President’s Budget Requests 22 Percent Boost for NIST Core Programs

A new NIST initiative is intended to develop tools for measuring the health, safety, and environmental impacts of nanomaterials. Shown here is a carbon nanotube on the hair of an ant's leg. Credit: NIST View hi-resolution image

President George W. Bush’s fiscal year (FY) 2009 budget proposal for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) includes $634 million for core research and facilities programs, a 22 percent increase (excluding congressionally directed grants) over the FY 2008 appropriations for these programs.

“This budget continues the Administration’s commitment to work toward a doubling of NIST’s core budget by 2016 as called for in the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) and authorized through 2010 by the America COMPETES Act,” said James M. Turner, acting director of NIST.

The total request of $638 million for NIST is divided into three appropriations:

• Scientific and Technical Research and Services (STRS), $535 million—this category includes $526.5 million for NIST laboratory research and $8.5 million for the Baldrige National Quality Program.
• Construction of Research Facilities (CRF), $99 million.
• Industrial Technology Services (ITS), $4 million.

The proposed NIST research budget would add four new R&D initiatives: Nanotechnology: Environment, Health and Safety Measurements & Standards (+$12 million); Measurements and Standards to Accelerate Innovation in the Biosciences (+$10 million); Comprehensive National Cyber Security Initiative: Leap-Ahead Security Technologies (+$5 million) and Going at Light Speed: Optical Communications and Computing (+$5.8 million).

In addition, the request includes an additional $2 million for the ongoing expansion of the NIST Center for Neutron Research, plus $36.3 million for another nine initiatives previously described in the FY 2008 budget, including the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, and research programs on quantum information science, nanotechnology, measurements and standards for the climate change science, innovations in measurement science, disaster-resilient structures, hydrogen fuel, biometrics and manufacturing supply chain integration.

The research facilities budget includes construction initiatives that would fund a limited expansion of JILA, a joint institute of the University of Colorado and NIST,  adding 4,610 square meters (49,600 square feet) of new office and laboratory space (+$13 million), and completing laboratory renovations at NIST’s Boulder Colo. campus (+$43.5 million).

For full details of the NIST FY2009 budget request, see www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/budget_2009.htm.