NSF Requests 20 Percent Hike for Mathematics and Science for FY 2009

February 6, 2008

The National Science Foundation is seeking a 13.6 percent budget increase--to $6.85 billion--to fund the country's academic research in the physical sciences.

More specifically, the NSF anticipates a 20 percent hike to fund research in mathematics, the physical sciences, engineering, and computer science. In addition, the foundation has budgeted for a 25 percent increase in the number of graduate research fellowships--to 3075--which would represent a 9 percent increase in the $725 million allocated for the education directorate in fiscal year 2008.

At the same time, the present $11 million undergraduate scholarship program, which aims to entice science and mathematics majors to become teachers, would see an increase in funding of about $1 million. That's despite a reauthorization of NSF's program signed into law last summer, which had called for a 10-fold increase in the program.

Source: Science (February 1, 2008)