle Space flight operations Physics and astronomy Tracking and data acquisition Space applications Aeronautical research and technology Planetary exploration Space research and technology Expendable launch vehicles Life sciences Technology utilization Energy technology applications Research and program management Construction of facilities TOTAL
1978 a
1979 b
$3012 1349 268 224 278 235 228
$3477 1628c 310 283 302 275 264
$3602 1366 467 338 333 332 300
147 98 135 33 9 8 890 162
182 107 72 40 9 5 148
220 116 71 44 12 3 965 158
$4566
$4725
$4064
1980 b
941 d
a Actual, b Estimates, c Includes a proposed supplemental of $185 million, d Includes $31 million for 1978 pay increase. Note: Obligations.
NIH total funds would drop more than 5% $ Millions
National Institutes Cancer Heart, Lung & Blood Arthritis, Metabolism & Digestive Diseases General Medical Sciences Neurological & Communicative Disorders & Stroke Child Health & Human Development Allergy & Infectious Diseases Eye Environmental Health Sciences Dental Research Aging Research resources National Library of Medicine Office of the Director John E. Fogarty Center Research facilities TOTAL a Actual, b Estimates. Note: Obligations.
1978 a
1979 b
1980 b
$2509 871 447 206
$2933 937 506 303
$2943 937 507 306
231 178
278 212
280 212
166 162 85 64 62 37 145 38 20 8 66 $2786
201 191 105 78 65 57 154 41 20 9 31 $3188
204 190 105 79 66 57 154 41 21 9 3 $3171
After several years of rapid growth, Department of Energy's civilian R&O budget falls 3.5% Authorities 9 $ Millions
Nuclear Breeder reactor Liquid metal Water cooted Gas cooled Fuel cycle R&D Commercial waste management Converter reactor Advanced isotope separation Thermal reactor technology Gas-cooled thermal reactor Advanced reactor systems Advanced nuclear systems Space and terrestrial applications Systems evaluations Fossil energy Coal Gasification IvIinfngp&D Uquefaotion Combustion systems Heat engines and heat recovery Advanced research Environmental control ; Ftief cells * ' Petroleum and natural gas Enhanced recovery < Oil shale Advanced technology Nlagnetohydrodynamics General reduction Basic sciences High-energy physics
1&7» $1895.5 731.3 5687 63.0 26,0 75.6 100,7
Authorities 3
Outlays 3
i$W
im
JI
m&
$918*4 $1073*3 578.8 743*3 462.0 593.5 51.7 60.0 23,2 26,0 74.9 30.0 166,8 199,4
$950.9 599.3 469.3 69.0 26.0 36,0 193.6
$ Millions
Outlays 3
w$ -
1S3P
Nuclear physics Life sciences research
91.6 40.6
Solar technology Thermal systems Photovoltaics Wind energy Ocean systems Solar Energy Research Institute Technology utilization
312*5 100.1 103.8 607 38.2 3.0
380*0 1210 130.0 67.0 36,0 , 27.0
360.9
338*6
364*0
103.4 42.0
'|" WW '"|"| 1380 1014 87,9 39.8 39.8 288.5 94.0 919 53.8 42.2 2.0
378*0 133.5 117.0 66.5 39.0 22.0
120*1 $42
102.0 55,0
108*3 $3,0
112*4 54.9
23.9
37.0
22.8
35.0
Magnetic fusion
3S3-1
33.5
13.0
Basic energy sciences Materials sciences Chemical sciences Nuclear sciences Engineering, mathematical, and geosciences Advanced energy projects Biological energy conversion and
206*5 94.1 54.7 29.7 16,5
250*1 99.4 69,3 32.0 26,4
198.0 BBA 53.3 29.0 16.2
246*6 1007 67,2 310 24.8
7.5
16.8
7.2
16.0
4.0
7.2
3,9
6,9
Environmental R&D
209.8
232.9
200*9
223*3
Geothermal Hydrothermal resources Technology development Geopressured resources
156*2 70.9
139.0 59.1
135*2 59.8
132*0 56.5
57.6
43.9
50.6
414
277
36.0
24.B
34.1
Conservation Transportation Building, community systems Industrial
in A 911 86.0
217.5 89.3 86.0
195*2 77.5 79.0
204.6 89.3 74|8
40.0
42.2
387
40.2
58.0
65.0
49*0
62*0
42,0
—
..
—
10.0
9.8
* * 53*4
39*0
$3.8
45*6
43.1
36.4
41.5
41.0
10.3
2.6
4,6
8267 668.4 174.6 76.1 206.4 53.9 88;6
7357 570.5 179.3 60.3 122.3 57.4 46;o
12*3 812*9 593*7 178.6 70.4 143.2 67,0 510
763*6 583.7 1773 96.1 79.3 747 63.0
46.4 7.0 410 141*3
51.0 43,2r 20.0 84*2
47.7 3.5 32.4 140*9
51.6 24.0 17.7 108*9
87.9 48.6 4.6 30.0 -63*0 426.3 294.1
49.0 28.2 7.0 72*0
87.1 48.6 5.2 78.3
74.8 29.1 5.0 71.0
468.1 322.7
415*3 287.6
447.5 306.3
*7
4,6
—
—-
conservation * V V I 1 v V * VlGMtww! i
Energy storage Biomass TOTAL
55*8 277 57*8 43.0 $3904.7 $3825,4 $3?34*6 $3828*3
sgsttmates.
rological nature such as Huntington's disease. • Research to improve contraceptives and to prevent birth defects. • Studies of cigarette smoking and its relation to cardiovascular disease and to help single out the type of people with a high risk of disease from smoking. • Increased emphasis on basic and clinical research into the cause, treatment, and prevention of diabetes. At the Food & Drug Administration, R&D efforts will focus on developing new and better methods for detecting animal drug (antibiotic) residues in meat and poultry; investigating the biological effects of radiation; and studying the toxicological effects of food and color additives, cosmetics, and drugs. FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research, for example, would receive about $15 million—$1 million more than it did in fiscal 1979.
For the second year in a row, National Science Foundation officials are in a mood of restrained jubilation over the President's budget request. In fiscal 1980, NSF's budget would pass the $1 billion mark for the first time. To reach this level, NSF's funding would have to increase 8.4%, or $77.6 million. Obligations for research and related activities are slated to rise 8.4%, or $70.9 million, to $915.3 million. Obligations for NSF's science education programs would increase 5.9%, or $4.7 million, to $84.7 million. The remaining $2 million represents an increase in NSF's special foreign currency program, used for research overseas. In fiscal 1980 NSF says it plans to emphasize fast-moving areas of science such as brain function, nerve cells, food-related research, and substitute materials. Other priorities in the fiscal 1980 program would include:
• Advancing understanding of the environment, especially in areas such as the effects of pollutants and toxic substances on the environment and ecosystems. • Increasing knowledge in technology-related areas, including submicron structures and chemical catalysis. • Stimulating efforts to achieve broader geographical distribution of scientific capability. In line with the last priority, NSF would spend $4.8 million on regional instrumentation facilities in fiscal 1980. Obligations for basic research in NSF's proposed budget would be up 11.8% to $828.3 million, with those for applied research up 4% to $72.8 million.* Obligations for research instrumentation and equipment would be up an astonishing 50% to $81.6 million. Of the instrumentation money, $53.5 million is earmarked for the Directorate of Mathematical & Physical Sciences & Engineering (MPE), with $5.4 Jan. 29, 1979 C&EN
23
million set aside for purchases of major equipment and $48.1 million for instru ments and equipment needed for indi vidual research projects. MPE's overall obligations would in crease 10.5%, or $28 million, to $295.7 million under the proposed budget. Within the MPE budget, $11.1 million is earmarked for laser chemistry research; $3.8 million for regional instrumentation facilities; $2.6 million for the U.S. U.S.S.R. cooperative research program, with $350,000 for chemistry: and $4 mil lion for industry/university cooperative research. Obligations for MPE's chemistry sec tion would climb 17.1%, or $7.8 million, to $53.4 million. The increase is spread fairly evenly over all the chemistry programs. Synthetic organic and natural products chemistry is the only program area with a proposed funding increase of less than 15%. Funding for this area would be up 9.5%. An apparent decrease in obligations for chemical instrumentation, from $6 mil lion in 1978 to $5.3 million in 1980, despite NSF's announced major instrumentation thrust is due to an accounting change. In 1978 about $3.1 million of the total $6 million was for instrumentation needed for individual grants. The remaining $2.9 million went for departmental instru mentation. It is this funding that has in creased to $6.1 million in fiscal 1980, for a real increase of about 82% over the two-year period.
Environmental R&D continues to come out ahead under the Environmental Protection Agency's fiscal 1980 budget proposal. Toxic substances R&D, for ex ample, would be more than doubled for a total of $34 million. Indeed, toxics re search spending would be nearly four times as great as in fiscal 1978. Observes EPA assistant administrator William Drayton, "The President has once again recognized the growing complexity of environmental and preventive public problems and demonstrated his commit ment to solving them." In all, environmental R&D spending at EPA for fiscal 1980 would be an estimated $340.9 million, nearly 10% higher than in fiscal 1979. Aside from toxics, another substantial gainer in the agency R&D budget is the program directed at air quality research and related concerns. Spending would be up about 35% from the previous fiscal year. In water research, EPA says that it would like to start a "major $4.3 million program" to demon strate recycle and re-use of industrial wastewater. The $19 million more that EPA has budgeted for fiscal 1980 research for toxic substances will go largely for testing and evaluation, the agency says. The only real loser in EPA's R&D budget is energy-related environmental research. It would be trimmed about $9.5 million from fiscal 1979 with the largest cut in the agency's program of environ mental assessments of conventional and advanced energy systems, down about
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T-RJJNAJZ 24
C&ENJan. 29, 1979
$3.8 million. EPA says there is less need for it to conduct such activities since DOE is taking on part of the burden. R&D at the Department of Agriculture is slated to decrease slightly from $667 million in fiscal 1979 to $664 million in fiscal 1980. According to OMB, increased priority will be given to basic research, and there will be a shift from intramural research to research at universities and other nongovernment laboratories. The Administration is again trying to get $30 million for its two-year old competitive grants program. Congress cut last year's $30 million request in half. About half of USDA's proposed R&D budget ($341 million) would go to the Science & Education Administration's Agricultural Research Service. This fiscal year new emphasis would go toward en ergy research, particularly production of biomass for energy and production of methane from animal and agricultural residues. About $135 million in fiscal 1980 would go to the Cooperative Research Service, about the same as in fiscal 1979. But an additional $43 million also would be available to meet specific research goals. The Commerce Department's National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and its National Bureau of Standards will get to share in a small $2 million increase in the department's overall R&D budget proposal of $310 million for fiscal 1980. The largest portion of the total, about $190 million, will go to NOAA, but fund ing also will be hiked somewhat at NBS for, among other things, the development of methods to retard processes that limit materials durability. Within the proposed federal R&D budget are three programs involving re search by several agencies. One area se lected for special emphasis is microelec tronics and submicron science and tech nology, where work, complementary it is hoped, will be carried out by DOD, NSF, and NBS. Obligations across the three agencies are estimated to total about $41 million in fiscal 1980. Five agencies plan to undertake ex panded efforts to improve crop condition assessment and forecasting through the use of space remote-sensing data. As might be expected, NASA is one of the participating agencies, along with USD A, Commerce, Interior, and the Agency for International Development. Total fund ing would be increased from $18 million in fiscal 1979 to $29 million in 1980. The six-year program features the develop ment of improved yield models using satellite-obtained weather, soil moisture, and crop spectral data. The third cooperative area involves expansion of the climate research pro gram, which was a new initiative in the fiscal 1979 budget proposal. Efforts would be expanded in five broad program areas—impact assessments, diagnosis and projection activities, research, observa tions, and data management. Obligations for the climate program in fiscal 1980 would increase 43% over 1979, from $79 million to $113 million. D
