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General Notes

Institutions of higher education, the major source of the nation's scientists and engineers, perform about one-half of the nation's basic research. Therefore, the level, distribution, and characteristics of federal academic support are of much interest to officials at federal, state, and local levels and in nongovernmental sectors.

The National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, requires that the Foundation "initiate and maintain a program for the determination of the total amount of money for scientific and engineering research, including money allocated for the construction of the facilities wherein such research is conducted, received by each educational institution and appropriate nonprofit organization in the United States, by grant, contract, or other arrangement from agencies of the Federal Government, and to report annually thereon to the President and the Congress."

To fulfill this requirement the Foundation has utilized the data collection system originally designed by the Committee on Academic Science and Engineering of the Federal Council for Science and Technology. The Foundation annually collects statistical data from the 19 federal agencies that account for virtually all support for science and engineering (S&E) research and development at educational institutions. Data are also collected on these agencies' obligations to nonprofit institutions.

Since its inception, this survey system has been the sole source of data on federal funding to individual institutions for S&E activities and therefore attracts a wide audience. These data provide information that enables users to examine patterns of support for individual institutions over time and to compare such patterns with those of other institutions.

We are grateful for the continued cooperation of the responsible staff members in the participating agencies, and we appreciate their efforts to assist us in ensuring the quality of their data submissions.

The data presented in these tables cover all categories of direct federal science and engineering (S&E) support to institutions of higher education in the United States for S&E activities. The 19 agencies listed in these tables provide virtually all federal funding for S&E research and development (R&D) at U.S. universities and colleges. Data are also reported on these agencies' obligations to nonprofit institutions.

The FY 2008 data in this report were submitted by 19 federal agencies, covering the period October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Because of space constraints, data for 10 agencies are often combined and reported in an "other" category in tables that show funding by agency. The 10 agencies are the Agency for International Development; Appalachian Regional Commission; Departments of Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, Labor and Transportation; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Office of Justice Programs; and Social Security Administration.

The following agencies were included in the "other" category because they reported obligations in the variables represented by these tables:

• Tables 10, 31, and 33 include the Departments of Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Labor and Transportation; Agency for International Development; Appalachian Regional Commission; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Office of Justice Programs; and Social Security Administration.
• Tables 11 and 20 include the Department of Transportation and Social Security Administration.
• Tables 13, 18, and 19 include the Departments of Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, Labor, and Transportation; Agency for International Development; Appalachian Regional Commission; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Office of Justice Programs; and Social Security Administration.
• Table 16 includes the Departments of Homeland Security and Transportation.
• Table 23 includes the Departments of Labor and Transportation.
• Table 25 includes the Departments of the Interior, Labor, and Transportation.
• Tables 29 and 30 include the Departments of Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, Labor, and Transportation; Agency for International Development; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Office of Justice Programs; and Social Security Administration.
• Table 36 includes the Departments of the Interior and Labor and Office of Justice Programs.

In FY 2006 three new tables were added to the report. These tables break out funding by high-Hispanic-enrollment (HHE) institutions, tribal colleges, and minority-serving institutions. As in the aforementioned tables, due to space constraints, data for several agencies are often combined and reported in an "other" category in tables that show funding by agency.

The following agencies were included in the "other" category, because they reported obligations in the variables represented by these tables:

• Table 26 includes the Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, the Interior, Labor, and Transportation; Environmental Protection Agency; and Social Security Administration.
• Table 28 includes the Departments of Commerce, the Interior, Labor and Transportation; Environmental Protection Agency; and Social Security Administration.

The detailed agency-specific data are available from the National Science Foundation upon request. In FY 2008 the 19 agencies reported obligations to 1,571 universities and colleges, 43 academic system offices, and 1,116 independent nonprofit institutions. Every academic system has a system office, but several of the system offices were not reported as directly receiving obligations in FY 2008.

Because of rounding, data in the text or tables may not add to the totals or subtotals shown. Reported obligations were rounded to the nearest thousand dollars by the submitting agency.

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