OVERVIEW OF STRATEGIC AREAS FOR THE FY 1997 BUDGET

CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES IN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

New cross-cutting activities in research and education are always emerging within the framework of NSF's existing programs. NSF uses both formal and informal mechanisms to ensure that links are created across organizations and key program functions. The examples below describe areas where NSF provides formal coordination, through a group of senior managers, due to their importance within NSF's priorities or to interest on the part of other agencies.

Integration of Research and Education

One might argue that all NSF programs have an education and training component since they develop the participants' knowledge and skills. Likewise, many education and training programs are linked to research activities. Integrating research and education is one of NSF's core strategies for implementation of its strategic plan. Coordination is provided across a broad range of relevant programs. The coordinating group is currently developing a new activity that will focus on the identification and recognition of universities with significant research capabilities that have shown bold leadership, exceptional innovation, and tangible accomplishment in linking research and education.

In the Research Project Support key program function, relevant programs include: Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER); Research in Undergraduate Institutions; Collaborative Research in Undergraduate Institutions; Research Experiences for Undergraduates; Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI); and Engineering Research Centers, Science and Technology Centers, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers and Minority Research Centers of Excellence, all of whose missions include the integration of research and education.

In the Education and Training key program function, relevant programs include: Institution-Wide Reform of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology; Graduate Research Fellowships; Graduate Research Traineeships; Science Education Postdoctoral Fellowships; Research Training Groups; Undergraduate Faculty Enhancement; Undergraduate Course and Curriculum Development; Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement; Combined Research-Curriculum Development Program; and Engineering Education Coalitions.

Coordinated Interdisciplinary Research and Education in Areas of National Priority

An evolving set of interdisciplinary frontiers in areas of broad national interest also receives sustained attention and coordination. These areas emerge from NSF planning processes that take account of both (1) input from the research and education community resulting from such activities as workshops, reports, and advisory committees and (2) national goals for science and technology. In identifying areas included in this set, NSF considers factors such as scientific readiness, the availability of infrastructure, NSF's role in promoting the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in service to society, and the potential for collaboration. NSF has played an important role in nurturing research and education in areas that subsequently became the focus of interagency coordination and national efforts.

Seven well-defined areas currently make up this set of opportunities for investment. The coordination mechanism provides a means of establishing priorities within each area and tracking the outcomes. The table below displays funding estimates for each area as if it were distinct from each of the others.

Research and Education in Areas of National Priority 1

                                (Millions of Dollars)

Note: Figures in table rounded.

1. Estimates for areas are mutually exclusive.

2. HPCC program was reformulated in FY 1997; characterization is not comparable to FY 1996.

As with any set of science and engineering activities, sharp distinctions between fields frequently cannot be made. Research in one area may influence results in another area. The table below provides a more realistic picture of NSF spending in FY 1995 in these areas which recognizes the interconnectedness of the activities.

Estimates of FY 1995 Total Investment in Areas of National Priority 1

                                  (Millions of Dollars)

1. Estimates include contributing investments, and are not mutually exclusive.

Advanced Materials and Processing Program. The FY 1997 estimate for the Advanced Materials and Processing Program (AMPP) is $220 million, a 2.5 percent increase over the FY 1996 estimate. The goals of AMPP are to enhance the fundamental understanding of materials, develop appropriate university-industry research partnerships, and provide interdisciplinary education and training to prepare future scientists and engineers for careers in academia, government laboratories, and industry. Priorities for FY 1997 include: establishing Focused Research Groups (FRGs) with participants from academia, industry and national laboratories to address complex problems; nano-science and engineering, optical science and engineering, and biomolecular materials; linking research and education with an emphasis on the CAREER and Graduate Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) programs; and strengthening the physical infrastructure of materials research through facilities enhancement and acquisition and development of instrumentation for shared use.

Biotechnology. The FY 1997 estimate for Biotechnology is $176 million, a 6.2 percent increase over the FY 1996 estimate. The goals for this area are to increase understanding of biological systems at the most basic level and to develop the infrastructure and human resources for continued progress in biotechnology. Priorities remain: environmental biotechnology, bioprocessing/ bioconversion, and plant/agriculture biotechnology. Special focus areas within these priorities include: building the knowledge base; the sequencing of the Arabidopsis genome; and interagency partnerships in multidisciplinary research on bioremediation and metabolic engineering.

Civil Infrastructure Systems. The FY 1997 estimate for Civil Infrastructure Systems (CIS) is $57 million, a 4.3 percent increase from the FY 1996 estimate. FY 1997 activities emphasize systemic research with broad-based participation and enhanced partnerships and linkages, including international interactions. Research priorities include: new and improved materials; deterioration of materials and systems; life cycle performance evaluation of systems and components; recycling and retrofit/repair technologies; intelligent renewal decisions for urban infrastructure systems; mitigation of earthquakes and other hazards; and institutional effectiveness and productivity.

Environment and Global Change. The FY 1997 estimate for Environment and Global Change (EGC) is $346 million, a 6.5 percent increase over the FY 1996 estimate. The goals of environment and global change research are to enhance understanding of complex dynamics among natural systems and humans; to develop knowledge to preserve, manage and improve the environment; and to provide scientific background for national and international policies. In FY 1997, the overall EGC priorities reflect increased emphasis on: research related to natural hazard reduction; water, coastal and marine research; biodiversity; pollution prevention technologies and bioremediation; global ocean studies and climate modeling. Some large scale international programs are making a transition from data collection to data analysis.

High Performance Computing and Communications. The FY 1997 estimate for High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) is $280 million, a 3.6 percent reduction from the FY 1996 estimate. NSF's work in the HPCC area is coordinated through the interagency High Performance Computing, Communications, and Information Technology Subcommittee on Information and Communications (CIC) of the National Science and Technology Council In keeping with National Research Council studies of the overall HPCC program, the CIC has reformulated the national effort to reflect the rapid evolution of HPCC technologies. For FY 1997, NSF's goals, priorities, and funding estimates are consistent with this reformulation which emphasizes Global Scale Information Infrastructure Technologies; High Performance Scaleable Systems; High Confidence Systems; Virtual Environments; User-Centered Interfaces and Tools; and Human Resources and Education.

Manufacturing. The FY 1997 estimate for Manufacturing is $125 million, a 3.6 percent increase over the FY 1996 estimate. In FY 1997, increased support will be given to: developing software and hardware tools for virtual and physical rapid prototyping; advanced fabrication and processing methods that are resource and energy efficient; developing the fundamental breakthroughs in sensors, process modeling, computation and control, and in their coordinated application for next generation intelligent manufacturing systems; and research on environmentally conscious design and manufacturing, including methodologies for design for disassembly and recyclability, life cycle design/assessment and material life cycle analyses.

Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technological Education. The FY 1997 estimate for Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technological Education (SMETE) is $695 million, an increase of 8.4 percent over the FY 1996 estimate. NSF is working to strengthen partnerships with industry, state and local governments, and schools, colleges and universities throughout the country. NSF is committed to providing the citizenry with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the demands of the high-technology jobs of the future. FY 1997 SMETE priority areas include: Pre K-12 systemic reform at urban, rural, and state levels, including activities that support reform; technological workforce and expanded comprehensive undergraduate reform; and expansion of activities that integrate research and education, including a new science education postdoctoral program, a new class of graduate research traineeships, integration of K-12 education projects with research activities, and Research Training Groups and System Reform of Engineering Education.

Opportunity Fund

In FY 1995, Congressional appropriators provided NSF the flexibility to pursue unusually promising cross-cutting activities through the creation of an Opportunity Fund of up to $15 million. NSF used this flexibility in FY 1995 to accelerate investment in emerging areas. The total Opportunity Fund investment in FY 1995 was $13.3 million.

In FY 1997, NSF plans to continue with its use of a similar Opportunity Fund. Current plans include:

enhanced investments in learning and intelligent systems that build on seed funding for this area from the FY 1995 Opportunity Fund;

a new activity focused on the identification and recognition of universities with significant research capabilities that have shown bold leadership, exceptional innovation, and tangible accomplishment in linking research and education; and

developing emphases on aspects of modeling and simulation that address predictability in a variety of phenomena; and on addressing research topics and educational approaches of importance to the urban environment.