This week, Congress passed H.R. 1541, a continuing resolution that extends the SBIR program in its current state until July 31, 2009. The extension provides another four-month window for the two chambers to develop a compromise toward full reauthorization.
Many agencies may see Congress passing their annual appropriations bill six months into the fiscal year as worth the wait, given the increases most science, technology and economic development supporting programs experienced. While some budget bump ups are modest, accommodating little more than inflation and Congressional earmarks, others should result in more grants flowing to researchers, universities, small businsses, and TBED organizations.
The enacted budget funds the Department of Agriculture (USDA) at $106 billion for FY09, with increases over FY08 funding for several programs related to TBED. Most of the USDA appropriation, $86.6 billion, is reserved for mandatory spending programs such as food and nutrition assistance and farm commodity programs.
The FY09 enacted budget provides $9.3 billion for the Department of Commerce, up $1.6 billion over FY08. Much of this additional funding will support the 2010 U.S. Census and not TBED-related and research activities.
The FY09 enacted budget provides $9.3 billion for the Department of Commerce, up $1.6 billion over FY08. Much of this additional funding will support the 2010 U.S. Census and not TBED-related and research activities.
The enacted FY09 Appropriations bill authorizes $512 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD) base as well as $66 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) received $3.1 billion, an increase from the 2008 appropriation of $2.95 billion.
The Department of Education's FY09 total budget appropriation is $66.5 billion.
The FY09 education budget includes specialized funding toward a few K-12 math and science programs:
The FY09 budget provides $27 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE), a nine percent increase over the FY08 enactment.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was one of three federal agencies whose budget was enacted in September 2008. Since the department's funding was finalized last year, only minimal funding is provided in the current bill.
The FY09 enacted budget includes $38.6 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a $3 billion increase over the 2008 appropriation. The Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) received $18.1 million for personnel compensation and benefits.
The FY09 omnibus awards $15.3 billion to the Department of Labor, a 4.1 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.
The FY 2009 Department of Transportation's (DOT) total budgetary resources are $67.2 billion. Funding for the NextGen technology is more than doubled, providing $688 million for the transformation from radar-based to satellite-based air traffic systems to help meet the nation's rapidly growing demand for air travel.
The FY09 enacted budget provides $1.16 billion for the Treasury Department, not including the IRS. Though the overall appropriation for the department dropped, TBED-related funding increased.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), received $7.6 billion in FY09, $174 million above the 2008 appropriation. Science and Technology activities, including research and development activities, are funded at $790 million in FY09, $30 million above the FY08 appropriation.
NASA received $17.8 billion in FY09, a 2.2 percent increase from the previous fiscal year's amount of $17.2 billion. It is distributed as follows:
In FY09, the National Science Foundation received $6.49 billion, a 5.9 percent increase of $363 million over FY08. More than three-fourths of the total supports non-defense research and related activities, 13 percent will be for education and human resources, and 2.3 percent of the total is for major research equipment and facilities construction.
Several regional commissions and authorities receive annual federal appropriations for economic improvement activities within specific geographic regions, including the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority and Denali Commission.
The enacted budget sets funding for the Small Business Administration (SBA) at $546.6 million for FY09, excluding funds for the disaster loan program. Most of SBA's capital programs and its contracting and counseling programs have had their appropriations boosted above FY08 levels.
Inconceivable? Unconscionable? Inexcusable? Which word best conveys what is happening to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program? Perhaps all of them. The SBIR program will expire March 20 unless Congress acts before that date.
Several of Gov. Tim Kaine's energy and job creation proposals were included in the approved revisions to Virginia's current two-year budget passed by the General Assembly last month. Lawmakers, faced with a projected $ 3.7 billion deficit, made revisions and incorporated federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to amend the budget.
On Monday, President Obama signed an executive order concerning embryonic stem cell research in addition to signing a presidential memorandum that strengthens the influence of science-based decision making in the executive branch of the federal government.
Savannah's Creative Coast Alliance (TCCa) and the Savannah Economic Development Authority recently announced that they would provide up to one year of free rent for game designers to take up residence at the region's new Game Development and Digital Media Center.
The following overview is a synopsis of select recent announcements from research parks across the nation, including groundbreakings and development plans to support vibrant regional economies based on science, technology and innovation.
The SBA's Office of Advocacy has produced its 2008 Small Business Profiles for every U.S. state, which assembles from a variety of sources the most recently available data across a number of topics.
Lonnie Emard has been named interim director of the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management, a recently formed collaboration of business, academic and economic development organizations intended to build information technology (IT) opportunities in South Carolina.