The latest Department of Defense-led manufacturing innovation institutes will support cutting-edge research and product development in lightweight and modern metals and digital manufacturing and design. A consortium of 73 companies, nonprofits and universities will help launch the Chicago-based institute. The Detroit-area based consortium involves 60 partners.

The Department of Labor announced it will commit up to $150 million to the Ready to Work Partnership grant competition — a program that supports and scales innovative  public-private partnerships to build a pipeline of talented U.S. workers in middle- and high-skill jobs.

The president’s FY15 budget request for the Department of Commerce (DOC) totals $8.8 billion in discretionary funding (6.9 percent increase over FY14 enacted), with increased funding for most agencies and programs related to research, technology transfer, advanced manufacturing and regional economic development. The department would play a key role in the administration’s Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative (OGSI), managing the planned expansion of the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) to include 45 institutes over the next 10 years.

The administration’s FY15 budget request in discretionary funding for the Department of Energy (DOE) is $27.9 billion (1 percent decrease from FY14), of which $12.3 billion would support R&D (8.4 percent increase) and $4.2 billion would support investment in the Department’s applied energy sector programs to drive an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy sector innovation. The proposed budget would provide substantial increases for funding advanced manufacturing and clean energy R&D.

The FY15 budget request for the Department of Defense (DOD) would provide $495.6 billion (0.1 percent decrease) in discretionary base funding. DOD is proposing a strategic rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region as the war in Afghanistan nears an end, while also maintaining a military presence and engagement with allies and partners in the greater Middle East. The budget supports this adjustment and makes strategic investments in areas identified as priorities, such as increasing security challenges and opportunities in cyberspace, continuing to invest in R&D to feed innovation in both the military and civilian sectors, and combating terrorism.

The FY15 budget request for the Department of Education (ED) totals $68.6 billion (1.9 percent increase) in total discretionary funding. An overhaul of P-12 STEM education programs and a ConnectED initiative providing next-generation broadband and high-speed wireless network support to students and teachers are among the new proposals.

The administration’s FY15 budget request for the Department of the Interior (DOI) would provide $11.7 billion (0.3 percent increase) in discretionary funding. DOI would receive $888.7 million (7.3 percent increase) for research and development activities. Of the proposed R&D budget, $94.8 million (3.5 percent increase) would be allocated to DOI’s Powering Our Future initiative, which supports renewable energy projects on federal lands and waters.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) would receive $27.4 billion in FY15 discretionary funding under the president’s budget request, a 0.4 percent increase.

The president’s FY15 budget would provide $11.8 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Labor (DOL), a 1.9 percent decrease from FY14 enacted levels. In addition, the administration’s Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative (OGSI) would provide $2.4 billion not accounted for in the departmental budget to expand the agency’s workforce training and apprenticeship programs. Most DOL programs related to high-tech and manufacturing industries reside within the department’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA), which would receive $3.3 billion (3.4 percent increase).

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:

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 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.

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 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.

The administration’s FY15 budget request for the Small Business Administration (SBA) is $710 million. 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.

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. Nearly 90 percent of NSF funding is awarded through a merit review process that includes distribution of grants and cooperative agreements.

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 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.

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).

A report from authors Samantha Bradley, Christopher S. Hayter, and Albert N. Link explores the burgeoning role of proof-of-concept centers (PoCC) in supporting the country's innovation infrastructure. The report suggests that shifting dynamics in the global economy will continue to increase the importance of PoCCs in supporting regional innovation and national competitiveness.

While public debate rages over the role of surveillance in our society, one particularly infamous government surveillance technology, drones, is being prepared for private sector deployment in the U.S. Drone-related technologies are predicted to revolutionize commerce in the U.S., with industry projections valuing their initial deployment as an $82 billion boost to the national economy.

Earlier this month, President Obama announced plans to expand broadband and wireless Internet access to every school and library in the U.S. The new initiative, ConnectEd, has a goal of connecting 99 percent of students to the Internet within five years by having the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) modernize and leverage its existing E-Rate program. The president claimed that millions of students lack access to high-speed broadband and fewer than 20 percent of educators say that their school's internet connection meets their needs, particularly those in rural America.

Between FY03-11, the U.S. Department of Treasury's Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFI) Fund supported $26.4 billion in private investment through the New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) program, according to data released by the fund. The CDFI Fund helps economically distressed communities leverage private investment capital by offering investors a federal tax credit.