SSTI Digest

With buy-in from the state and private industry, the University of Wyoming (UW) School of Energy Resources will move forward with plans to build a major new energy and engineering research complex. The recently enacted 2014-16 biennial budget also includes $8 million in support of UW’s efforts to gain “Tier 1” status for the engineering school, matching funds to establish endowed chairs, and $15 million for a test center to study carbon sequestration.

While bragging may not be polite, it can be quite helpful to others. That is, sharing your success with organizations working to achieve similar outcomes can inspire new ideas and provide valuable lessons for replicability. Now in its eighth year, SSTI’s Excellence in TBED awards program has recognized 38 initiatives for impactful, replicable and novel efforts that support high-growth companies and advance regional competitiveness. Please consider sharing your story as part of the 2014 awards program. Open call for applications begins April 16. More info at: http://www.sstiawards.org/. 

Enacted FY14 funding levels are used for comparisons unless otherwise noted.

The administration’s FY15 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is $77.1 billion in discretionary spending, reflecting a 1.6 percent decrease from FY14 enacted funding levels. Discretionary spending accounts for only 7.5 percent of the total proposed HHS budget. Mandatory spending for programs like Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program account for the balance. Total FY14 budget authority for HHS would be $1 trillion (6 percent increase over FY14 enacted).  Through the Opportunity, Growth and Services Initiative (OGSI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would be allocated $970 million to support approximately 650 additional new grants across several initiatives including:

FY14 estimated funding is used for Department of Agriculture funding comparisons, unless otherwise noted.

The president’s FY15 budget request would provide $23.7 billion (12 percent decrease) in discretionary funding for the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The proposed budget would launch three new multidisciplinary agricultural research institutes dedicated to crop science, advanced biobased manufacturing, and anti-microbial resistance research, and double funding for rural broadband access. Through the president’s Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative, additional funding would be provided for natural resource conservation programs and the construction of a new national biosafety research laboratory.

Research, Education, and Economics

USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) agencies would receive a total of $4.1 billion (2 percent increase) under the proposed FY15 budget. These agencies include:

FY14 enacted funding is used for NASA comparisons, unless otherwise noted.

The president’s FY15 budget request for NASA totals $17.5 billion in discretionary funding and prioritizes research and development that has the potential to bolster long-term space exploration. Major priorities of the proposed budget include extending the life of the International Space Station to 2024 and institutionalizing partnerships with the commercial space industry.

The proposed budget would allocate $4.9 million (4 percent decrease) for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, which supports research science, invests in advanced technologies, supports over 90 space missions, and maintains partnerships with a dozen other federal agencies and 60 other nations. Funding would include:

Estimated FY14 funding levels are used for NSF comparisons, unless otherwise noted.

The president’s FY15 budget proposal for the National Science Foundation (NSF) would provide $7.3 billion (1.2 percent increase). Of that amount, $5.8 billion (no change) would be designated for research and related activities, $200.8 million (0.4 percent increase) for R&D facilities and equipment, and $889.8 million (5.2 percent increase) for education and training. The president’s budget proposes three priority goals to improve NSF’s effectiveness and efficiency:

Increase public access to NSF funded peer-reviewed publications; Improve the nation’s capacity in data science; and, Optimize the award process to level workload.

Nearly 90 percent of NSF funding is awarded through a merit review process that includes distribution of grants and cooperative agreements. Key initiatives included in the proposal are:

Enacted FY14 funding is used for comparisons unless otherwise noted.

The administration’s FY15 budget request for the Small Business Administration (SBA) is $710 million, a 7.8 percent decrease from FY14 (not including presidential disaster funding). Of this amount, $47.5 million is for business loan subsidy and $197.8 million is for non-credit programs. Through the Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative the administration also proposes public-private investment funding to support the scaling-up of new advanced manufacturing firms into full-scale commercial production.

Enacted FY14 funding is used for comparisons unless otherwise noted.

The president’s FY15 budget request of $7.9 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reflects a 3.8 percent decrease from FY14 enacted. However, funding for science and technology programs would increase by 0.6 percent under the budget proposal. Priority funding areas for EPA R&D in FY15 include research in potential endocrine disrupting chemicals, human health risk assessment, air quality, sustainable approaches to environmental protection, and safe drinking water.

For Science and Technology (S&T), including R&D activities, the administration requests $763.8 million (0.6 percent increase). Funding for S&T represents 9.7 percent of EPA’s total budget request.

Enacted FY14 funding is used for comparisons unless otherwise noted.

The president’s FY15 budget request for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is $47.7 billion, a 2.6 percent increase. The administration’s Growth, Opportunity and Security Initiative proposes $280 million for HUD to support comprehensive revitalization in high-poverty neighborhoods and for the Promise Zones Initiative.

The Community Development Fund, which includes the Community Development Block Program (CDBG), would receive $2.9 billion (7.4 percent decrease). Of this amount, $2.8 billion (7.6 percent decrease) is for the CDBG formula grant program to assist state and local governments address community and economic development activities.

Enacted FY14 funding is used for comparisons unless otherwise noted.

The administration’s FY15 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is $38.2 billion (2 percent decrease) in non-disaster, net discretionary funding, excluding disaster relief funding. The proposed budget includes funding for major asset acquisitions, including $300 million for completing the construction of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility. The proposed budget also includes $549 million to support the EINSTEIN intrusion, detection, and prevention cybersecurity system.

FY14 enacted is used for Department of Treasury comparisons, unless otherwise noted.

The administration’s FY14 request for the Department of the Treasury’s domestic programs is $13.8 billion (9.2 percent increase). Under the proposed budget, Treasury would continue to fund programs focused on economic development, small business support, and job creation.

The Treasury Department recommends a legislative proposal that would provide $1.5 billion (18.6 percent decrease) for a second round of funding for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to support state-sponsored, public-private partnerships that increase lending, investment, and technical assistance to small businesses and manufacturers. Of that funding, $1 billion would be awarded on a competitive basis to states that target underserved groups and $500 million would be allocated to states according to a need-based formula.

Estimated FY14 funding is used for the Department of Transportation comparisons, unless otherwise noted.

The president’s FY15 budget request for the Department of Transportation (DOT) totals $90.8 billion (25.7 percent increase), including the first installment of $73.6 billion for a $302.3 billion four-year surface transportation reauthorization proposal that would improve U.S. surface transportation systems. DOT would be allocated $865 million to support research and development (R&D) efforts across the department. Several administrations under DOT would see limited change in their R&D budgets. Funding for various research and development initiatives include: