Department of Defense (DOD): The budget funds $1.1 billion in basic research and $3.0 billion in applied research, and $3.3 billion in advanced technology development, providing options for new defense strategies and laying the groundwork for procuring next-generation defense systems. Because of DOD's emphasis on the physical sciences, its research and development investments are vital to the nation's engineering, mathematics, and computer science efforts. The budget supports the Dual Use Science and Technology program and the Commercial Operations and Support Savings Initiative, which put commercial industry's technical know-how and economies of scale to the service of national defense. The budget proposes $118 million to conduct Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations (ACTDs), which bring technology experts and military operators together early in technology system development to eliminate communication barriers, improve management of development programs, and address key warfighter challenges. Forty-four ACTDs are now under way, and 13 have been completed. Recent DOD technological accompolishments include development of a vaccine effective against the infectious hepatitis A virus, a vaccine recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration and now commercially available for military and civilian use. Similarly, DOD has demonstrated the efficacy of a genetically engineered vaccine to protect against malaria. In addition, the Department has funded the development of a new material for body armor that provides lighter-weight protection against projectiles such as bullets or shrapnel.
Department of Commerce:
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): The budget provides $239 million - an 18-percent increase over 1999 - for NIST's Advanced Technology Program to promote unique, rigorously competitive, cost-shared R&D partnerships that develop technologies promising widespread economic benefits. The budget provides $396 million - a 17-percent increase over 1999 - for research and facilities at NIST's Measurement and Standards Laboratories. In 1998, NIST improved our understanding of what happens when atoms approach each other at very slow speeds, building on the 1997 Nobel Prize winning work of NIST's Dr. William Phillips. This research is critical to both theoretical physics and future generations of time standards. In 2000, NIST will conduct additional research on fundamental physical constants, refined standards for weight and electricity, and critical infrastructure protection.
Manufacturing Extension Partnership: The budget proposes $100 million for this Nation-wide network of 75 centers and over 325 field offices offering technical assistance to help the Nation's 382,000 small manufacturers compete more effectively, leading to stronger economic growth and job creation. This funding is matched by States and localities.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research: The budget provides $283 million for research to provide a scientific basis for national policy decisions in areas such as climate change, air quality, and stratospheric ozone depletion, as well as research to promote economic growth through efforts in marine biotechnology and environmental technologies.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration's National Information Infrastructure Grants Program: The budget proposes $20 million - an 11-percent increase over 1999 - for grants to fund innovative projects that demonstrate how information technology can improve the delivery of educational, health, and other social services. These grants are highly competitive and have stimulated several hundred million dollars in non-Federal matching funds.
Department of Agriculture (USDA): The budget provides $837 million for the Agricultural Research Service, $28 million more than in 1999, and $56 million for the Economic Research Service, which together conduct a broad range of food, farm, and environmental research programs. The budget also provides $475 million for Research and Education Programs of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), including $200 million for the National Research Initiative (NRI), a 68-percent increase over the 1999 level. CSREES provides grants for agricultural, food, and environmental research, and for higher education.
