SCIENCE RESOURCES STATISTICS $25,700,000

The FY 2003 Budget Request for the Science Resources Statistics (SRS) Subactivity is $25.70 million, an increase of $9.52 million, or 58.8 percent, from the FY 2002 Current Plan of $16.18 million.

(Millions of Dollars)

The legislative mandate for the Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS), as stated in the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, is, "...to provide a central clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on scientific and engineering resources and to provide a source of information for policy formulation by other agencies of the federal Government...." To meet this mandate, SRS provides policymakers, researchers, and other decision makers with high quality data and analysis for making informed decisions about the nation's science, engineering, and technology enterprise. The work of SRS involves survey development, data collection, analysis, information compilation, dissemination, and customer service to meet the statistical demands of a diverse user community, as well as preparation of the Science and Engineering Indicators and Women and Minorities and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering biennial reports.

SRS continues to make improvements in the relevance and quality of its products. Priorities for FY 2003 reflect efforts to implement prior efforts to improve the quality, relevance, and accessibility of SRS products and to continue to redesign major components of SRS data collections and implement such redesigns.

• Every decade a redesign of the samples and surveys used to collect data on the scientific and engineering workforce is necessary to reflect the results of the Decennial Census. Extensive redesign activities were conducted in FYs 2000, 2001, and 2002. Implementation of the redesign began in FY 2002. During FY 2003, SRS will continue implementation of the redesign, culminating in the collection of data from the National Survey of College Graduates in calendar year 2003. This activity requires additional funding of $8.50 million in both FY 2003 and in FY 2004, so that the postcensal redesign and data collection can be implemented.
  
  
• In FY 2002, SRS undertook a redesign of the Science and Engineering Research Facilities Survey. In FY 2003, that redesign will be implemented in the 2003 data collection to provide high quality, customer-relevant data on a timely basis.
  
  
• During FY 2002, SRS engaged in activities to redesign the Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology. This redesign was undertaken in order to enhance the relevance and quality of the data to collect and to identify additional approaches to gather information on this topic. This survey constitutes an important chapter in Science and Engineering Indicators. In FY 2003, SRS will gather information from alternative sources identified during FY 2002, and it will continue redesign activities.
  
  
• During FY 2002, initial efforts were directed at improving and redesigning the Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges and the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering. Those efforts will continue in FY 2003, with components implemented into 2003 calendar year data-collection efforts where feasible.
  
  
• In FY 2003, SRS will continue to conduct of all its other surveys and analytical activities that produce the information for carrying out the NSF statutory mandate, for meeting the Tools strategic outcome goal of "development of information and ... analyses that contribute to the effective use of science and engineering resources," and for developing Science and Engineering Indicators and Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering.