NSF 2007 budget request

NSF 2007 budget request is up at OMB

Nano up 8.6% - 50 new university and lab teams. Hm, they got about $30 million extra, so we're talking ~ $600k per year teams, that is small university lab stuff.

ITR gets 11% more - they were heavily oversubscribed last year. Lots of people fishing for hardware and software tools development from all the divisions. About $80 million extra. Nothing to sneeze at.

Arctic/Antarctic research looks to do well. Go Dome C.

NSF gets 3.6% more for K-12 science education. That's really level funding.

Hey, FastLane gets a plug - sounds like they won't have to switch to the piece o'crap abomination that is grants.gov
I also parse it to read that the other science agencies will be allowed to use FastLane.
I heard NASA is not too keen on FastLane, they have additional requirements and FastLane "grew" in pieces, but it'd be a lot better than grants.gov if they are made to give up SYSEYFUS/NSPIRES

Ok: 8% overall request increase for research.
$50 million extra for major facilities, so that will keep flowing at some finite pace

Here is the detailed budget request

Extra $65 million for Math and Physical Sciences, that's just over 6% increase...
So, big questions is: does that mean after MPS share of ITR programs and nano is factored in, is there a net increase for MPS or is all the new money to support those initiatives. Can't tell from those budget docs, they don't say how interdisciplinary programs are pro rated between divisions. If it is in proportion to total funding than MPS is getting a bare inflation matching increase after the new initiatives are fulfilled. If they are disproportionately in MPS, then MPS general programs are actually taking a cut.


Ah, I see, there is a new "informal education" program with $200 million, but they cancel two existing education programs with almost the same budget. So education funding is shuffeled around, but suffers a net cut.