Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2021
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2021 Updated December 17, 2020 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R46341 SUMMARY R46341 Federal Research and Development (R&D) December 17, 2020 Funding: FY2021 John F. Sargent Jr., President Trump’s budget request for FY2021 includes approximately $142.2 billion for research Coordinator and development (R&D) for FY2021, $13.8 billion (8.8%) below the FY2020 enacted level of Specialist in Science and $156.0 billion. In constant FY2020 dollars, the President’s FY2021 R&D request would result in Technology Policy a decrease of $16.6 billion (10.6%) from the FY2020 level. In 2017, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) adopted a change to the definition of development, applying a more narrow treatment that it describes as “experimental development.” This change was intended to harmonize the reporting of U.S. R&D funding data with the approach used by other nations. The new definition is used in this report. Federal Research and Development Funding for R&D is concentrated in a few departments and agencies. Funding, FY2019-FY2021 In FY2020, five federal agencies received 93.2% of total federal R&D In billions of dollars funding, with the Department of Defense (DOD, 41.4%) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, 26.2%) combined accounting for more than two-thirds of all federal R&D funding. In the FY2021 request, the top five R&D agencies would account for 93.8%, with DOD accounting for 42.1% and HHS for 26.6%. Under the President’s FY2021 budget request, nearly all federal agencies would see their R&D funding decline relative to FY2020. The only exception is the Department of Veterans Affairs, which would increase by $38 million (2.9%) in FY2021 to $1.351 billion. The largest dollar reductions in R&D funding would be made to the DOD (down $4.713 billion), the Department of Energy (down $3.168 billion), and HHS (down $2.843 billion). The largest percentage declines in R&D funding would be at the Department of Transportation (down 47.6%), the Environmental Protection Agency (down 35.4%), and Department of the Interior (down 25.5%) Source: CRS analysis of data from OMB, Analytical The President’s FY2021 budget request would reduce funding for basic Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, research by $2.822 billion (6.5%), applied research by $5.125 billion Fiscal Year 2021, Research and Development, (11.7%), development by $3.466 billion (5.5%), and facilities and February 10, 2020. equipment by $2.375 billion (39.6%). Several multiagency R&D initiatives continue under the President’s FY2021 budget. Some activities supporting these initiatives are discussed in agency budget justifications and are reported in the agency analyses in this report. However, comprehensive aggregate budget information on these initiatives will likely not be available until budget supplements for each are released later in the year. The request represents the President’s R&D priorities. Congress may opt to agree with none, part, or all of the request, and it may express different priorities through the appropriations process. As of the date of this report, the House has passed 10 of the 12 regular annual appropriations acts through the use of two consolidated bills, H.R. 7608 and H.R. 7617; the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act is the only appropriations act that includes R&D that the House has not yet passed. The Senate had not passed an appropriations act, but on November 11, 2020, the Senate Committee on Appropriations posted all 12 of the FY2021 appropriations acts on its webpage. Though not passed by the Senate, these bills were presented by the Senate Majority Leader as a basis for discussions and negotiation with the House. In recent years, Congress has completed the annual appropriations process after the start of the fiscal year. On September 30, 2020, Congress passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (P.L. 116-159) that, among other things, provides funding for most federal agencies through December 12, 2020. Completing the process after the start of the fiscal year and the accompanying use of continuing resolutions can affect agencies’ execution of their R&D budgets, including the delay or cancellation of planned R&D activities and acquisition of R&D-related equipment. Congressional Research Service Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2021 Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 The President’s FY2021 Budget Request ........................................................................................ 3 Federal R&D Funding Perspectives ................................................................................................ 3 Federal R&D by Agency ........................................................................................................... 3 Federal R&D by Character of Work, Facilities, and Equipment ............................................... 5 Federal Role in U.S. R&D by Character of Work ..................................................................... 5 Federal R&D by Agency and Character of Work Combined .................................................... 6 Multiagency R&D Initiatives .......................................................................................................... 7 Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program (NITRD) ................................................................................................................................. 8 U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) ................................................................. 9 National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) ............................................................................. 10 Other Highlighted R&D in the President’s FY2021 Budget .................................................... 11 Science and Technology Supporting the “Industries of the Future” .................................. 11 National Security .............................................................................................................. 13 FY2020 Appropriations Status ...................................................................................................... 13 Department of Defense .................................................................................................................. 15 Department of Health and Human Services .................................................................................. 20 National Institutes of Health ................................................................................................... 20 Department of Energy ................................................................................................................... 28 National Aeronautics and Space Administration ........................................................................... 31 National Science Foundation ......................................................................................................... 35 Department of Agriculture ............................................................................................................. 40 Agricultural Research Service ................................................................................................. 41 National Institute of Food and Agriculture ............................................................................. 42 National Agricultural Statistics Service .................................................................................. 43 Economic Research Service .................................................................................................... 44 Office of the REE Under Secretary and Office of the Chief Scientist .................................... 44 Department of Commerce ............................................................................................................. 46 National Institute of Standards and Technology ..................................................................... 46 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ................................................................ 50 Department of Veterans Affairs ..................................................................................................... 53 Department of Transportation........................................................................................................ 57 Federal Aviation Administration ............................................................................................. 57 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ................................................................... 58 Other DOT Components ......................................................................................................... 58 Department of the Interior ............................................................................................................. 59 U.S. Geological Survey ........................................................................................................... 60 Other DOI Components .......................................................................................................... 60 Department of Homeland Security ................................................................................................ 61 Environmental Protection Agency ................................................................................................