|
The FY 2002 Budget Request for
Engineering is $431.05 million, an increase of $210,000, similar
to the FY 2001 Current Plan of $430.84 million.
(Millions of Dollars)
The Engineering Activity (ENG) supports fundamental
research on engineering systems, devices, and materials, and the
processes and methodologies that underpin them. ENG investments
contribute to technological innovation that is vital to the nation's
future economic strength, security, and the quality of life of its
citizens. A major focus of the Activity's investments is in emerging
technologies--microsystems and nanotechnology, information technology
and biotechnology. Support for research in these areas contributes
to major advances in health care, manufacturing, business, education,
and the service industry.
People are ENG's most important product. Across its
programs, ENG provides support for 11,465 people, including students,
researchers, post-doctorates, and trainees. Support for programs
specifically addressing NSF's Strategic Goals of "People -
A diverse, internationally competitive and globally-engaged workforce
of scientists, engineers and well-prepared citizens" totals
over $69 million in FY 2002, an increase of about 2.0 percent over
FY 2001. Moreover, about 41 percent of the funding for research
grants - an amount approaching $146 million in FY 2002 - provides
support for researchers and students, including more than 6,600
post-doctorates, trainees, and graduate and undergraduate students.
ENG research grants to U.S. colleges and universities provide significant
education and training opportunities for students. ENG also invests
in focused human resources development and education activities
to develop the next generation engineering and technological workforce
and to enhance opportunities for women and minorities. In FY 2002,
ENG will provide support for these focused activities including
Faculty Early Career Development, Research Experiences for Undergraduates,
Graduate Research Fellowships for Women in Engineering, and Integrative
Graduate Education and Research Traineeships.
Students also benefit from ENG-supported partnerships
with industry and from ENG-supported centers.
ENG promotes partnerships with industry through the
Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) program,
the Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) and Groups program and the
Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRC) program.
These partnerships give students an opportunity to interact with
industrial researchers and to gain exposure to industrial operations.
At ENG-supported centers, students participate in multi-disciplinary
research teams and contribute to the development of new technologies.
In FY 2000, the ERCs produced eleven new patents and the I/UCRCs
produced eleven software copyrights and eight patents. ENG also
plays a major role in providing support to enhance industrial innovation
through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and
the Small Business Technology Transfer program (STTR).
Overall, NSF provides about 36 percent of the total
federal support for fundamental engineering research and education
at U.S. universities and colleges. This sustained investment is
significant, and over time will lead to better-trained and educated
engineers, new and emerging industrial technologies, and a more
diverse and robust engineering community.
While funding for the ENG Activity increases only
marginally in FY 2002, reallocation within the ENG base will permit
enhanced support for research and education efforts related to the
Foundation priorities and areas of promise within research and education.
In accord with NSF's FY 2002 Performance Plan, ENG
will continue to increase award size. This effort will contribute
to increasing the efficiency of the Foundation's merit review process
and achieve greater cost-effectiveness for both NSF and the university
community.
ENG actively participates in and contributes to the
Foundation's four priority areas: Biocomplexity in the Environment,
Information Technology Research, Nanoscale Science and Engineering,
and Learning for the 21st Century.
Biocomplexity in the Environment (BE): In
FY 2002, ENG will provide a total of $3.69 million to the Biocomplexity
in the Environment priority area, a $1.0 million increase over FY
2001. Half of this amount will support the central competition,
and the other half will support research on emerging strategic environmental
technologies such as product/process life-cycle assessment research,
remanufacturing, and materials use science and engineering.
Information Technology Research (ITR): ENG
will provide $9.17 million for ITR in FY 2002. Areas for special
emphasis within ITR in FY 2002 include:
-
Computational simulation and modeling of complex
materials, structures and processes.
-
Research focused on developing high end computing
tools to accelerate the design of next generation IT manufacturing
techniques in areas such as photonic crystals, optical and electronic
switching devices, sensors and detectors.
In addition to ITR, ENG supports a broad range of
other IT-related activities including new physical bases for IT
such as quantum computing and molecular logic, domain-specific software,
IT for the service sector, modeling and simulation, and real-time
sensing and control.
Nanoscale Science and Engineering: ENG will
provide $70.30 million for Nanoscale Science and Engineering activities,
an increase of $15.03 million over FY 2001. ENG will support comprehensive
research on nanotechnology, an increment of $10.02 million, for
functional nanostructures, processing and fabrication of nanostructured
materials, new devices and architectures, tools for investigation
at nanoscale, and technologies with applications ranging from biology
to environmental sensing.
ENG, together with the Mathematical and Physical
Sciences Activity, will also provide support in FY 2002 for Nanotechnology
Experimentation and Testing Facilities (NEXT). ENG will provide
funding of $5.01 million for these new nanotechnology infrastructure
facilities to bridge the gap between nanotechnology research and
the development of commercial products using nanotechnology. NEXT
will include facilities for synthesis, nano-bio, nano-imprint, nano-imaging
and metrology and measurement facilities. These facilities will
address issues relating to properties at the nanoscale, system architecture
and integration and parameters for process optimization and robust
manufacturing.
The requested funds will provide expansion of research
in the following areas:
-
Multiscale, multiphenomena modeling and simulation
at nanoscale to improve basic understanding and to develop new
device and system architecture;
-
Research and infrastructure to enable applications
of advanced materials, catalysts, computing and communications,
sensors, nanomechanics, and biotechnology;
-
Development of tools and technologies to assemble
nano-size components into functional structures for use in information
technologies, chemical processes, manufacturing at nanoscale,
sensors for environmental remote monitoring, and other areas;
-
Exploration of basic principles and methodologies
in quantum computing and communications to set the foundation
for a new paradigm of computation and information technologies;
-
Research infrastructure facilities to address
issues of the scale-up of nanostructures, characterization,
new modeling and simulation techniques, the development of new
instrumentation beyond the state-of-the-art, device fabrication
and testing for manufacturing methods;
-
Exploratory research at the confluence of bioengineering,
information technology and nanoscale engineering; and
-
Curriculum development in nanotechnology to
provide the workforce needed for U.S. industry to successfully
compete in the global economy.
Learning for the 21st Century: As part of
the Foundation's Learning for the 21st Century priority area, ENG
will continue to provide $2.0 million to support the Interagency
Education Research Initiative (IERI). ENG will also provide an additional
$700,000 to support the Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education
(GK-12) program for a total of $1.40 million.
STRATEGIC GOALS
ENG's support for ongoing and new activities contributes
as follows to NSF efforts to achieve its strategic goals, as well
as to the administration and management necessary to achieve those
goals.
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2001
Estimate |
FY 2002
Estimate |
Percent
Change |
People |
68.16 |
69.45 |
1.9% |
Ideas |
352.75 |
351.67 |
-0.3% |
Tools |
2.80 |
2.80 |
0.0% |
Administration and Management1
|
7.13 |
7.13 |
0.0% |
Total, ENG |
$430.84 |
$431.05 |
0.0% |
People
ENG invests in workforce development through focused
programs designed to increase the knowledge and skill base of future
engineers and to promote the natural connections between learning
and discovery. The portfolio of activities supporting this goal
spans undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral education and lifelong
learning. The purpose is to produce engineering graduates who will
be leaders in currently emerging technology areas and position these
graduates to push the frontiers of technology.
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2001
Estimate |
FY 2002
Estimate |
Percent
Change |
Undergraduate |
26.98 |
24.88 |
-7.8% |
Graduate and Professional |
41.18 |
44.57 |
8.2% |
Total, ENG |
$68.16 |
$69.45 |
1.9% |
The FY 2002 request is $69.45 million, a $1.29 million
increase over FY 2001. This funding will provide support for activities
including:
-
$1.40 million, an increase of $700,000 over
FY 2001, to enhance support for the Graduate Teaching Fellows
in K-12 Education (GK-12) program.
-
$10.08 million, a reduction of $4.77 million
from FY 2001, to support innovations in undergraduate engineering
education. The FY 2002 request reflects the planned phase out
of the existing Engineering Education Coalitions (EEC); support
for the remaining coalitions will be decreased as they approach
the end of their NSF awards. Special attention will be given
to institutionalizing successful educational innovations that
have resulted from this investment. Smaller scale projects to
integrate advanced technology research into the curriculum will
also be supported.
-
ENG will provide $9.71 million for the REU sites
program, a $2.01 million increase over FY 2001, related to research
in nanotechnology.
-
As part of the REU sites program, ENG will allocate
$1.0 million to establish Research Experiences for Teachers
(RET) sites. These sites will provide opportunities for approximately
50 K-12 teachers over three years to participate in research
in advanced technology at engineering universities during the
summer and the academic year. This effort will permit K-12 teachers
to address issues concerning emerging technologies in K-12 education,
augmenting the capabilities of the Learning for the 21st Century
priority area.
-
$7.66 million for graduate fellowships and traineeships,
including $3.86 million, to support the Integrative Graduate
Education and Research Training (IGERT) program and $3.80 million
to provide fellowships for women graduate students to pursue
doctoral studies in engineering through the Graduate Research
Fellowships (GRF) program.
-
$1.78 million for professional development to
support ADVANCE, to further the participation of women in science
and engineering, an $800,000 increase over FY 2001.
Ideas
In FY 2002, support for discovery across the frontiers
of science and engineering decreases by $1.08 million to $351.67
million. These funds enable ENG to continue its support for fundamental
research in the engineering disciplines and to enhance funding for
research in promising areas such as information technology, nanotechnology,
biotechnology, and microelectronics. Funds will be redirected through
targeted reductions within existing mature research activities that
are expected to be less promising in the future.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program,
which will be funded at a level of $70.65 million, provides funding
at the mandated level of 2.5 percent of extramural research, as
required by P.L. 102-564. The program emphasizes commercialization
of research results at small business enterprises through the support
of high quality research across the entire spectrum of NSF disciplines.
Recent improvements to the SBIR program include redefinition of
research topics to address significant technologies and more emphasis
on "commercialization potential" in the SBIR review process.
In FY 2002, ENG will provide $4.18 million, level
with FY 2001, for the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)
program, which partners small businesses with academic institutions
to promote industrial innovation.
Total ENG support for the National Earthquake Hazards
Reduction (NEHRP) program is $48.09 million, including support for
fundamental research that leads to more earthquake-resistant buildings
and facilities. Foundation-wide, support for NEHRP in FY 2002 is
$59.99 million, including $11.90 million in the Geosciences Activity.
In addition, there is $24.40 million in the Major Research Equipment
Account for the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES).
ENG also provides funding for university-based centers
that facilitate the development of new knowledge and technology.
These centers share several important characteristics: a unifying
long-term, coordinated approach to complex engineering problems,
an emphasis on partnerships and knowledge transfer linkages with
industry, and significant educational and outreach programs aimed
at integrating education and research.
In FY 2000, three Engineering Research Centers (ERC)
graduated. These were the Interfacial Engineering Center at the
University of Minnesota, the Electronic Materials Processing ERC
at North Carolina State, and the Offshore Structures ERC at Texas
A&M/Texas-Austin.
In FY 2000, two ERCs were made. They were the Wireless
Integrated Microsystems ERC at the University of Michigan that will
focus on wireless MEMS cochlear implants and environmental pollutant
sensing and the ERC for Subsurface Sensing and Sensing Systems at
Northeastern University that will focus on sensing and imaging of
subcutaneous, subterranean, and under the sea environments.
In FY 2001, three ERC graduated. These were the Data
Storage Systems Center at Carnegie Mellon, the ERC for Computational
Field Simulation at Mississippi State, and the ERC for Biofilm Engineering
at Montana State.
In FY 2002, no ERCs will graduate.
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2001 Estimate |
FY 2002 Estimate |
Percent Change |
Engineering Research Centers &
Groups |
62.81 |
62.32 |
-0.8% |
Earthquake Engineering Research
Centers |
5.99 |
5.99 |
0.0% |
Industry/University Cooperative
Research Centers |
5.18 |
5.18 |
0.0% |
State/Industry/University Cooperative
Research Centers |
0.90 |
0.90 |
0.0% |
Total, ENG Centers |
$74.88 |
$74.39 |
-0.7% |
The FY 2002 Budget Request includes:
-
A total of $62.32 million, a decrease of $490,000
from FY 2001, to support a steady state of 22-23 university-based
Engineering Research Centers (ERC) and a number of groups. NSF
provides about 30 percent of the total support to the centers,
with the remaining funding support coming from industry, other
Federal agencies, universities, and the states.
-
$5.99 million to support three earthquake engineering
research centers at approximately $2.0 million each per year
to provide knowledge to mitigate damage to the built environment;
provide outreach to the private, educational, and government
sectors; and educate professionals for cross-disciplinary careers.
-
$5.18 million for Industry/University Cooperative
Research Centers (I/UCRC) and $900,000 for the State I/UCRCs.
The I/UCRC program as a whole will support about 55 I/UCRCs
and three State I/UCRCs. These highly leveraged centers form
close-knit partnerships with their industrial members.
Tools
ENG continues to coordinate NSF support for the National
Nanofabrication Users Network (NNUN), a network of five university
user facilities that offer advanced nano- and micro-fabrication
capabilities to researchers in all fields. In FY 2002, ENG will
maintain support for NNUN at $2.8 million. NNUN has had a significant
impact on the quantity and quality of research in micro- and nanostructures,
serving users from 29 states and seven foreign countries. Over 600
projects and over 1,000 users have benefited from the use of NNUN
facilities in the past four and a half years. In addition, hundreds
of graduate students and dozens of undergraduate students have had
opportunities to work in the state-of-the-art facilities gaining
invaluable research experience. Support is also provided from NSF's
Biological Sciences and Mathematical and Physical Sciences Activities.
NNUN is part of an overall thrust in nanotechnology
that focuses research on the control of properties at the atomic/molecular
level, their assembly into nanostructured materials, and utilization
of the improved materials as building blocks for engineering applications,
such as thin films and coatings, advanced chemical catalysts, artificial
biomaterials, and novel optoelectronic devices.
Within the Major Research Equipment (MRE) account,
$24.40 million is requested to continue the Network for Earthquake
Engineering Simulation (NEES), a project to construct, upgrade,
network and integrate a complete system of test facilities in earthquake
engineering. For additional information on this project, see the
Major Research Equipment section.
Administration and Management
Administration and Management provides for administrative
activities necessary to enable NSF to achieve its strategic goals.
This includes the cost of Intergovernmental Personnel Act appointments
and contractors performing administrative functions.
Number of People Involved in ENG Activities
|
FY 2000
Actual |
FY 2001
Estimate |
FY 2002
Estimate |
Senior Researchers |
3,892 |
3,900 |
3,875 |
Other Professionals |
711 |
700 |
700 |
Postdoctorates |
362 |
400 |
400 |
Graduate Students |
3,578 |
4,200 |
4,175 |
Undergraduate Students |
1,800 |
2,100 |
2,100 |
K-12 Students |
100 |
100 |
100 |
K-12 Teachers |
100 |
100 |
115 |
Total Number of People |
10,543 |
11,500 |
11,465 |
ENG Funding Profile
|
FY 2000
Actual |
FY 2001
Estimate |
FY 2002
Estimate |
Number of Requests for Funding |
7,466 |
7,600 |
8,400 |
Dollars Requested (in thousands) |
$2,086,666 |
2300000 |
2800000 |
Total Number of Awards |
2,933 |
2,950 |
2,950 |
Statistics for Competitive Awards: |
|
|
|
Number |
1,532 |
1,550 |
1,525 |
Funding Rate |
25% |
25% |
25% |
Median Annualized
Award Size1 |
$76,285 |
$77,000 |
$77,000 |
Average Annualized
Award Size1 |
$88,396 |
$91,000 |
$93,000 |
Average Duration
(yrs.)1,2 |
2.6 |
2.7 |
2.8 |
|