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Budget deal supports innovation, research
Congress has passed a budget for FY 2017 that largely continues support for federal innovation programs and R&D investments. Among the highlights are $17 million for Regional Innovation Strategies (a $2 million increase over FY 2016), level funding of $130 million for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership and $5 million for SBA’s clusters program. In reviewing dozens of line items, offices that had received significant cuts in the White House’s skinny budget appear to receive some of the largest funding increases (such as the Appalachian Regional Commission, Community Development Block Grant and ARPA-E). However, with the exception of multi-billion dollar increases for Department of Defense R&D, many increases are rather small in terms of overall dollars. This is, at least in part, a reflection of non-defense spending caps rising by only $40 million for FY 2017, limiting the availability of new funds. In this context, science and innovation gains are particularly impressive, with a five percent overall increase for federal R&D that particularly benefits NASA and NIH.
The following tables provide a more detailed breakdown of innovation- and research-related federal funding. Comparisons to FY 2016 funding are made where readily available.
- Appalachian Regional Commission
- Delta Regional Authority
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Defense
- Department of Education
- Department of Energy
- Department of Health & Human Services
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Housing & Urban Development
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Labor
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Treasury
- Environmental Protection Agency
- National Aeronautics & Space Administration
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Science & Technology Policy
- Small Business Administration
Appalachian Regional Commission
ARC received its largest appropriation in its history, including level funding for its POWER Plus Plan, targeting economic development strategies for coal-impacted communities.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Total Funding | 152.0 | 6.0 |
| Broadband Deployment | 10.0 | 0.0 |
| POWER Plus Plan | 50.0 | 0.0 |
| Industrial Site and Workforce Development | 16.0 | 0.0 |
Delta Regional Authority
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Total Funding | 25.0 | 0.0 |
Department of Agriculture
A decreased buildings and facilities budget conceals that Congress increased spending for research at USDA and is providing additional funds for a variety of rural development programs.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Economic Research Service | 86.8 | 1.4 |
| Agricultural Research Service | 1,269.8 | -86.1 |
| Buildings & Facilities | 99.6 | -112.5 |
| National Institute of Food & Agriculture | ||
| Research & Education Activities | 849.5 | 29.8 |
| Integrated Activities | 36.0 | 5.1 |
| Rural Development | 225.8 | 0.0 |
| Distance Learning & Telemedicine (STEM) | 0.5 | |
| Distance Learning, Telemedicine & Broadband* | 65.6 | 28.7 |
| Community Facilities* | 47.1 | 4.8 |
| Business & Industry* | 65.3 | 2.6 |
| Intermediary Relending | 9.9 | 0.2 |
| Rural Cooperative Development Grants | 26.6 | 4.5 |
| Rural Energy for America* | 0.4 | -0.1 |
| Rural Electrification & Telecommunications Loans | 36.4 | 1.5 |
| Forest Service: R&D | 288.5 | -2.5 |
* These items display funding levels for associated grants and initiatives. Broadband telecommunications loans are authorized for $27 million in loans; Community Facilities is authorized for $2.7 billion in direct and guaranteed loans; Business & Industry is authorized for $920 million in guaranteed loans; and Rural Energy for America Program is authorized for $7.6 million in loans.
Department of Commerce
While most of the funding changes within Commerce are proportionally small, Congress demonstrated support for economic development, business data and scientific research in this budget. While Congress maintained or increased broadband spending at ARC and USDA, NTIA received a cut of nearly 20 percent.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Economic Development Administration | 276.0 | 15.0 |
| Regional Innovation Strategies | 17.0 | 2.0 |
| National Institute of Standards & Technology | 952.0 | -12.0 |
| Scientific & Technical Research & Services | 690.0 | 0.0 |
| Manufacturing Extension Partnership | 130.0 | 0.0 |
| National Network for Manufacturing Innovation | 25.0 | 0.0 |
| Construction of Research Facilities | 109.0 | -10.0 |
| Minority Business Development Agency | 34.0 | 2.0 |
| National Telecommunications & Information Administration | 32.0 | -7.5 |
| Patent & Trademark Office* | 3,230.0 | -42.0 |
| Economic & Statistical Analysis | 107.3 | 1.7 |
| Bureau of the Census | 1,470.0 | 100.0 |
| International Trade Administration | 495.0 | 2.0 |
| National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration | 5,675.4 | -90.2 |
| Operations, Research & Facilities | 3,367.9 | 62.1 |
* USPTO budget assumes fee collections equal to expenses for a net cost of $0 to the federal budget.
Department of Defense
Defense spending increased by more than $27 billion over FY 2016. With the exception of Navy R&D, these gains carried through to the department’s research budget. Special funding (i.e. outside of the budgetary cap) for the Global War on Terrorism provides more than $400 million in additional R&D spending authority.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Cyberspace Activities | 6,733.7 | 992.0 |
| Army R&D, Test & Evaluation | 171.4 | 86.3 |
| Navy R&D, Test & Evaluation | 91.1 | 25.5 |
| Air Force R&D, Test & Evaluation | 356.9 | 121.4 |
| Defense-Wide R&D, Test & Evaluation | 679.7 | 21.0 |
| Army R&D, Test & Evaluation | 8,333.0 | 767.6 |
| University Research Initiatives | 69.2 | |
| University & Industry Research Centers | 112.3 | |
| Applied Research | 1,220.3 | |
| Engineering & Manufacturing Development | 2,248.7 | |
| Navy R&D, Test & Evaluation | 17,214.5 | -903.1 |
| University Research Initiatives | 121.7 | |
| Applied Research | 980.3 | |
| Engineering & Manufacturing Development | 5,755.3 | |
| Air Force R&D, Test & Evaluation | 27,788.5 | 2,571.4 |
| University Research Initiatives | 150.0 | |
| Applied Research | 1,325.7 | |
| Engineering & Manufacturing Development | 3,964.9 | |
| Defense-Wide R&D, Test & Evaluation | 18,778.6 | 82.6 |
| University Strategic Partnership Research | 35.4 | |
| Historically Black Colleges & Universities | 33.6 | |
| Applied Research | 1,769.9 | |
| Engineering & Manufacturing Development | 622.0 | |
| SBIR/STTR | 2.2 | |
| Defense Health Program: R&D, Test & Evaluation | 2,102.1 | -19.8 |
| Global War on Terrorism: R&D, Test & Evaluation | 406.7 | 175.2 |
Department of Education
Among agencies tracked by SSTI, Education received the most consistent cuts. In addition to the reduction noted below, no funding is provided for Mathematics & Science Partnerships, the Fund for the Improvement of Education, or Advanced Placement programs. The appropriations act also notes that the Department of Education devoted extra resources to unauthorized pay-for-success projects and directs the department to provide a detailed spending plan to the relevant House and Senate committees for national programs.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Education Innovation & Research | 100.0 | -20.0 |
| Institute of Education Sciences | 605.3 | 12.7 |
Department of Energy
Energy received modest increases to most of its science programs, including Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The greatest proportional gains are for electricity delivery and reliability, which include micro- and smartgrid research and implementation.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy | 2,090.2 | 17.2 |
| Synthetic Biology Foundry | 20.0 | |
| Algal Biofuels | 30.0 | |
| Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Technology Validation | 18.0 | |
| Solar Energy R&D | 55.0 | |
| National Wind Technology Center | 30.0 | |
| Conventional Hydropower | 25.0 | |
| Marine & Hydrokinetic Technology Research | 59.0 | |
| Geothermal Technologies | 35.0 | |
| Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (6) | 84.0 | |
| Manufacturing Demonstration Facility | 20.0 | |
| Energy-Water Desalination Hub | 20.0 | |
| Joint Additive Manufacturing Pilot | 1.5 | |
| Emerging Building Technologies | 98.4 | |
| Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability | 230.0 | 24.0 |
| Nuclear Energy | 1,016.6 | 30.4 |
| Crosscutting Nuclear Technology Development | 27.0 | |
| National Science User Facilities | 31.1 | |
| SMR Licensing Technical Support | 95.0 | |
| Reactor Concepts R&D | 40.0 | |
| Fuel Cycle R&D | 68.0 | |
| Idaho National Lab Infrastructure | 10.0 | |
| Fossil Energy R&D | 668.0 | 36.0 |
| Advanced Storage R&D | 28.0 | |
| Cross Cutting Research: Coal Utilization | 20.0 | |
| Cross Cutting Research: Plant Optimization | 21.5 | |
| Cross Cutting Research: Water Management | 9.8 | |
| National Energy Technology Lab Coal R&D External Activities | 15.0 | |
| Office of Science | 5,392.0 | 41.8 |
| Argonne Leadership Computing Facility | 80.0 | |
| Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility | 110.0 | |
| National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center | 92.1 | |
| Computational Sciences Graduate Fellowship | 10.0 | |
| Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research | 15.0 | |
| BioEnergy Research Centers (3) | 75.0 | |
| Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy | 306.0 | 15.0 |
| Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee* | 7.0 | -10.0 |
* The Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee is also expected to collect $30 million through fees for a total program budget of $37 million.
Department of Health & Human Services
On the back of the additional $352 million in budgetary authority provided for in the 21st Century CURES Act, Congress provided increases for most R&D-related elements of HHS, including every one of the National Institutes of Health.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Food & Drug Administration* | 2,771.2 | 41.6 |
| Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition | 311.0 | |
| Center for Drug Evaluation & Research | 356.0 | |
| Center for Biologics Evaluation & Research | 174.1 | |
| Center for Veterinary Medicine | 98.2 | |
| Center for Devices & Radiological Health | 246.3 | |
| National Center for Toxicological Research | 63.3 | |
| Precision Medicine Initiative | 2.5 | |
| Pediatric Device Consortium Grants | 6.0 | |
| National Institutes of Health | ||
| National Cancer Institute | 5,389.3 | 174.6 |
| National Health, Lung & Blood Institute | 3,206.6 | 91.1 |
| National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research | 425.8 | 10.2 |
| National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease | 1,871.6 | 52.2 |
| National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stoke | 1,783.7 | 87.5 |
| National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Disease | 4,906.6 | 276.7 |
| National Institute of General Medical Services** | 1,826.4 | 94.3 |
| National Institute of Child Health & Human Development | 1,380.3 | 40.5 |
| National Eye Institute | 732.6 | 16.7 |
| National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences*** | 714.3 | 20.6 |
| National Institute of Aging | 2,048.6 | 448.4 |
| National Institute of Arthritis & Musculoskeletal & Skin Diseases | 557.9 | 15.7 |
| National Institute of Deafness & Other Communications Disorders | 436.9 | 13.8 |
| National Institute of Nursing Research | 150.2 | 3.8 |
| National Institute of Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism | 483.4 | 15.7 |
| National Institute of Drug Abuse | 1,090.9 | 13.7 |
| National Institute of Mental Health | 1,601.9 | 53.5 |
| National Human Genome Institute | 528.6 | 9.6 |
| National Institute of Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering | 357.1 | 10.3 |
| National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health | 134.7 | 3.9 |
| National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities | 289.1 | 9.4 |
| National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences | 705.9 | 20.5 |
| Innovation Account | 352.0 | 0.0 |
| Centers for Disease Control | 6,348.9 | 22.8 |
| Community Services Block Grant Programs | ||
| Grants to States for Community Services | 715.0 | 0.0 |
| Economic Development | 19.9 | -10.0 |
| Rural Community Facilities | 7.5 | 1.0 |
| Administration for Community Living | ||
| University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities | 38.6 | 0.0 |
| National Institute of Disability, Independent Living & Rehabilitation Research | 104.0 | 0.0 |
| Assistive Technology | 34.0 | 0.0 |
| Biomedical Advanced R&D Authority | 511.7 | 0.0 |
* FDA is also authorized to collect and allocate nearly $2 billion in user fees.
** Includes $18.5 million in level funding for the Science Education Partnership Awards, which connect biomedical researchers with K-12 teachers and their students.
*** Does not include an additional $77.3 million for this institute provided for with Interior and Environment funding.
Department of Homeland Security
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| National Protection and Programs Directorate | 3,269.9 | 190.8 |
| Cybersecurity R&D | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Infrastructure Protection R&D | 4.1 | -0.3 |
| Science & Technology Directorate | 781.7 | -5.2 |
| Research, Development & Innovation | 430.1 | -4.7 |
| University Programs | 40.5 | 0.8 |
Department of Housing & Urban Development
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Community Development Block Grants | 3,000.0 | 200.0 |
| Research and Technology | 89.0 | 4.0 |
Department of the Interior
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 1,155.9 | 36.9 |
| R&D: Desalination & Water Purification | 11.8 | |
| Science & Technology | 22.8 | |
| Geological Survey | 1,085.2 | 23.2 |
| Water Availability and Use Science | 45.1 | 3.0 |
| Core Science Systems | 116.1 | 4.5 |
Department of Labor
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Employment & Training Administration | ||
| Apprenticeship Grants | 95.0 | 5.0 |
| Adult Training | 815.6 | 0.0 |
| Dislocated Worker Assistance | 860.0 | 0.0 |
| Bureau of Labor Statistics | 609.0 | 0.0 |
| Veterans Employment & Training | 279.0 | 7.9 |
Department of Transportation
While the total amount of research dollars appropriated to transportation remain small, the department received proportionally strong gains for R&D, particularly for vehicle electronics.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Transportation planning, R&D | 12.0 | 3.5 |
| Federal Aviation Administration | ||
| Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research | 20.0 | 2.7 |
| NextGen Environmental Research | 27.2 | |
| Environment & Energy Research | 16.0 | |
| Advanced Materials/Structural Safety: Partnered R&D | 2.0 | |
| National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | ||
| Vehicle Electronics & Emerging Technology | 10.1 | 6.5 |
| In-vehicle Alcohol Detection Device Research | 5.5 | 0.0 |
| Federal Railroad Administration: R&D | 40.1 | 1.0 |
Department of Treasury
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Community Development Financial Institutions Fund | 248.0 | 14.5 |
| Financial & Technical Assistance Grants | 161.5 |
Environmental Protection Agency
Unlike many other agencies, EPA will receive a cuts to science funding, primarily in the National Priorities and Sustainable Communities funding lines.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Science & Technology* | 713.8 | -20.8 |
| Research: Air, Climate & Energy | 91.9 | 0.0 |
| Research: Chemical Safety & Sustainability | 126.9 | 0.0 |
| Research: National Priorities | 4.1 | -10.0 |
| Research: Safe & Sustainable Water Resources | 106.3 | -1.2 |
* The appropriation includes a rescission of $7.4 million for a realized appropriation of $706.4 million. The budget also provides instruction to award $4.1 million of these funds outside of the Science to Achieve Results program in “as large an amount as is possible to achieve the most scientifically significant research.”
National Aeronautics & Space Administration
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Science | 5,764.9 | 175.5 |
| Earth Science | 1,921.0 | 0.0 |
| Planetary Science | 1,846.0 | 215.0 |
| Education & Public Outreach | 37.0 | 0.0 |
| Space Technology | 686.5 | 20.0 |
| Additive Manufacturing | 25.0 | |
| Education | 100.0 | -15.0 |
| Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research | 18.0 | |
| Space Grant | 40.0 | |
| Minority University Research & Education | 32.0 | |
| STEM Education & Accountability | 10.0 |
National Science Foundation
NSF received a small change in total funding and level funding for research. A new initiative will provide more than $120 million for new regional research facilities, and another new initiative will enable NSF to specifically support Hispanic Serving Institutions. STEM funding also fared well in the budget, with an additional $48 million across three programs.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Total funding | 7,472.2 | 8.7 |
| Research & Related Activities | 6,033.6 | 0.0 |
| Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research | 160.0 | |
| Major Research Equipment & Facilities Construction | 209.0 | 8.7 |
| Regional Class Research Vessels (3) | 121.9 | 121.9 |
| Education & Human Resources | 880.0 | 0.0 |
| I-Corps | 30.0 | 0.0 |
| Historically Black Colleges & Universities | 35.0 | 0.0 |
| STEM+C | 51.9 | 16.5 |
| Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Population | 46.0 | 0.0 |
| Tribal Colleges & Universities | 14.0 | 0.0 |
| Advanced Informal STEM Learning | 62.5 | 26.25 |
| CyberCorps Scholarships for Service | 55.0 | 5.0 |
| Hispanic Serving Institution | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| National Science Board | 4.4 | 0.0 |
Office of Science & Technology Policy
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Total funding | 5.6 | 0.0 |
Small Business Administration
SBA’s Entrepreneurial Development Programs largely received level funding in 2017.
| Agency / Program | FY 2017 ($mm) |
Change from FY 2016 ($mm) |
| Entrepreneurial Development Programs | 245.1 | 14.0 |
| Regional Innovation Clusters | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Growth Accelerators | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Entrepreneurship Education | 10.0 | 0.0 |
| PRIME Technical Assistance | 5.0 | 0.0 |
| SCORE | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| Small Business Development Centers | 125.0 | 8.0 |
| Veterans Outreach | 12.3 | 0.0 |
| Women’s Business Centers | 18.0 | 1.0 |
| Business Loans Programs | 157.1 | 1.0 |