ACM TechNews

Universities Detail Declines in Federal R&D Funding for Science and Engineering Fields

National Science Foundation (08/21/08) Mixon, Bobbie

Federal funding of academic science and engineering research and development (R&D) rose 1.1 percent in current dollars to $30.4 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2007, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF). However, the NSF's latest Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges found that R&D funding fell for the second straight year after adjusting for inflation. In inflation-adjusted dollars, R&D funding decreased 1.6 percent from FY 2006, following a decline of 0.2 percent in FY 2005. The federal government still accounted for 62 percent of R&D funding in FY 2007. Overall, R&D expenditures totaled $49.4 billion in FY 2007, as nonfederal funding grew 5 percent. Industry funding increased 11.2 percent to $2.7 billion; state and local government funding grew 6.1 percent to $3.1 billion; academic institutions' contributions rose 6.6 percent to $9.7 billion; and funding from nonprofit organizations, nongovernmental entities, and other sources increased 10 percent to $3.5 billion.

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112105

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