Proposed Continuing Resolution: NSF Analysis

Impact of Full-Year CR at FY 06 Level

• Seriously undermines NSF and the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI).
• Limits funding for new awards necessary to implement ACI priorities.
• Will result in $439 million in missed opportunities for scientific discoveries.
• Reduction of approximately 600 new research grants in 2007.
• A 10 percent reduction in the number of new research grants.
• Assuming proposal pressure remains stable at '06 levels, it would lead to a decline in funding rates from 21% in 2006 to 18% in 2007.

Specific Examples

1. A failure to fund the Office of Cyber-infrastructure at the FY ’07 requested level will delay the petascale acquisition program for at least a year ($50M). This will in turn postpone the science and engineering research community access to the leadership-class computing resources essential to maximizing progress in research emphasized in the ACI. This cuts across every aspect of NSF scientific research funding.
2. In the Engineering directorate, NSF would need to reduce funding for the New Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI). This new office has generated a tremendous amount of interest within the Engineering community. Engineering has already received 257 pre-proposals and had planned to invite 50 full proposals with the intention of making 11 awards. ENG would have to significantly reduce this planned amount.
3. A solicitation for the Alaska Region Research Vessel (of significant interest to the Alaska congressional delegation) was issued in October of 2006. However, under a CR at FY ‘06 levels, in all likelihood this next-generation research vessel for the Arctic region would be delayed for at least a year and eventually absorb additional costs associated with the delay. ARRV is a central element of transformative research scheduled for the Arctic region. Its critical science imperatives include research and work looking at Arctic ice reduction (e.g., perennial ice thinning 9% per decade), Arctic warming impacts on global climate, natural hazards (e.g., tsunami generation), and ocean productivity.
4. Funding for the EPSCoR program will be frozen, rather than allowed to increase as recommended by both the full House and Senate appropriations committee.
5. Loss of planned ramp-up funding for Tribal College programs and programs directed to increasing the numbers of minority Ph.Ds.
6. Loss of 40 planned Graduate Research Fellowships (at a time when many experts are calling for a significant increase in this program*) consigning these best and brightest students from all fields of science and engineering to seeking other funding or losing their talents to non-research related careers.
7. Science of Science and Innovation Policy, a proposed new start to assist policymakers in both the private and public sector in setting priorities and improve government-wide efficiency in science funding in future budgets will be delayed.
8. Delay in starting $20 million research program on Explosives and Related Threats at a time when new discoveries in this field could have an enormous impact.
9. Failure to fully fund S&E will seriously erode NSF program officers’ ability to provide oversight of NSF awards, a need repeatedly identified by the Office of the Inspector General.
10. A $10 million shortfall in the deferred maintenance of the icebreakers will increase downstream costs maintenance and operations costs, perhaps jeopardizing Antarctic re-supply activities.
11. Effective loss of a year of planning, programming, and logistics development for the International Polar Year. International partnerships will be damaged and opportunities to involve U.S. students in a global event recognizing science will be lost.
12. Delay in completion of South Pole Station Modernization project and satellite bandwidth upgrades required to take advantage of data from existing instruments.
13. Delay of planned installation of antennas at ALMA will subject the project to cascading schedule delays and have an impact on international agreements.
14. Less than anticipated funding for the National Nanoscale Initiative will yield missed opportunities for advances in this internationally competitive research area.

* Recommendation C-2 in the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report would increase Graduate Fellowships by 5,000.