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The FY 2002 Budget Request for the Bioengineering
& Environmental Systems Subactivity is $38.45 million, a decrease
of $760,000, or 1.9 percent, below the FY 2001 Current Plan of $39.21
million.
(Millions of Dollars)
|
FY 2000 Actual |
FY 2000
Current Plan |
FY 2002 Request |
Change |
Amount |
Percent |
Bioengineering and Environmental Systems |
34.20
|
39.21
|
38.45
|
-0.76
|
-1.9%
|
Total, BES |
$34.20
|
$39.21
|
$38.45
|
-$0.76
|
-1.9%
|
The Bioengineering & Environmental Systems (BES)
Subactivity supports research and education in the rapidly evolving
fields of bioengineering and environmental engineering. One objective
is to enable and facilitate the deployment of new technologies in
these fields in service to society for use in the medical, biotechnology,
and environmental arenas. Another objective is to advance bioengineering
and environmental engineering education, particularly through the
development of innovative programs by new faculty. BES focuses on
these objectives through three programmatic clusters: (1) Biochemical
Engineering/Biotechnology (BEB) supported at $14.5 million, (2)
Biomedical Engineering and Research to Aid Persons with Disabilities
(BME/RAPD) supported at $13.3 million, and (3) Environmental Engineering
and Technology (EET) supported at a level of $10.6 million. Current
BES high-emphasis research areas include tissue engineering, metabolic
engineering, post-genomic engineering, nanobiotechnology, biophotonics,
environmentally benign manufacturing, and phytoremediation. These
high-emphasis research areas are built on a continuing base that
includes biomaterials, biomechanics, controlled release, bioimaging,
biosensors, medical devices and instrumentation, artificial organs,
therapeutic agent bioprocessing, industrial bioproducts bioprocessing,
bioremediation, ecological engineering, water and waste treatment,
biomining, food engineering, and ocean engineering.
Within the U.S. and international research communities,
BES has played a key role in catalyzing the start-up and development
of highly promising new cutting edge bioengineering and environmental
engineering research fields, such as tissue engineering and metabolic
engineering. BES has also led the formation of interagency coordination
and collaboration partnerships in these fields, including the Multi-Agency
Tissue Engineering Science (MATES) working group (http://tissueengineering.gov)
and the Metabolic Engineering Working Group (http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/metabolic/index.htm).
The NSF/DARPA/NIH Biophotonics Partnership (http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf0130)
is another joint effort initiated by BES.
A major portion of the research and education funded
through BES is built on the output from ongoing revolutionary developments
in the biological and information sciences. For example, genomics
is an entirely new resource for a wealth of information that will
enable important engineering advances in the medical, biotechnology,
and environmental arenas, all within the scope of BES. These engineering
advances will result in direct and significant improvements in the
health and environmental welfare of society.
The budget request of $38.45 million will support
the high-emphasis research areas listed above and other core research.
In addition, $2.17 million will be redirected to:
Increase support for ultra-high-capacity optical
communications and networking technologies by $500,000 for a total
of $1.0 million, with particular emphasis on telemedicine and
potentials for enhancing homecare.
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