The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare, secure the national defense, and for other purposes. NSF is unique in carrying out its mission by supporting research across all fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and at all levels of STEM education. NSF investments contribute significantly to the economic and national security interests of the nation, and development of a future-focused science and engineering workforce that draws on the talents of all Americans resulting in the creation of new businesses, new jobs, and more exports.
Over the past 72 years, NSF has funded research and researchers, innovations and innovators, and world-class infrastructure that has garnered incredible benefits to the nation. The Internet, 3D printing, and CRISPR technologies that enable everything from the development of COVID-19 vaccines to climate- and disease-resistant crops are all examples of the outcomes and benefits of NSF investments. Many of the technologies and industries that are the drivers of national competitiveness today—artificial intelligence, quantum information science, advanced manufacturing, and advanced wireless and biotechnology, to name a few—are rooted in NSF support, over the course of multiple decades in many cases, for research at the frontiers of science and engineering.
Since the end of World War II, the United States has been the global leader in science, engineering, and technology due to the vision of leaders like Vannevar Bush and sustained investment by the federal government. The decision to make long-term investments in basic research was not just a decision to make science and engineering a priority alongside the economy, national defense, and national health—what we have learned is that these investments are an engine that strengthens each of these national priorities.
Today, we are facing challenges to that leadership as other nations seek to replicate our success, especially to control the future of technologies. According to the 2022 Science and Engineering Indicators report, “The State of U.S. Science and Engineering,” published by the National Science Board and prepared by NSF’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, while the United States remains the world leader in global research and development, the rate of growth of research and development and science and technology capabilities by other countries, including China, has outpaced that of the United States in recent years.
The President’s FY 2023 Budget Request of $10.5 billion for NSF makes historic investments in each of these areas. By seeding strategic investments, NSF explores the frontiers of discovery and innovation, and makes possible breakthroughs and advances that place the United States at the forefront of global leadership in science and technology. With the continued support of Congress, NSF has been able to sustain support for high-risk, high-reward research that produces incredible benefit for the American people.
For example, more than four decades of NSF investment preceded the detection of gravitational waves from merging black holes billions of light years from Earth. This discovery was groundbreaking, with the lead researchers winning a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017. To achieve this feat, they had to develop and refine new equipment and technologies to achieve their goals—and the development of these ultra-sensitive sensors and precision detection techniques they are pursuing today could very well prove to have incredible impacts on our everyday lives in the form of transformative future technologies, like quantum sensor technology.
Curiosity-driven research has proven to be an engine of economic growth. Since its inception, NSF has been a foundation for the industries of the future. Each year, thousands of researchers expand the base of human knowledge and, in doing so, unlock new possibilities. They have built autonomous vehicles; revolutionized our wireless networks; developed life-saving medical technologies; transformed manufacturing; and brought digital tools to agriculture, transportation, and education.
The President’s FY 2023 Budget Request includes $9.8 billion, an increase of $1.6 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level, to support research across the spectrum of science, engineering, and technology, including biological sciences; computer and information sciences; engineering; geosciences; math and physical sciences; social, behavioral, and economic sciences; and STEM education. With this additional funding, NSF will continue to be the champion of the fundamental research that is strengthening our science and engineering enterprise at speed and scale.
Within the request are key priority areas where NSF plays a leading role in addressing issues of national importance. For example, the request includes funding to accelerate climate research, increasing our understanding of the impacts of climate change and developing corresponding solutions. NSF has been investing in fundamental research at the heart of global climate issues for several decades. Long-term, continuous, and consistent observational records are a cornerstone of global climate science and resilience research. NSF supports a variety of research observation networks that complement, and are dependent on, the climate monitoring systems maintained by our federal partners. The results of NSF investments have helped us understand climatic phenomena, and helped communities design mitigation strategies, strengthen adaptation capabilities, and build more resilient communities.
