Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
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Federal Research and Development (R&D)
Funding: FY2023
June 10, 2022
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R47161
SUMMARY
Federal Research and Development (R&D)
Funding: FY2023
The U.S. government supports a broad range of scientific and engineering research and
development (R&D). Its purposes include addressing national defense, health, safety, the
environment, and energy security; advancing knowledge generally; developing the U.S. scientific
and engineering workforce; strengthening the capacity of U.S. institutions and firms to conduct
cutting-edge scientific research and develop innovative technologies; and enhancing the
competitiveness of the United States in the global economy. Most of the R&D funded by the
federal government is performed in support of the unique missions of individual funding
agencies.
R47161
June 10, 2022
Laurie A. Harris,
Coordinator
Analyst in Science and
Technology Policy
President Biden’s budget request for FY2023 includes approximately $204.9 billion for R&D, $45.3 billion (28%) above the
FY2021 estimated level of $159.6 billion. In constant FY2023 dollars (estimated), the FY2023 R&D request represents an
increase of $41.8 billion (26%) above the FY2022 estimated level.
Funding for R&D is concentrated in a few federal departments and agencies. In FY2022, six agencies received nearly 95% of
total federal R&D funding, with the Department of Defense (DOD, 41%) and the Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS, 26%) combined accounting for more than two-thirds of all federal R&D funding. In the FY2023 request, the top six
R&D agencies would account for just over 95%, with DOD accounting for 41% and HHS for 30%.
Federal Research and Development
Funding, FY2021-FY2023
In billions of dollars
Under the President’s FY2023 budget request, nearly all federal
agencies would see their R&D funding increase relative to FY2022.
The only exceptions are the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
which would decrease by $67 million (9%) in FY2023 to $681 million,
and the Department of Education (ED), which would decrease by $3
million (1%) in FY2023 to $402 million. The largest dollar increases in
R&D funding would be for HHS (up $19.8 billion, 47%), DOD (up
$18.1 billion, 28%), the Department of Energy (up $2.7 billion, 13%),
and the National Science Foundation (up $1.4 billion, 20%). The
largest percentage increases in R&D funding would be at HHS (up
47%), DOD (up 28%), and the Department of the Interior (up 28%).
The President’s FY2023 budget request would increase funding for
basic research by $13.9 billion (33%), applied research by $11.7
billion (28%), development by $19.1 billion (27%), and R&D facilities
and equipment by $563 million (13%).
Source: CRS analysis of data from OMB, Analytical
Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government,
Fiscal Year 2023, Research and Development, April
2022.
Several multiagency R&D initiatives continue under the President’s
FY2023 budget request. Some activities supporting these initiatives are
discussed in agency budget justifications. However, comprehensive
aggregate budget information on these initiatives will likely not be
available until budget supplements for each are released later in the
year.
The request represents the President’s R&D priorities. Congress may opt to agree with none, part, or all of the request, and it
may express different priorities through the appropriations process. Congress provides annual R&D appropriations through 9
of the 12 regular appropriations bills.
In recent years, Congress has completed the annual appropriations process after the start of the fiscal year. Completing the
process after the start of the fiscal year and the accompanying use of continuing resolutions can affect agencies’ execution of
their R&D budgets, including the delay or cancellation of planned R&D activities and acquisition of R&D-related equipment.
Congressional Research Service
Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
The President’s FY2023 Budget Request........................................................................................ 3
Federal R&D Funding Perspectives ................................................................................................ 3
Federal R&D by Agency ........................................................................................................... 3
Federal R&D by Character of Work, Facilities, and Equipment ............................................... 5
Federal Role in U.S. R&D by Character of Work ..................................................................... 5
Federal R&D by Agency and Character of Work Combined .................................................... 6
Multiagency R&D Initiatives .......................................................................................................... 7
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program ............................ 8
U.S. Global Change Research Program .................................................................................... 9
National Nanotechnology Initiative ........................................................................................ 10
FY2023 Appropriations Status ....................................................................................................... 11
Department of Defense .................................................................................................................. 12
Department of Health and Human Services .................................................................................. 16
National Institutes of Health ................................................................................................... 16
Department of Energy ................................................................................................................... 21
National Aeronautics and Space Administration ........................................................................... 24
National Science Foundation ......................................................................................................... 26
Department of Agriculture ............................................................................................................. 31
Agricultural Research Service ................................................................................................. 32
National Institute of Food and Agriculture ............................................................................. 32
National Agricultural Statistics Service .................................................................................. 34
Economic Research Service .................................................................................................... 34
Office of the REE Under Secretary and Office of the Chief Scientist .................................... 35
Department of Commerce ............................................................................................................. 36
National Institute of Standards and Technology ..................................................................... 36
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ................................................................ 39
Department of Veterans Affairs ..................................................................................................... 42
Department of Transportation........................................................................................................ 45
Federal Aviation Administration ............................................................................................. 45
Federal Highway Administration ............................................................................................ 46
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ................................................................... 46
Other DOT Components ......................................................................................................... 46
Department of the Interior ............................................................................................................. 47
U.S. Geological Survey ........................................................................................................... 48
Other DOI Components .......................................................................................................... 48
Department of Homeland Security ................................................................................................ 50
Environmental Protection Agency ................................................................................................. 51
Congressional Research Service
Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Figures
Figure 1. Composition of U.S. Basic Research, Applied Research, and Development by
Funding Sector, 2020.................................................................................................................... 6
Tables
Table 1. Federal Research and Development Funding by Agency, FY2021-FY2023 ..................... 4
Table 2. Federal R&D Funding by Character of Work and Facilities and Equipment,
FY2021-FY2023 .......................................................................................................................... 5
Table 3. Selected R&D Funding Agencies by Character of Work, Facilities,
and Equipment, FY2021 Actual, FY2022 Estimated, and FY2023 Request ............................... 7
Table 4. Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program
Funding, FY2019-FY2023 ........................................................................................................... 9
Table 5. U.S. Global Change Research Program Funding, FY2020-FY2023 ............................... 10
Table 6. National Nanotechnology Initiative Funding, FY2020-FY2023 ...................................... 11
Table 7. Alignment of Agency R&D Funding and Regular Appropriations Bills ......................... 12
Table 8. Department of Defense RDT&E ..................................................................................... 14
Table 9. National Institutes of Health Funding.............................................................................. 19
Table 10. Department of Energy R&D and Related Activities ...................................................... 23
Table 11. National Aeronautics and Space Administration R&D .................................................. 25
Table 12. National Science Foundation Funding........................................................................... 30
Table 13. U.S. Department of Agriculture R&D ........................................................................... 35
Table 14. National Institute of Standards and Technology Funding.............................................. 39
Table 15. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration R&D ............................................. 41
Table 16. Department of Veterans Affairs R&D ............................................................................ 44
Table 17. Department of Veterans Affairs R&D by Designated Research Area ............................ 44
Table 18. Department of Transportation R&D Activities and Facilities........................................ 47
Table 19. Department of the Interior R&D.................................................................................... 49
Table 20. Department of Homeland Security R&D Accounts ....................................................... 51
Table 21. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science and Technology Account ................... 52
Appendixes
Appendix A. Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................... 54
Appendix B. CRS Contacts for Agency R&D ............................................................................... 59
Contacts
Author Information........................................................................................................................ 60
Congressional Research Service
Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Introduction
The 117th Congress continues its interest in U.S. research and development (R&D) and in
evaluating funding for federal R&D activities. The federal government has played an important
role in supporting R&D efforts that have led to scientific breakthroughs and new technologies,
from jet aircraft and the internet to communications satellites and defenses against disease. In
recent years, federal budget caps have driven executive and legislative branch decisions about the
prioritization of R&D, both in the context of the entire federal budget and among competing
needs within the federal R&D portfolio.
The U.S. government supports a broad range of scientific and engineering R&D. Its purposes
include addressing national defense, health, safety, the environment, and energy security;
advancing knowledge generally; developing the U.S. scientific and engineering workforce;
strengthening the capacity of U.S. institutions and firms to conduct cutting-edge scientific
research and develop innovative technologies; and enhancing the competitiveness of the United
States in the global economy. Most of the R&D funded by the federal government is performed in
support of the unique missions of individual funding agencies.
The federal R&D budget is an aggregation of the R&D activities of these agencies. There is no
single, centralized source of R&D funds. Agency R&D budgets are developed internally as part
of each agency’s overall budget development process. R&D funding may be included either in
accounts that are entirely devoted to R&D or in accounts that also include funding for non-R&D
activities. Agency budgets are subjected to review, revision, and approval by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and become part of the President’s annual budget submission to
Congress. The federal R&D budget is then calculated by aggregating the R&D activities of each
federal agency.
Congress plays a central role in defining the nation’s R&D priorities as it makes decisions about
the level and allocation of R&D funding—overall, within agencies, and for specific programs. As
Congress acts to complete the FY2023 appropriations process, it faces two overarching issues: the
amount of the federal budget to be spent on federal R&D and the prioritization and allocation of
the available funding.
This report begins with a discussion of the overall level of R&D in President Biden’s FY2023
budget request, followed by analyses of R&D funding in the request from a variety of
perspectives and for selected multiagency R&D initiatives. The remainder of the report discusses
and analyzes the R&D budget requests of selected federal departments and agencies that,
collectively, account for approximately 99% of total federal R&D funding.
Selected terms associated with federal R&D funding are defined in the text box on the next page.
Appendix A provides a list of acronyms and abbreviations. Appendix B lists the primary CRS
experts on R&D funding for the agencies covered in this report.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Definitions Associated with Federal Research and Development Funding
Two key sources of definitions associated with federal research and development funding are the White House
Office of Management and Budget and the National Science Foundation.
Office of Management and Budget. The Office of Management and Budget provides the following definitions
of R&D-related terms in OMB Circular No. A-11, “Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget.”1 This
document provides guidance to agencies in the preparation of the President’s annual budget and instructions on
budget execution. In 2017, OMB adopted a refinement to the categories of R&D, replacing “development” with
“experimental development,” which more narrowly defines the set of activities to be included. This definition is
used in the President’s FY2023 budget. The new definition resulted in lower reported R&D by some agencies,
including the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). For
FY2023, OMB has opted to include DOD budget activity 6.6 (“Management Support”) funding as part of its R&D
calculations (categorized as experimental development); historically, this funding had been included in the DOD
R&D total and federal R&D total figures, but it was excluded in the FY2022 budget request. DOD R&D funding in
Table 1 and Table 3 reflects this change for FY2021 and FY2022 (applied retroactively), as well as for FY2023.
Conduct of R&D. Research and experimental development (R&D) activities are defined as creative and
systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge—including knowledge of people,
culture, and society—and to devise new applications using available knowledge.
Basic Research. Basic research is defined as experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to
acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts. Basic research may
include activities with broad or general applications in mind, such as the study of how plant genomes change,
but excludes research directed towards a specific application or requirement, such as the optimization of the
genome of a specific crop species.
Applied Research. Applied research is defined as original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new
knowledge. Applied research is, however, directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective.
Experimental Development. Experimental development is defined as creative and systematic work,
drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new
products or processes or improving existing products or processes. Like research, experimental development
will result in gaining additional knowledge.
R&D Equipment. R&D equipment includes amounts for major equipment for research and development. It
includes acquisition, design, or production of major movable equipment, such as mass spectrometers, research
vessels, DNA sequencers, and other major movable instruments for use in R&D activities. It includes programs
of $1 million or more that are devoted to the purchase or construction of major R&D equipment.
R&D Facilities. R&D facilities includes amounts for the construction of facilities that are necessary for the
execution of an R&D program. This may include land, major fixed equipment, and supporting infrastructure
such as a sewer line or housing at a remote location.
National Science Board/National Science Foundation. The National Science Board/National Science
Foundation (NSB/NSF) provides the following definitions of R&D-related terms in its report Science and
Engineering Indicators: 2020.2
Research and Development (R&D): Research and experimental development comprise creative and
systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge—including knowledge of humankind, culture,
and society—and its use to devise new applications of available knowledge.3
Basic Research: Experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the
underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application or use in view.
Applied Research: Original investigation undertaken to acquire new knowledge—directed primarily,
however, toward a specific, practical aim or objective.
Development (or Experimental Development): Systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from
research and practical experience and producing additional knowledge, which is directed to producing new
products or processes or to improving existing products or processes.
1 The White House, Office of Management and Budget, Circular No. A-11, “Preparation, Submission, and Execution of
the Budget,” August 2021, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/a11.pdf.
2 National Science Board/National Science Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators 2020, January 2020,
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20201/glossary.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
The President’s FY2023 Budget Request
On March 28, 2022, President Biden released his proposed FY2023 budget. President Biden is
proposing $204.9 billion for R&D for FY2023, an increase of $45.3 billion (28%) above the
FY2022 estimated level of $159.6 billion. Adjusted for inflation to FY2023 dollars, the
President’s FY2023 R&D request represents a constant-dollar increase of 26% above the FY2022
estimated level.4
The President’s request includes continued R&D funding for existing single-agency and
multiagency programs and activities, as well as new initiatives. This report provides governmentwide, multiagency, and individual agency analyses of the President’s FY2023 request as it relates
to R&D and related activities. More information will become available as the House and Senate
act on the President’s budget request through appropriations bills.
Factors Affecting Analysis of the FY2023 Budget Request
Certain factors complicate the analysis of changes in R&D funding for FY2023, both in aggregate and for selected
agencies. Inconsistency among agencies in the reporting of R&D and the inclusion of R&D activities in accounts
with non-R&D activities may result in different figures being reported by OMB and the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), including those shown in Table 1, and those in agency budget analyses
that appear later in this report. Additionally, the data in this report include a combination of FY2022 estimates
and FY2022 enacted appropriations, due to the late completion of the appropriations process.
Federal R&D Funding Perspectives
Federal R&D funding can be analyzed from a variety of perspectives that provide different
insights. The following sections examine the data by agency, by the character of the work
supported, and by a combination of these two perspectives.
Federal R&D by Agency
Congress makes decisions about R&D funding through the authorization and appropriations
processes primarily from the perspective of individual agencies and programs. Table 1 provides
data on R&D funding by agency for FY2021 (actual), FY2022 (estimate), and FY2023 (request).5
Under the request, eight federal agencies would receive over 97% of total federal R&D funding in
FY2023: the Department of Defense (DOD), 40.9%; Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS), primarily the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 30.2%; Department of Energy (DOE),
11.6%; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 6.6%; National Science
Foundation (NSF), 4.1%; Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1.7%; Department of Commerce
3 In the 2022 version of the Science and Engineering Indicators report, the definitions for R&D and experimental R&D
are combined: “Research and [experimental] development (R&D): Creative and systematic work undertaken to
increase the stock of knowledge—including knowledge of humankind, culture, and society—and its use to devise new
applications of available knowledge”; NSF/NSB Science and Engineering Indicators 2022, January 2022,
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20221/glossary. In this CRS report, the definitions are kept separate for clarity and
alignment with definitions in OMB Circular No. A-11.
4 As calculated by CRS using the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (chained) price index for FY2022-FY2023 in Table
10.1, “Gross Domestic Product and Deflators Used in the Historical Tables: 1940–2027,” Budget of the United States
Government, Fiscal Year 2023, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hist10z1_fy2023.xlsx.
5 EOP, OMB, Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2023, Research and
Development, April 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ap_18_research_fy2023.pdf.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
(DOC), 1.4%; and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 0.8%. This report provides an analysis of
the R&D budget requests for these agencies, as well as for the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Transportation (DOT), and
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
With the exception of DHS, all of these federal agencies would see their R&D funding increase
under the President’s FY2023 request compared with their FY2022 estimated levels. The
agencies with the largest R&D funding increases (measured in dollars) in the FY2023 request
compared with FY2022 estimated levels are HHS (up $19.79 billion), DOD (up $18.08 billion),
and DOE (up $2.70 billion). DHS R&D funding would decline by $67 million (down 9%). The
agencies with the largest percentage increases in R&D funding in the FY2023 request compared
with the FY2022 estimated level are HHS (up 47%), DOC (up 46%), DOD (up 28%), DOI (up
28%), and NSF (up 20%). See Table 1.
Table 1. Federal Research and Development Funding by Agency, FY2021-FY2023
(budget authority, dollar amounts in millions)
FY2022-FY2023
Department/Agency
FY2021
Actual
FY2022
Estimate
FY2023
Request
Dollar
Change
Percentage
Change
Department of Defense
70,079a
65,691a
83,769a
18,078
28%
Dept. of Health and Human
Services
42,226
42,023
61,816
19,793
47%
Department of Energy
17,788
21,027
23,731
2,704
13%
NASA
12,176
12,279
13,547
1,268
10%
National Science Foundation
7,515
7,065
8,448
1,383
20%
Department of Agriculture
3,031
3,193
3,579
386
12%
Department of Commerce
2,099
1,994
2,918
924
46%
Department of Veterans Affairs
1,445
1,436
1,655
219
15%
Department of Transportation
1,070
1,281
1,498
217
17%
Department of the Interior
1,009
1,123
1,443
320
28%
Department of Homeland
Security
590
748
681
-67
-9%
Environmental Protection
Agency
524
523
614
91
17%
Department of Education
364
405
402
-3
-1%
Smithsonian Institution
324
332
355
23
7%
Other
484
493
480
-13
-3%
Total
160,724
159,613
204,936
45,323
28%
Source: CRS analysis of data from EOP, OMB, Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal
Year 2023, Research and Development, April 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/
ap_18_research_fy2023.pdf.
Notes: Components may not sum to totals due to rounding. The FY2022 Estimate column applies the main
2023 Budget approach of using annualized appropriations provided by the 2022 Continuing Resolution as well as
including enacted legislation as of January 2022 (including P.L. 117-58, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act).
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
a.
Per the EOP, OMB, Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2023, Research
and Development, April 2022: “As part of the effort to refine DOD’s contribution to overall Federal R&D,
DOD Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) Budget Activity 6.6 is now included as part of
experimental development. This change is reflected across fiscal years 2021–2023 in the table and accounts
for $8.3 billion in the FY 2023 Budget, which was not previously captured as R&D. Total experimental
development spending includes DOD RDT&E Budget Activities 6.3 through 6.6 (Advanced Technology
Development; Advanced Component Development and Prototypes; System Development and
Demonstration; and Management Support).”
Federal R&D by Character of Work, Facilities, and Equipment
Federal R&D funding can also be examined by the character of work it supports—basic research,
applied research, or development—and by funding provided for construction of R&D facilities
and acquisition of major R&D equipment. (See Table 2.) President Biden’s FY2023 request
includes $564.544 billion for basic research, up $13.952 billion (33%) from the FY2022
estimated level; $54.311 billion for applied research, up $11.754 billion (28%); $89.226 billion
for development, up $19.054 billion (27%); and $4.855 billion for R&D facilities and equipment,
up $563 million (13%).
Table 2. Federal R&D Funding by Character of Work and Facilities and Equipment,
FY2021-FY2023
(budget authority, dollar amounts in millions)
Change, FY2022FY2023
Character of Work,
Facilities, and Equipment
FY2021
Actual
FY2022
Estimated
FY2023
Request
Dollars
Percentage
Basic research
42,784
42,592
56,544
13,952
33%
Applied research
43,283
42,557
54,311
11,754
28%
Development
70,334
70,172
89,226
19,054
27%
Facilities and Equipment
4,323
4,292
4,855
563
13%
117,940
159,613
204,936
45,323
28%
Total
Source: CRS analysis of data from EOP, OMB, Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal
Year 2023, Research and Development, April 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/
ap_18_research_fy2023.pdf.
Note: Components may not sum to totals due to rounding.
Federal Role in U.S. R&D by Character of Work
A primary policy justification for public investments in basic research and for incentives (e.g., tax
credits) for the private sector to conduct research is the view, widely held by economists, that the
private sector will, left on its own, underinvest in basic research from a societal perspective. The
usual argument for this view is that the social returns (i.e., the benefits to society at large) exceed
the private returns (i.e., the benefits accruing to the private investor, such as increased revenues or
higher stock value). Other factors that may inhibit corporate investment in basic research include
long time horizons for achieving commercial applications (diminishing the potential returns due
to the time value of money), high levels of technical risk and uncertainty, shareholder demands
for shorter-term returns, and asymmetric and imperfect information.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
The federal government is the nation’s largest supporter of basic research, funding 41% of U.S.
basic research in 2020 (the most recent year for which comprehensive data are available).
Business funded 34% of U.S. basic research in 2020, with state governments, universities, and
other nonprofit organizations funding the remaining 26%.6 For U.S. applied research, business is
the primary funder, accounting for an estimated 56% in 2020, while the federal government
accounted for an estimated 31%. State governments, universities, and other nonprofit
organizations funded the remaining 12%. Business also provides the vast majority of U.S.
funding for development. Business accounted for 87% of development funding in 2020, while the
federal government provided 11%. State governments, universities, and other nonprofit
organizations funded the remaining 2% (see Figure 1).7
Figure 1. Composition of U.S. Basic Research, Applied Research, and Development
by Funding Sector, 2020
Source: CRS analysis of National Science Foundation, National Patterns of R&D Resources: 2019-20 Data Update,
NSF 22-320, Tables 7-9, February 22, 2022.
Notes: Components may not add to total due to rounding. Data are preliminary and may be revised.
Federal R&D by Agency and Character of Work Combined
Federal R&D funding can also be viewed from the combined perspective of each agency’s
contribution to federal basic research, applied research, development, and facilities and
equipment. Table 3 lists the three agencies with the most funding in each of these categories as
proposed in the President’s FY2023 budget. The overall federal R&D budget reflects a wide
range of national priorities, including supporting innovation in critical and emerging
technologies, pandemic preparedness and prevention, STEM education and engagement, and
understanding climate change and developing mitigation and adaptation solutions. These
priorities and the mission of each individual agency contribute to the composition of that
agency’s R&D spending (i.e., the allocation of R&D funding among basic research, applied
research, development, and facilities and equipment).
In President Biden’s FY2023 budget request, the Department of Health and Human Services,
primarily NIH, would account for more than half (56%) of all federal funding for basic research.
6 Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
7 CRS analysis of National Science Foundation, National Patterns of R&D Resources: 2019-20 Data Update, NSF 22-
320, Tables 7-9, February 22, 2022. Data are preliminary and may be revised. Components may not add to total due to
rounding.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
HHS would also be the largest federal funder of applied research, accounting for about 54% of all
federally funded applied research in the President’s FY2023 budget request. DOD would be the
primary federal funder of experimental development, accounting for 84% of total federal
development funding in the President’s FY2023 budget request. DOE would be the primary
federal funder of R&D facilities and equipment, accounting for 58% of total federal R&D
facilities and equipment funding in the President’s FY2023 budget request.8
Table 3. Selected R&D Funding Agencies by Character of Work, Facilities,
and Equipment, FY2021 Actual, FY2022 Estimated, and FY2023 Request
(budget authority, dollar amounts in millions)
Change, FY2022-FY2023
FY2021
Actual
FY2022
Estimate
FY2023
Request
Dollars
Percentage
Health and Human Services
21,051
20,951
31,911
10,960
52%
NSF
5,974
5,664
6,787
1,123
20%
Energy
5,526
5,623
6,373
750
13%
Health and Human Services
20,876
20,744
29,480
8,736
42%
Energy
6,360
6,130
7,129
999
16%
Defense
6,438
5,625
6,028
403
7%
Defense
61,101
57,750
75,325
17,575
30%
Energy
3,023
6,501
7,433
932
14%
NASA
4,306
4,048
4,323
275
7%
2,879
2,773
2,796
23
1%
Commerce
296
357
642
285
80%
NSF
573
522
546
24
5%
Character of Work/Agency
Basic Research
Applied Research
Experimental Development
Facilities and Equipment
Energy
Source: CRS analysis of data from EOP, OMB, Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal
Year 2023, Research and Development, April 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/
ap_18_research_fy2023.pdf.
Note: This table shows only the top three funding agencies in each category, based on the FY2023 request.
Multiagency R&D Initiatives
For many years, presidential budgets have reported on multiagency R&D initiatives. Often, they
have also provided details of agency funding for these initiatives. Some of these efforts have a
statutory basis—for example, the Networking and Information Technology Research and
8 CRS analysis of data from EOP, OMB, Analytical Perspectives, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year
2021, Research and Development, February 10, 2020, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/
ap_17_research_fy21.pdf.
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Development (NITRD) program, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), and the U.S.
Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). These programs generally produce annual budget
supplements identifying objectives, activities, funding levels, and other information, usually
published shortly after the presidential budget release. Other multiagency R&D initiatives have
operated at the discretion of the President, without a specific statutory mandate, and may be
eliminated at the discretion of the President. Some activities related to these initiatives are
discussed in agency budget justifications and may be addressed in the agency analyses later in
this report. This section provides available multiagency information on these initiatives and will
be updated as additional information becomes available.
Networking and Information Technology Research
and Development Program9
Established by the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (P.L. 102-194), the Networking and
Information Technology Research and Development Program is the primary mechanism by which
the federal government coordinates its unclassified networking and information technology R&D
investments in areas such as supercomputing, high-speed networking, cybersecurity, software
engineering, and information management. The NITRD National Coordination Office (NCO)
coordinates the information technology R&D activities of 24 federal agency members and more
than 45 other participating agencies with program interests and activities in IT R&D. NITRD
efforts are further coordinated by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) NITRD
Subcommittee.10
P.L. 102-194, as reauthorized by the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2017 (P.L.
114-329), requires the director of the NITRD NCO to prepare an annual report to be delivered to
Congress along with the President’s budget request. This annual report, often referred to as a
budget supplement, is to include, among other things, detailed information on the program’s
budget for the current and previous fiscal years and the proposed budget for the next fiscal year.
The latest annual report was published in August 2020 and related to the FY2021 budget request.
For additional information on the NITRD Program, see https://www.nitrd.gov.
9 For additional information on the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development program,
please contact Patricia Moloney Figliola, Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy.
10 The NSTC was established by Executive Order 12881 in 1993. According to the White House, “This Cabinet-level
Council is the principal means within the Executive Branch to coordinate science and technology policy across the
diverse entities that make up the Federal research and development enterprise. Chaired by the President, the
membership of the NSTC is made up of the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries and Agency Heads with significant
science and technology responsibilities, and other White House officials. In practice, the Assistant to the President for
Science and Technology Policy oversees the NSTC’s ongoing activities.” (Source: EOP, Office of Science and
Technology Policy, “NSTC,” https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/nstc/.) For more information on the NSTC, see
https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/nstc/.
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Table 4. Networking and Information Technology Research and Development
Program Funding, FY2019-FY2023
(budget authority, in millions of current dollars)
Total, NITRD
FY2019
Actual
FY2020
Enacted
FY2021
Enacted
FY2022
Request
FY2023
Request
6,472.1
7,092.7
7,175.4
7,777.3
n/a
Source: NITRD, Supplement to the President’s FY2021 Budget, August 14, 2020, p. 9,
https://www.nitrd.gov/pubs/FY2021-NITRD-Supplement.pdf; and NITRD and the National Artificial Intelligence
Initiative Office (NAIIO), Supplement to the President’s FY2022 Budget, December 2021, p. 15,
https://www.nitrd.gov/fy2022-nitrd-naiio-supplement/.
Note: n/a = not available.
U.S. Global Change Research Program11
The U.S. Global Change Research Program coordinates and integrates federal research and
investments to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes
of global change. The program seeks to advance global climate change science and to “build a
knowledge base that informs human responses to climate and global change through coordinated
and integrated Federal programs of research, education, communication, and decision support.”12
In FY2021, 10 departments and agencies received appropriations for their USGCRP participation;
in FY2022, the Administration requested increased funding for each department and agency.
USGCRP efforts are coordinated by the NSTC Subcommittee on Global Change Research. Each
agency develops and carries out its activities as its contribution to the USGCRP, and funds are
appropriated to each agency for those activities; those activities may or may not be identified as
associated with the USGCRP in agency budget justifications or other program materials available
publicly. Complementing USGCRP activities are many federal climate change or global changerelated activities with programmatic missions, not predominantly scientific. These are reported
separately in budget justifications.
The Global Change Research Act of 1990 (GCRA, P.L. 101-606) requires each federal agency or
department involved in global change research to report annually to Congress on each element of
its proposed global change research activities, as well as the portion of its budget request
allocated to each element of the program.13 The President is also required to identify those
activities and the annual global change research budget in the President’s annual budget request.
The President’s budget requests for years later than FY2017 do not report these budget data
required by the GCRA, although some agencies report their contributions in their budget
justifications to Congress.
In addition, in the 20 years prior to FY2018, language in appropriations laws required the
President to submit a comprehensive report to the appropriations committees “describing in detail
all Federal agency funding, domestic and international, for climate change programs, projects,
and activities … including an accounting of funding by agency….”14 As these are no longer
11 For additional information on the U.S. Global Change Research Program, please contact Jane A. Leggett, Specialist
in Energy and Environmental Policy.
12 U.S. Global Change Research Program website, http://www.globalchange.gov/about/mission-vision-strategic-plan.
13 Directives to report annually to Congress on budget requests and spending occur in several sections of P.L. 101-606,
including Sections 105(b) and (c) on Budget Coordination, and Section 107, Annual Report.
14 See, most recently, P.L. 115-31, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, Section 416.
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reported by OMB, Table 5 presents data compiled by CRS from the “Budget” section of the
“About USGCRP” website for the USGCRP.15 For additional information on the USGCRP, see
http://www.globalchange.gov.
Table 5. U.S. Global Change Research Program Funding, FY2020-FY2023
(budget authority, in millions of current dollars)
Total, USGCRP
FY2020
Enacted
FY2021
Enacted
FY2022
Request
FY2023
Request
2,461
3,270
4,822
n/a
Source: GlobalChange.gov, “Budget,” https://www.globalchange.gov/about.
Notes: n/a = not available. Funding for activities that contribute to the USGCRP has been appropriated to more
than a dozen federal departments and agencies in the past, and some spending of it is transferred or coordinated
through interagency agreements. Almost all of the funding is spent directly by agencies on research and related
activities; a small percentage is spent for interagency coordination and communications in the USGCRP program
office.
National Nanotechnology Initiative16
Launched in FY2001, the National Nanotechnology Initiative is a multiagency R&D initiative to
advance understanding and control of matter at the nanoscale, where the physical, chemical, and
biological properties of materials differ in fundamental and sometimes useful ways from the
properties of individual atoms or bulk matter.17 In 2003, Congress enacted the 21st Century
Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (P.L. 108-153), providing a legislative
foundation for some of the activities of the NNI. NNI efforts are coordinated by the NSTC
Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET). For FY2022, the
President’s request included NNI funding for 11 federal departments and independent agencies
and commissions with budgets dedicated to nanotechnology R&D.18 The federal organizations
with the largest proposed FY2022 investments in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology
R&D (representing 96% of the total) were HHS (including NIH), NSF, DOE, DOD, and NIST.
The NSET membership includes other federal departments and independent agencies and
commissions with responsibilities for health, safety, and environmental regulation; trade;
education; intellectual property; international relations; and other areas that might affect or be
affected by nanotechnology.
P.L. 108-153 requires the NSTC to prepare an annual report to be delivered to Congress at the
time the President’s budget request is sent to Congress. This annual report, often referred to as a
budget supplement, is to include detailed information on the program’s budget for the current
fiscal year and the program’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, as well as additional
information and data related to the performance of the program. The latest annual report was
published in March 2022 and related to the FY2022 budget request. President Biden requested
15 GlobalChange.gov, “Budget,” https://www.globalchange.gov/about.
16 For additional information on the National Nanotechnology Initiative, please contact John F. Sargent Jr., Specialist in
Science and Technology Policy.
17 In the context of the NNI and nanotechnology, the nanoscale refers to lengths of 1 to 100 nanometers. A nanometer
is one-billionth of a meter, or about the width of 10 hydrogen atoms arranged side by side in a line.
18 EOP, NSTC, The Nanotechnology Initiative: Supplement to the President’s 2022 Budget, March 2022, p. 4,
https://www.nano.gov/sites/default/files/NNI-FY22-Budget-Supplement.pdf.
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$1.975 billion for NNI research in FY2022, a decrease of $3.101 billion (61%) from the enacted
FY2021 level.19 For additional information on the NNI, see http://www.nano.gov.
Table 6. National Nanotechnology Initiative Funding, FY2020-FY2023
(budget authority, in millions of current dollars)
Total, NNI
FY2020
Estimated
FY2021
Enacted
FY2022
Request
FY2023
Request
3,465.4
5,076.1
1,975.4
n/a
Source: EOP, NSTC, The National Nanotechnology Initiative: Supplement to the President’s 2022 Budget, March
2022.
Notes: n/a = not available.
FY2023 Appropriations Status
The remainder of this report provides a more in-depth analysis of R&D in 12 federal departments
and agencies that, in aggregate, receive nearly 99% of total federal R&D funding. Agencies are
presented in order of the size of their FY2023 R&D budget requests, with the largest presented
first.
Annual appropriations for these agencies are provided through 9 of the 12 regular appropriations
bills. For each agency covered in this report, Table 7 shows the corresponding regular
appropriations bill that provides primary funding for the agency, including its R&D activities.
Because of the way that agencies report budget data to Congress, it can be difficult to identify the
portion that is R&D. Consequently, R&D data presented in the agency analyses in this report may
differ from R&D data in the President’s budget or otherwise provided by OMB.
Funding for R&D is often included in appropriations line items that also include non-R&D
activities; therefore, in such cases, it may not be possible to identify precisely how much of the
funding provided in appropriations laws is allocated to R&D specifically. In general, R&D
funding levels are known only after departments and agencies allocate their appropriations to
specific activities and report those figures.
In addition to this report, CRS produces individual reports on each of the appropriations bills and
for a number of federal agencies. These reports can be accessed via the CRS website at
http://www.crs.gov/iap/appropriations. Also, the status of each appropriations bill is available on
the CRS web page “Appropriations Status Table,” available at http://www.crs.gov/
AppropriationsStatusTable/Index.
19 Ibid. While this appears to be a substantial decrease, the NNI Supplement to the President’s 2022 Budget document
notes (p. 6), “A significant proportion of agencies’ nanotechnology investments now come from “core” R&D
programs, which makes it difficult to predict the number of and success rate of nanotechnology-related proposals. As a
result, the actual investments reported are often higher than the previously published estimates or proposed values. For
example, the actual NNI investment for 2020 (nearly $3.5 billion, including $1.4 billion from BARDA for COVID
diagnostics and vaccine research) is much higher than the 2020 estimated level ($1.84 billion) published in the NNI
Supplement to the President’s 2021 Budget, or the 2020 requested value published in the 2020 supplement ($1.47
billion).”
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Table 7. Alignment of Agency R&D Funding and Regular Appropriations Bills
Department/Agency
Regular Appropriations Bill
Department of Defense
Department of Defense Appropriations Act
Department of Health and Human Services
- National Institutes of Health
(1) Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
(2) Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act
Department of Energy
Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act
National Science Foundation
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act
Department of Agriculture
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
Department of Commerce
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act
Department of Veterans Affairs
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act
Department of the Interior
Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act
Department of Transportation
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act
Source: CRS Report R40858, Locate an Agency or Program Within Appropriations Bills, by Justin Murray.
Department of Defense20
The mission of the Department of Defense is to provide “the military forces needed to deter war
and ensure our nation’s security.”21 Congress supports DOD R&D activities through the
department’s Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) funding. These funds
support the development of the nation’s future military hardware and software and the science
and technology base on which those products rely.
Most of what DOD spends on RDT&E is appropriated in Title IV (Research, Development, Test,
and Evaluation) of the annual defense appropriations bill. Title IV RDT&E funds support
activities such as R&D performed by academic institutions, DOD laboratories, and companies, as
well as test and evaluation activities at specialized DOD facilities.
20 This section was written by Marcy E. Gallo, Analyst in Science and Technology Policy, CRS Resources, Science,
and Industry Division.
21 Department of Defense, https://www.defense.gov/Our-Story/.
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However, RDT&E funds are also appropriated in other parts of the bill, including Title V
(Revolving and Management Funds) and Title VI (Other Department of Defense Programs). For
example:
The Defense Health Program (DHP) supports the delivery of health care to DOD
personnel and their families. DHP funds (including RDT&E funds) are requested
through the Defense-wide Operations and Maintenance request. The program’s
RDT&E funds support congressionally directed research on breast, prostate, and
ovarian cancer; traumatic brain injuries; orthotics and prosthetics; and other
medical conditions. Congress appropriates funds for this program in Title VI.
The Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction Program supports activities to
destroy the U.S. inventory of lethal chemical agents and munitions to avoid
future risks and costs associated with storage. Funds for this program are
requested through the Defense-wide Procurement request. Congress appropriates
funds for this program also in Title VI.
The National Defense Sealift Fund supports procurement, operation and
maintenance, and R&D associated with the nation’s naval reserve fleet as well as
a U.S.-flagged merchant fleet that can serve in times of need. In some fiscal
years, RDT&E funding for this effort is requested in the Navy’s Procurement
request and appropriated in Title V.
For more than a decade, RDT&E funds also have been requested and appropriated as part of
DOD’s separate funding for efforts known variously as the Global War on Terror (GWOT) and
Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). Typically, RDT&E funds appropriated for
OCO/GWOT activities were directed toward specified Program Elements (PEs) in Title IV.
President Biden’s FY2023 request does not include separate OCO/GWOT funding.
For FY2023, the Biden Administration is requesting $130.097 billion for DOD’s Title IV
RDT&E PEs, $10.803 billion (9.1%) above the FY2022 enacted level. (See Table 8.) In addition,
the FY2023 request includes $910 million in RDT&E through the Defense Health Program
(down $1.724 billion, 65.4%, from FY2022), $975 million in RDT&E through the Chemical
Agents and Munitions Destruction Program (down $25 million, 2.5%, from FY2022), and $2
million for the Inspector General for RDT&E-related activities (down less than $1 million,
21.2%, from FY2022). The FY2023 budget includes no RDT&E funding via the National
Defense Sealift Fund (the same as FY2022).
DOD RDT&E funding can be characterized organizationally. Each military department requests
and receives its own RDT&E funding. So, too, do various DOD agencies (e.g., the Missile
Defense Agency and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency); these are aggregated in
the Defense-wide account.
DOD RDT&E funding can also be characterized by budget activity, i.e., the type of RDT&E
supported. The budget activities designated as 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 (basic research, applied research,
and advanced technology development, respectively) constitute what is called DOD’s Science
and Technology (S&T) program and represent the more research-oriented part of the RDT&E
program. Budget activities 6.4 and 6.5 focus on the development of specific weapon systems or
components for which an operational need has been determined and an acquisition program
established. Budget activity 6.6 provides management support, including support for test and
evaluation facilities. Budget activity 6.7 supports the development of system improvements in
existing operational systems. A new budget activity, 6.8, was added in the FY2021 budget and
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supports software and digital technology pilot programs.22 Note that OMB data on R&D funding
exclude budget activity 6.7.
Many congressional policymakers are particularly interested in DOD S&T program funding,
since these funds support the development of new technologies and the science that underlies
them. Some in the defense community see ensuring adequate support for S&T activities as
imperative to maintaining U.S. military superiority into the future. The knowledge generated at
this stage of development may also contribute to advances in commercial technologies. The
FY2023 request for Title IV S&T funding is $16.457 billion, $2.379 billion (12.6%) below the
FY2022 enacted level. Within the S&T program, basic research (6.1) receives special attention,
particularly by the nation’s universities, as over half of DOD’s basic research budget is spent at
universities. The Biden Administration is requesting $2.376 billion for DOD basic research for
FY2023, $381.7 million (13.8%) below the FY2022 enacted level. The proposed FY2023 cuts in
S&T are spread across a variety of program elements in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defensewide accounts. The Army would see the largest cut in both dollars and percentage ($1.6 billion,
37%), followed by the Navy ($531 million, 17.9%), the Air Force ($415 million, 13.4%) and
Defense-wide ($133 million, 1.7%). Among the proposed FY2023 program element cuts are the
University Research Initiatives program elements in the Army ($20 million, 22.4%), Navy ($85
million, 48.5%), and Air Force ($16 million, 8.7%). Increases in S&T funding would be provided
to the Space Force ($283 million, 53.9%).
While DOD is not the largest federal funder of basic research, it is a substantial source of federal
funds for university R&D in certain fields, such as aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical
engineering (64%); industrial and manufacturing engineering (60%); electrical, electronic, and
communications engineering (59%); mechanical engineering (50%); computer and information
sciences (47%); metallurgical and materials engineering (42%); and materials science (39%).23
Table 8. Department of Defense RDT&E
(total obligational authority, in millions of dollars)
Budget Account
FY2022
Enacteda
FY2023
Request
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Title IV—Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (by Organization)
Army
14,528.3
13,710.3
Navy
22,152.4
24,078.7
Air Force
41,640.4
44,134.3
Space Force
11,597.4
15,819.4
Defense-wide
29,099.2
32,077.6
Director, Operational Test and
Evaluation
276.6
277.2
Total Title IV
119,294.3
130,097.4
Title IV—Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (by Budget Activity)
6.1 Basic Research
2,757.6
2,375.9
22 For additional information on the structure of Defense RDT&E, see CRS Report R44711, Department of Defense
Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E): Appropriations Structure, by John F. Sargent Jr.
23 CRS analysis of data from NSF, Higher Education Research and Development Survey, Fiscal Year 2020, Table 13,
December 27, 2021, https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf22311.
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Budget Account
FY2022
Enacteda
FY2023
Request
6.2 Applied Research
6,906.0
5,791.1
6.3 Advanced Technology
Development
9,171.6
8,287.7
22,471.2
18,341.7
6.4 Advanced Component
Development and Prototypes
32,796.0
34,198.3
6.5 Systems Dev. and
Demonstration
15,080.3
23,426.6
6.6 Management Supportb
8,378.0
8,252.7
6.7 Operational Systems
Developmentb
43,462.9
45,980.3
6.8 Software and Digital
Technology Pilot Projectsb
741.8
1,784.8
119,294.3
130,097.4
Subtotal Defense S&T (6.1-6.3)
Total Title IV
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Title V—Revolving and Management Funds
National Defense Sealift Fund
0.0
0.0
Defense Health Program
2,633.5
910.0
Chemical Agents and Munitions
Destruction
1,000.1
975.2
2.4
1.9
122,930.3
131,984.5
Title VI—Other Defense Programs
Inspector General
Grand Total, RDT&Ec
Source: CRS analysis of Department of Defense Budget, Fiscal Year 2023, RDT&E Programs (R‑1), April 2022; P.L.
117-103 and joint explanatory statements accompanying the bill at https://docs.house.gov/floor/Default.aspx?
date=2022-03-07.
Notes: n/a = not available. Figures for the columns currently blank may become available as action is completed.
Totals may differ from the sum of the components due to rounding. According to DOD, “Total Obligation
Authority (TOA) is the sum of (1) all budget authority (BA) granted (or requested) from the Congress in a given
year, (2) amounts authorized to be credited to a specific fund, (3) BA transferred from another appropriation,
and (4) Unobligated balances of BA from previous years which remain available for obligation. In practice, this
term is used primarily in discussing the DOD budget, and most often refers to TOA as the ‘direct program,’
which equates to only (1) and (2) above.” DOD defines “budget authority” as “the authority becoming available
during the year to enter into obligations that result in immediate or future outlays of Government funds.” See
DOD 7000.14-R, “Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation,” http://comptroller.defense.gov/
fmr.aspx.
a. In addition to base funding, includes supplemental funding provided in Division N, Ukraine Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 2022, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103).
b. Includes funding for Classified Programs.
c. The Grand Total, RDT&E amounts for FY2022 and FY2023 include funding for budget activity 6.7 that OMB
no longer counts as R&D. For these and other reasons, these amounts do not align with the DOD totals in
Table 1.
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Department of Health and Human Services
The mission of the Department of Health and Human Services is “to enhance and protect the
health and well-being of all Americans ... by providing for effective health and human services
and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services.”24 This section focuses on
HHS research and development funded through the National Institutes of Health, an HHS agency
that accounts for nearly 97% of total HHS R&D funding.25 Other HHS agencies that support
R&D include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and
Administration for Children and Families (ACF); additional R&D funding is attributed to
departmental management.26
National Institutes of Health27
NIH is the primary agency of the federal government charged with performing and supporting
biomedical and behavioral research. It also has major roles in training biomedical researchers and
disseminating health information. The NIH mission is “to seek fundamental knowledge about the
nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health,
lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.”28 The agency consists of the NIH Office of the
Director (OD) and 27 institutes and centers (ICs), 25 of which manage research programs. Each
IC plans and manages its own research programs in coordination with OD. FY2022
appropriations established a new entity that has been placed within NIH: the Advanced Research
Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as discussed further in this report.
According to NIH, about 10% of the NIH budget supports intramural research projects conducted
by the nearly 6,000 NIH federal scientists, most of whom are located on the NIH campus in
Bethesda, MD. All 25 research ICs have an intramural research program of varying sizes. More
than 80% of NIH’s budget goes to the extramural research community in the form of grants,
contracts, and other awards. This funding supports research performed by more than 300,000
nonfederal scientists and technical personnel who work at more than 2,500 universities, hospitals,
medical schools, and other research institutions.29
Funding for NIH comes primarily from the annual Labor, HHS, and Education (LHHS)
appropriations act, with an additional amount for Superfund-related activities at the National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences from the Interior/Environment appropriations act.30
24 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “About,” http://www.hhs.gov/about.
25 Unpublished data provided to CRS by the Office of Management and Budget. Email communication, May 28, 2021.
26 Ibid.
27 This section was written by Kavya Sekar, Analyst in Health Policy, CRS Domestic Social Policy Division, with
support from Isaac Nicchitta, Research Assistant, and John Gorman, Research Assistant, CRS Domestic Social Policy
Division.
28 HHS, National Institutes of Health, “About NIH, What We Do, Mission and Goals,” http://www.nih.gov/about-nih/
what-we-do/mission-goals.
29 NIH, “What We Do: Budget,” https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/budget.
30 The Superfund program was created to carry out the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA; P.L. 96-510), which authorized the federal government to prioritize contaminated
sites in the United States for cleanup in coordination with the states in which the sites are located and to make the
“potentially responsible parties” connected to those sites financially liable for the cleanup costs. The Superfund
program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information on the Superfund program,
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Those two appropriations acts provide NIH’s discretionary budget authority. In addition, NIH has
received mandatory funding of $150 million annually that is provided in Public Health Service
Act (PHSA) Section 330B, for the Special Diabetes Program for type 1 diabetes, most recently
extended through FY2023 by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260; Division
BB, Title III). NIH also receives some funding subject to unique transfer authorities (the PHS
Evaluation set-aside)31 and budget enforcement rules (21st Century Cures Act Innovation
account).32
As shown in Table 9, separate appropriations are provided to 24 of the 27 ICs, as well as to OD,
the Innovation Account (established by the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016, P.L. 114-255), and an
intramural Buildings and Facilities account. The other three centers, which perform centralized
support services, are funded through transfers from the other ICs.
FY2022 Enacted Appropriations
On March 15, 2022, Congress and President Biden finalized NIH FY2022 appropriations by
enacting the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103), which includes final FY2022
LHHS appropriations in Division H and Interior/Environment appropriations in Division G. The
enacted FY2022 NIH program level is made up of the following:
$43.65 billion in discretionary LHHS budget authority;
$1.309 billion pursuant to the PHS program evaluation transfer;
$83 million for the Superfund research program and related activities from
Interior/Environment appropriations; and
$141 million in annual funding for the mandatory type 1 diabetes research
program.33
In total, the NIH FY2022 program level as enacted is $45.183 billion. In addition, the law
provided $1 billion for ARPA-H to a new account under the Office of the Secretary. The law
see CRS Report R41039, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act: A Summary of
Superfund Cleanup Authorities and Related Provisions of the Act, by David M. Bearden.
31 The PHS Evaluation Set-Aside, also known as the PHS Evaluation Tap transfer authority, under Section 241 of the
PHS Act (42 U.S.C. §238j). This provision allows the Secretary of HHS, with the approval of appropriators, to
redistribute a portion of eligible PHS agency appropriations across HHS for program evaluation purposes. Although the
PHS Act limits the tap to no more than 1% of eligible appropriations, in recent years, annual LHHS appropriations acts
have specified a higher amount (2.5% in FY2022, P.L. 117-103, Division H). Those acts also have typically directed
specific amounts of funding from the tap for transfer to a number of HHS programs, including at NIH, particularly for
the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Funding amounts in this report show amounts
“transferred in” to NIH under the PHS evaluation set-aside, but do not show amounts “transferred out” under the same
authority.
32 Appropriations to the NIH Innovation Account created by the 21 st Century Cures Act (“the Cures Act,” P.L. 114255) fund programs authorized by that act. Appropriations of funds in this account are, in effect, not subject to
discretionary spending limits. The NIH Director may transfer these amounts from the NIH Innovation Account to other
NIH accounts but only for the purposes specified in the Cures Act. All amounts authorized by the Cures Act have been
fully appropriated to the Innovation Account since FY2017, including $496 million for FY2022. For FY2023, $1.085
billion is authorized to be appropriated. See section on 21st Century Cures Act in CRS Report R41705, The National
Institutes of Health (NIH): Background and Congressional Issues, by Judith A. Johnson and Kavya Sekar.
33 The FY2022 amount shown for the mandatory type 1 diabetes research program differs from the FY2022 amount
authorized and appropriated by PHSA Section 330B of $150 million, as amended in P.L. 116-260, Division BB, Title
III. According to the budget request, the FY2022 amount reflects sequestration of $8.55 million. See “Budget
Mechanism Table,” p. 44, at https://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/pdfs/FY23/br/
Overview%20of%20FY%202023%20Presidents%20Budget.pdf.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
allowed the HHS Secretary to place the new agency anywhere within the department within 30
days of enactment. On March 30, 2022, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra submitted a notice to the
appropriations committees that ARPA-H is to reside within the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). Accounting for the ARPA-H appropriation and other transfers, FY2023 budget documents
show the enacted FY2022 NIH program level as $46.178 billion.34
FY2023 Budget Request
President Biden’s FY2023 budget request proposes that NIH be provided with a total program
level of $62.503 billion, an increase of $16.32 billion (+35.3%) from FY2022 enacted levels. The
proposed FY2023 program level would be made up of35
$48.957 billion in discretionary LHHS budget authority (nontransfer);
$1.272 billion pursuant to the PHS program evaluation transfer;
$83 million for the Superfund research program and related activities from
Interior/Environment appropriations;
$141 million in annual funding for the mandatory type 1 diabetes research
program;36 and
$12.05 billion in new mandatory appropriations for pandemic preparedness.37
Under this request, approximately half of existing IC accounts would receive increases compared
with FY2022 enacted levels (see Table 9). Funding for the National Institute on Minority Health
and Health Disparities (NIMHD) would increase by the greatest percentage amount (+$201
million, +43.7%) and funding for OD would decrease by the greatest amount (-$319 million, 12.2%). In addition, the full amount ($1.085 billion) authorized by the 21st Century Cures Act for
FY2023 (P.L. 114-255) would be appropriated to the Innovation Account. The FY2023 budget
request also proposes $5 billion for ARPA-H, an increase of $4 billion from the FY2022-enacted
level.38
Under the pandemic preparedness proposal, NIH would be provided $12.05 billion in new
mandatory appropriations over five years. This new appropriation makes up 73.8% of the
proposed increase of $16.32 billion relative to the FY2022 enacted program level. The pandemic
preparedness proposal generally does not designate specific amounts for NIH ICs, but describes a
number of activities the new funding would support, including vaccine and therapeutic
34 HHS, Budget in Brief: FY2023, pp. 53-54, https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy-2023-budget-in-brief.pdf.
35 NIH, Congressional Justification: FY2023, “Budget Request by IC (Summary Table),” March 28, 2022, p. 86,
https://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/pdfs/FY23/br/Overview%20of%20FY%202023%20Presidents%20Budget.pdf.
36 This proposed amount for the mandatory type 1 diabetes research program differs from the $150 million for FY2023
that was authorized and appropriated in PHSA Section 330B, as amended in P.L. 116-260, Division BB, Title III.
According to the budget request, the FY2023 amount reflects sequestration of $8.55 million. See “Budget Mechanism
Table,” p. 44, https://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/pdfs/FY23/br/
Overview%20of%20FY%202023%20Presidents%20Budget.pdf.
37 The FY2023 budget request proposes an HHS-wide total of $81.7 billion for pandemic preparedness to “transform
U.S. capabilities to prepare for and respond rapidly and effectively to future pandemics and other high consequence
biological threats.” The $12.05 billion directed to NIH is for “NIH research and development of vaccines, diagnostics,
and therapeutics against high priority viral families, biosafety and biosecurity, and to expand laboratory capacity and
clinical trial infrastructure.” See HHS, Budget in Brief: FY2023, p. 55, https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy-2023budget-in-brief.pdf.
38 NIH, Congressional Justification: FY2023, “Budget Request by IC (Summary Table),” March 28, 2022, p. 86,
https://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/pdfs/FY23/br/Overview%20of%20FY%202023%20Presidents%20Budget.pdf.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
development; diagnostic test development and innovation; research infrastructure for clinical
trials; and laboratory biosafety and biosecurity.39 If enacted, these mandatory appropriations
generally would be controlled outside the annual appropriations process by authorizing law.
Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) in the
FY2022 Budget Request
President Biden’s FY2022 budget request to Congress proposed the creation of an Advanced Research Projects
Agency for Health (ARPA-H) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The budget request included $6.5
billion for ARPA-H “to build platforms and capabilities to deliver cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes,
and other diseases.” Funding was requested for a period of three years to “allow for both scale-up in FY 2022 and
redeployment of resources in the next two years if projects fail to meet performance milestones.” The vast
majority of funding was intended to support extramural research, with a small amount reserved for staffing and
administrative functions. Unlike NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), ARPA-H would not have its own intramural
research program.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103) provides $1 billion to HHS to establish ARPA-H. The
law created a new ARPA-H account at HHS, with funding available until September 30, 2024, and allowed the HHS
Secretary to place the new agency anywhere within the department within 30 days of enactment. On March 30,
2022, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra submitted a notice to the appropriations committees that ARPA-H is to
reside within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), while the ARPA-H Director is to report directly to the HHS
Secretary.
As proposed in the FY2022 request, ARPA-H is modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA), which primarily works with the Department of Defense (DOD), and would contain several “DARPA
model” characteristics, including a flat and nimble organizational structure staffed by tenure-limited program
managers with a high degree of autonomy to select and fund projects using a milestone-based contract approach.
While this organizational structure would be “operationally unique” from NIH ICs, ARPA-H would still coordinate
research and activities with NIH ICs and other HHS agencies.
The FY2022 budget request described four broad project areas that ARPA-H would fund:
tackling bold challenges requiring large scale, sustained, cross-sector coordination;
creating new capabilities (e.g., technologies, data resources, disease models);
supporting high-risk exploration that could establish entirely new paradigms; and
overcoming market failures through critical solutions, including financial incentives.
Most ARPA-H awards would be given to industry, universities, and nonprofit research institutions, and may
involve some agreements with other federal agencies.
For further information and analysis regarding ARPA-H, see CRS Report R47074, Advanced Research Projects Agency
for Health (ARPA-H): Congressional Action and Selected Policy Issues, by Kavya Sekar and Marcy E. Gallo.
Table 9. National Institutes of Health Funding
(budget authority, in millions of dollars)
FY2022
Enacted
FY2023
Request
Cancer Institute (NCI)
$6,913
$6,714
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
$3,808
$3,823
Dental/Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
$501
$513
Diabetes/Digestive/Kidney (NIDDK)a
$2,204
$2,206
Neurological Disorders/Stroke (NINDS)
$2,611
$2,768
Institutes/Centers
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Final
39 NIH, Congressional Justification: FY2023, pp. 17-20, https://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/pdfs/FY23/br/
Overview%20of%20FY%202023%20Presidents%20Budget.pdf.
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FY2022
Enacted
FY2023
Request
Allergy/Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
$6,323
$6,268
General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)b
$1,783
$1,826
Child Health/Human Development
(NICHD)
$1,683
$1,675
National Eye Institute (NEI)
$864
$853
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)c
$842
$932
$4,220
$4,011
Arthritis/Musculoskeletal/Skin Diseases
(NIAMS)
$656
$676
Deafness/Communication Disorders
(NIDCD)
$515
$509
Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism (NIAAA)
$574
$567
Nursing Research (NINR)
$181
$199
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
$1,595
$1,843
National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH)
$2,217
$2,211
Human Genome Research Institute
(NHGRI)
$639
$629
Biomedical Imaging/Bioengineering (NIBIB)
$425
$419
Complementary/Integrative Health
(NCCIH)
$159
$183
Minority Health/Health Disparities
(NIMHD)
$459
$660
Fogarty International Center (FIC)
$87
$96
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
$479
$472
Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
$882
$874
Institutes/Centers
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Office of Director (OD)d
$2,629
$2,310
Innovation Accounte
$150
$419
Buildings and Facilities (B&F)
$250
$300
Advanced Research Projects Agency for
Health (ARPA-H)
$1,000f
$5,000
Subtotal, NIH (LHHS Discretionary
BA)
$44,650
$48,957
PHS Program Evaluation (provided to
NIGMS)
$1,309
$1,272
Superfund (Interior approp. to NIEHS)g
$83
$83
Mandatory type 1 diabetes funds (to
NIDDK)h
$141
$141i
Pandemic Preparednessj
—
$12,050
NIH Program Level
$46,183
$62,503
Congressional Research Service
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FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Final
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Sources: The FY2023 Request program levels are from NIH, Congressional Justification: FY2023, “Budget Request
by IC (Summary Table),” March 28, 2022, p. 86,
https://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/pdfs/FY23/br/Overview%20of%20FY%202023%20Presidents%20Budget.pdf. The
FY2022 program levels are from Rep. Nancy Pelosi, “Explanatory Statement Submitted by Ms. DeLauro, Chair of
the House Committee on Appropriations, Regarding the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R.
2471, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022,” House of Representatives, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol.
168, part No. 42—Book IV (March 9, 2022), pp. H2862-H2865.
Notes: Totals may differ from the sum of the components due to rounding. Figures for the columns currently
blank may become available as action is completed. Amounts in table may differ from actuals in many cases. By
convention, budget tables such as Table 9 do not subtract the amount of transfers to the evaluation tap from
the agencies’ appropriation. In general, amounts provided to NIH for emergency requirements are excluded
from these totals.
a. Amounts for the NIDDK do not include mandatory funding for type 1 diabetes research (see note i).
b. Amounts for NIGMS do not include funds from PHS Evaluation Set-Aside (§241 of the PHS Act).
c. Amounts for NIEHS do not include Interior/Environment Appropriations amount for Superfund research
(see note g).
d. Includes $12.6 million transfer from the Pediatric Research Initiative Fund (PRIF) as authorized by the
Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act.
e. The amount shown for the NIH Innovation Account in each column represents only a portion of the total
appropriation to the account ($496 million for FY2022; $1.085 billion for FY2023). The remaining funds for
this account are reflected, where applicable, in the totals for other ICs. For FY2022, this includes $194 to
NCI for cancer research and $76 million to each of NINDS and NIMH for the BRAIN Initiative ($152
million total). For FY2023, this includes $216 million to NCI for cancer research and $225 million to each of
NINDS and NIMH for the BRAIN Initiative ($450 million total).
f.
Funding for ARPA-H in P.L. 117-103 was provided to a new ARPA-H account under the HHS Office of the
Secretary. A proviso accompanying the appropriation gave HHS Secretary Becerra the ability to transfer the
new agency anywhere within the department within 30 days of enactment. On March 30, 2022, HHS
Secretary Xavier Becerra submitted a notice to the appropriations committees that ARPA-H is to reside
within the NIH, therefore the ARPA-H appropriation is shown within NIH in this table presentation.
g. This is a separate account in the Interior/Environment appropriations for National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) research activities related to Superfund research.
h. Mandatory funds are available to NIDDK for type 1 diabetes research under PHSA Sec. 330B, which was
most recently extended through FY2023 by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260,
Division BB, Title III).
i.
The FY2022 and FY2023 proposed amounts for the type I diabetes research program ($141 million) are
lower than the funding level authorized and appropriated in PHSA 330B for FY2022 and FY2023 ($150
million). According to the budget request, the FY2022 and FY2023 amounts reflect sequestration of $8.55
million. See “Budget Mechanism Table,” p. 44 in https://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/pdfs/FY23/br/
Overview%20of%20FY%202023%20Presidents%20Budget.pdf.
j.
The FY2023 request proposes new mandatory funding for pandemic preparedness to be available for five
years. The request proposes an HHS-wide total of proposes an HHS-wide total of $81.7 billion for
pandemic preparedness with $12.05 billion of the total designated for NIH.
Department of Energy40
The Department of Energy was established in 1977 by the Department of Energy Organization
Act (P.L. 95-91), which combined energy-related programs from a variety of agencies,
particularly defense-related nuclear programs that dated back to the Manhattan Project. Today,
DOE conducts basic scientific research in fields ranging from nuclear physics to the biological
and environmental sciences; basic and applied R&D relating to energy production and use; and
R&D on nuclear weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, and defense nuclear reactors. The department
40 This section was written by Daniel Morgan, Specialist in Science and Technology Policy, CRS Resources, Science,
and Industry Division.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
has a system of 17 national laboratories around the country, mostly operated by contractors, that
together account for about 40% of all DOE expenditures.
The Administration’s FY2023 budget request for DOE includes about $21.233 billion for R&D
and related activities, including programs in three broad categories: science, national security, and
energy. This request is about 11.1% more than the comparable enacted FY2022 amount of
$19.108 billion. (See Table 10 for details.)
The request for the DOE Office of Science is $7.799 billion, an increase of 4.3% from the
FY2022 appropriation of $7.475 billion. Funding would increase for all of the office’s major
research programs, led by Basic Energy Sciences (up $112 million, 4.9%) and Biological and
Environmental Research (up $89 million, 10.9%). In Fusion Energy Sciences, the U.S.
contribution to construction of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a
fusion energy demonstration and research facility in France, would be $240 million (down from
$242 million in FY2022).
The request for DOE national security R&D is $5.724 billion, an increase of 3.6% from $5.523
billion in FY2022. In the Weapons Activities account, funding for Stockpile Research,
Technology, and Engineering would increase overall by $52 million (1.8%), including increases
for Assessment Science ($855 million, up from $769 million) and Engineering and Integrated
Assessments ($366 million, up from $342 million) and a decrease for Inertial Confinement
Fusion ($544 million, down from $580 million). Funding for Naval Reactors would increase
overall by $163 million (8.5%), including increases for Development ($799 million, up from
$641 million) and Operations and Infrastructure ($695 million, up from $594 million) and a
decrease for refueling of the land-based S8G prototype submarine reactor ($20 million, down
from $126 million) as that project nears completion.
The request for DOE energy R&D is $7.710 billion, an increase of 26.2% from $6.110 billion in
FY2022.41 Funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy R&D would increase overall by
44.9%, including increases in nearly all major research areas. An 8.3% increase for the Fossil
Energy and Carbon Management account would be focused on climate-centric activities such as
carbon capture, utilization, and storage ($335 million, up from $225 million). The Advanced
Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), which is intended to advance high-impact energy
technologies that have too much technical and financial uncertainty to attract near-term privatesector investment, would receive $700 million (up 55.6%). The Advanced Research Projects
Agency–Climate (ARPA-C), proposed in the FY2022 budget but not funded by Congress, does
not appear in the FY2023 budget.
41 DOE energy R&D received substantial additional appropriations for FY2022 and FY2023 in the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58).
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Table 10. Department of Energy R&D and Related Activities
(budget authority, in millions of dollars)
FY2022
Enacted
FY2023
Request
7,475
7,799
Basic Energy Sciences
2,308
2,420
High Energy Physics
1,078
1,122
Biological and Environmental Research
815
904
Nuclear Physics
728
739
1,035
1,069
Fusion Energy Sciences
713
723
Isotope R&D and Production
82
97
Accelerator R&D and Production
18
27
Other
698
697
5,523
5,724
Weapons Activities Stockpile RT&E
2,843
2,895
Naval Reactors
1,918
2,081
Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation R&D
729
720
Def. Environmental Cleanup Tech. Dev.
33
28
6,110
7,710
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
2,773a
4,019
Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
825
893
1,655
1,675
Electricity
277
297
CESER Risk Management Technology and
Tools
130
125
Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy
450
700
19,108
21,233
Science
Advanced Scientific Computing Research
National Security
Energy
Nuclear Energy
DOE, Total
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Sources: FY2022 enacted from P.L. 117-103 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, March 9, 2022,
Book III. FY2023 request from DOE FY2023 congressional budget justification, https://www.energy.gov/cfo/
articles/fy-2023-budget-justification.
Notes: Totals may differ from the sum of the components due to rounding. RT&E = Research, Technology, and
Engineering. CESER = Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response. Figures for the columns
currently blank may become available as action is completed.
a. Excluding Weatherization and Intergovernmental Activities.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
National Aeronautics and Space Administration42
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was created in 1958 by the National
Aeronautics and Space Act (P.L. 85-568) to conduct civilian space and aeronautics activities.
NASA has research programs in planetary science, Earth science, astrophysics, heliophysics, the
biological and physical sciences, aeronautics, and astronaut health and performance, as well as
development programs for future human spacecraft and for multipurpose space technology such
as advanced propulsion systems. In addition, NASA operates the International Space Station
(ISS) as a facility for R&D and other purposes.
The Administration has requested $25.974 billion for NASA in FY2023. This would be 8.0%
more than the FY2022 level of $24.041 billion.43 For a breakdown of these amounts, see Table
11. About half of NASA funding supports R&D. Some accounts (such as Science and Space
Technology) fund R&D almost exclusively, while others (such as Exploration and Space
Operations) fund a mix of R&D, testing and demonstration, operations, and other activities. The
table indicates the estimated R&D share of each account, based on OMB data for the FY2023
request. Those shares may be different for FY2022 and for FY2023 appropriations provided by
Congress.
The FY2023 request for Science is $7.988 billion, an increase of 4.9% from $7.614 billion in
FY2022. A requested 17% increase for Earth Science includes $212 million for early work on a
system of future satellites known as the Earth System Observatory, based on recommendations
from the 2018 National Academies decadal survey of Earth science; and $107 million for the
Sustainable Land Imaging program, which supports the development of the next generation of
Landsat satellites.44 The request for Astrophysics includes $173 million for operation of the James
Webb Space Telescope, launched in December 2021, which was previously budgeted separately.
Also in Astrophysics, the request proposes to terminate the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared
Astronomy (SOFIA), with $10 million requested for closeout costs versus FY2022 funding of
$85 million. SOFIA was also proposed for termination in the FY2021 and FY2022 budgets, but
Congress continued to fund it.
The FY2023 request for Aeronautics is $972 million, an increase of 10.3% from $881 million in
FY2022. The request for the Integrated Aviation Systems program includes $107 million for
continued development of a full-scale demonstrator aircraft with an electrified powertrain.
The FY2023 request for Space Technology is $1.438 billion, an increase of 30.7% from $1.100
billion in FY2022. The bulk of the requested increase would be for the Technology Maturation
program ($472 million). In the Technology Demonstration program, the request proposes $45
million for space nuclear technologies, including $15 million for nuclear propulsion (versus $110
million for nuclear thermal propulsion in FY2022).
The FY2023 request for Deep Space Exploration Systems (currently Exploration) is $7.478
billion, an increase of 10.1% from $6.792 billion in FY2022. Within this account, the request for
Common Exploration Systems Development (currently Exploration Systems Development)
includes $1.339 billion for the Orion crew capsule (down from $1.407 billion in FY2022) and
42 This section was written by Daniel Morgan, Specialist in Science and Technology Policy, CRS Resources, Science,
and Industry Division.
43 This FY2022 amount does not include a supplemental appropriation of $321 million to repair hurricane damage at
NASA facilities.
44 Here and elsewhere in this section, where FY2022 amounts are not stated, they were not specified by Congress in the
FY2022 appropriations act or explanatory statement. NASA’s spending plan for FY2022 was not yet available when
the FY2023 budget request was released.
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$2.580 billion for the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket (SLS, down from $2.600 billion in
FY2022). As the Orion and SLS programs mature, they are focusing more on testing and
production of flight hardware, with less R&D content than in previous years. The proposed
18.5% increase for Artemis Campaign Development (currently Exploration R&D) would support
continued development of the Gateway outpost in lunar orbit ($779 million, down from $785
million in FY2022) and the lunar Human Landing System (HLS, $1.486 billion, up from $1.195
billion in FY2022). The Deep Space Exploration Systems request includes separate funding for
Human Exploration Requirements and Architecture and for Mars Campaign Development, both
previously included in Exploration R&D.
In the Space Operations account, requests for R&D-related activities include $1.308 billion for
the ISS; $118 million for the Commercial Crew program (in Space Transportation); $151 million
for the Human Research Program (in Space and Flight Support); and $224 million for
Commercial LEO Development (up from $101 million in FY2022). Commercial crew transport
activities have largely transitioned from development to operations (which is funded separately).
SpaceX launched its first post-certification crewed flight to the ISS in November 2020; a crewed
test flight of Boeing’s competing commercial crew system is planned for late 2022 or early 2023.
Table 11. National Aeronautics and Space Administration R&D
(budget authority, in millions of dollars)
Est. R&D
Share
FY2022
Enacted
FY2023
Request
99%
7,614
7,988
Earth Science
2,065
2,412
Planetary Science
3,120
3,160
Astrophysics
1,394
1,556
James Webb Space Telescope
175
—a
Heliophysics
778
760
Biological and Physical Sciences
83
100
Science
Aeronautics
79%
881
972
Space Technology
98%
1,100
1,438
Exploration / Deep Space Exp. Systems
22%
6,792
7,478
(Common) Exploration Systems Development
4,597
4,668
Exp. R&D / Artemis Campaign Development
2,195
2,600
Human Exp. Requirements and Architecture
—
48
Mars Campaign Development
—
161
4,041
4,266
International Space Station
n/s
1,308
Space Transportation
n/s
1,760
Space and Flight Support
n/s
975
Commercial LEO Development
101
224
Space Operations
34%
STEM Engagement
0%
137
150
Safety, Security, and Mission Services
7%
3,021
3,209
Congressional Research Service
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
25
Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Est. R&D
Share
FY2022
Enacted
FY2023
Request
Construction and Environmental C&R
25%
410b
424
Inspector General
0%
45
48
52%
24,041b
25,974
NASA, Total
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Sources: Estimated R&D share calculated by CRS based on OMB data for R&D and R&D-related facilities and
equipment funding in the FY2023 request. FY2022 enacted from P.L. 117-103 and explanatory statement,
Congressional Record, March 9, 2022, pp. H1796-H1799. FY2023 request from NASA FY2023 congressional
budget justification, http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/.
Notes: Totals may differ from the sum of the components due to rounding. n/s = not specified. LEO = Low
Earth Orbit. C&R = Compliance and Remediation. Figures for the columns currently blank may become available
as action is completed.
a. Included in Astrophysics.
b. Does not include supplemental $321 million for hurricane repairs provided in P.L. 117-43.
National Science Foundation45
The National Science Foundation supports basic research and education in the nonmedical
sciences and engineering. Congress established the foundation as an independent federal agency
in 1950 to “promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and
welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes.”46 The NSF is a major source of
federal support for U.S. university research, especially in the social sciences, mathematics, and
computer science. It is also responsible for significant shares of the federal science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education program portfolio and federal STEM student
aid and support.
NSF has six appropriations accounts: Research and Related Activities (RRA, the main research
account), STEM Education (EDU, the main education account),47 Major Research Equipment and
Facilities Construction (MREFC), Agency Operations and Award Management (AOAM), the
National Science Board (NSB), and the Office of Inspector General (OIG). Appropriations are
generally provided at the account level, while program-specific direction may be included in
appropriations acts, or accompanying conference reports or explanatory statements.
Funding for R&D is included in the RRA, EDU, and MREFC accounts. (The RRA and EDU
accounts also include non-R&D funding.) Together, these three accounts comprise over 95% of
the total requested funding for NSF. Actual R&D obligations for each account are known after
NSF allocates funding appropriations to specific activities and reports those figures.48 The budget
45 This section was written by Laurie Harris, Analyst in Science and Technology Policy, CRS Resources, Science, and
Industry Division.
46 The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (P.L. 81-507).
47 In the FY2023 budget request, NSF proposed changing the name of the Directorate for Education and Human
Resources (EHR) to the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU). For consistency with the budget request, this report
refers to the directorate and associated appropriations account as EDU.
48 R&D actual (FY2021) and requested (FY2023) amounts are reported in the “Quantitative Data Tables” section of the
NSF FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, March 28, 2022, pp. QDT-1 – QDT-7. R&D estimated (FY2022) amounts at
the account level are from data provided by email to CRS from OMB as of April 1, 2022; per OMB, the FY2022 data
use “annualized appropriations provided by the 2022 Continuing Resolution as well as including enacted legislation as
of January 2022.”
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request specifies R&D funding for the conduct of research, including basic and applied research,
and for physical assets, including R&D facilities and major equipment. Funding amounts for
FY2020 actual, FY2021 enacted (or estimated, for subaccount and R&D amounts as noted), and
FY2023 requested levels are reported by account, including amounts for R&D conduct and
physical assets where applicable, in Table 12.
Funding for NSF for FY2022 was enacted on March 15, 2022.49 Additionally, NSF received $600
million in supplemental two-year appropriations in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP
Act; P.L. 117-2) “to fund or extend new and existing research grants, cooperative agreements,
scholarships, fellowships, and apprenticeships, and related administrative expenses to prevent,
prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.”50 Funding details for FY2022 enacted amounts below
the account level were not available at the time the FY2023 budget request was prepared.
Therefore, at the account level, the FY2023 request amounts are compared with the FY2022
enacted amounts in this analysis; below the account level, the FY2023 request amounts are
compared with FY2021 actual amounts for subaccounts and R&D amounts. FY2022
enacted/estimated and FY2023 requested amounts are reported by account and for R&D conduct
and facilities and equipment in Table 12.
Overall. The Administration is requesting $10.5 billion for the NSF in FY2023, $1.65 billion
(18.7%) more than the FY2022 enacted amount. The request would increase budget authority in
two of three R&D accounts relative to the FY2022 enacted level: RRA by $1.27 billion (17.7%)
and EDU by $371 million (36.9%); the request would decrease budget authority in the remaining
R&D account relative to the FY2022 enacted level: MREFC by $61.8 million (-24.8%). Overall,
NSF estimates that, under the FY2023 request, agency-wide funding rates for competitive awards
(i.e., the percentage of submitted proposals that are successfully awarded funding after
competitive review) would increase slightly from 26% to 27%, with an estimated 13,500 awards.
For FY2023, $8.45 billion is requested for R&D activities, a $1.38 billion (19.6%) increase from
FY2021 actual funding for R&D. R&D activities account for approximately 80% of NSF’s total
funding. The total request for R&D activities includes $7.90 billion (94%) for the conduct of
R&D, and $545 million (6%) for R&D facilities and major equipment. Of funding requested for
the conduct of R&D, 86% is requested for basic research, and 14% for applied research. Overall
funding for R&D facilities and major equipment supports not only the construction and
acquisition phases, funded through MREFC ($187 million requested), but also planning, design,
and post-construction operations and maintenance, funded through RRA ($358 million
requested).
Research. The Administration seeks $8.43 billion for RRA in FY2023, a $1.33 billion (18.7%)
increase compared to the FY2021 actual funding. Within the RRA account, the FY2023 request
includes $7.56 billion for R&D, an increase of $1.15 billion (17.9%) compared with the FY2021
actual amount. Of this amount, the majority ($7.20 billion, 95%) is requested for the conduct of
research, including $6.52 billion for basic research and $682 million for applied research.
Compared with the FY2021 actual amounts, the FY2023 request includes funding increases for
all 11 RRA subaccounts. This includes a request of $880 million for the newly created Directorate
49 The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103); H.Rept. 117-97; and Explanatory Statement,
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Division B (Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act, 2022), Congressional Record, vol. 168, no. 42—Book III (March 9, 2022), pp. H1799-H1800.
50 ARP Act amounts are included in the FY2021 actual amounts; these funds are not included in the FY2022
enacted/estimated funding amounts because they are two-year funds allocated over FY2021 and FY2022; for further
information, see NSF FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, p. Performance and Management-41.
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for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP), meant to support crosscutting programs and
activities, accelerate the translation of research to market, and catalyze partnerships across
academia, industry, government, investors, and civil society.51 The FY2023 request also includes
$247 million for the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), a $47.1
million (23.5%) increase compared with FY2021 actual funding.
Education. The FY2023 request for the EDU account is $1.38 billion, $371 million (37%) more
than the FY2022 enacted amount. By program division, in terms of both dollars and percent, the
Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM would receive the largest increase, $110 million
(51%) over the FY2021 actual level.52 EDU programs of particular interest to congressional
policymakers include the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and National Research
Traineeship (NRT) programs. The FY2023 request for GRFP is $355 million, an increase of $71.1
million (25%) from the FY2021 actual level.53 The FY2023 request for NRT is $62.5 million, an
increase of $4.5 million (7.8%) from the FY2021 actual level.
Within EDU, requested funding for R&D is $698 million, which is $217 million (45%) more than
the FY2021 actual funding amount and accounts for approximately 10% of the agency’s total
R&D request. All of the requested funding would support the conduct of R&D, including $265
million for basic research and $433 million for applied research.
Construction. The MREFC account supports large construction projects and larger mid-scale
research infrastructure, with all of the funding supporting R&D facilities. The construction phases
of such large-scale projects tend to span multiple years; therefore, NSF provides out-year
estimates of funding for major facilities for the duration of the anticipated timeline, which are
updated annually. This section of the analysis includes comparisons with FY2022 requested
funding for specific projects, based on these projections. The Administration is seeking $187
million for MREFC in FY2023, $62 million (16%) less than the FY2022 enacted amount.
Requested MREFC funding would support continued construction on four ongoing major facility
projects:54
the Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization program (AIR; $60.0 million
requested)55;
upgrades to the High Luminosity-Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC; $33.0
million requested)56;
51 For more information on the TIP Directorate, see NSF, FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, pp. TIP-1 – TIP-10,
https://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2023/pdf/75_fy2023.pdf.
52 This division was formerly named the Division of Human Resource Development (HRD); NSF proposed to change
the name in the FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, pp. EDU-1, EDU-8 – EDU-9.
53 The subset of GRFP funds provided through RRA in prior years was consolidated within EDU beginning in FY2022.
The FY2023 budget request restates prior year funding for FY2021 within EDU for comparability across fiscal years.
See NSF, FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, p. Cross-Theme Topics – 49.
54 NSF has addressed timeline and funding impacts to MREFC projects from the COVID-19 pandemic, stating,
“Funding for FY 2022, the FY 2023 Request, and out-year forecasts for all projects have been adjusted from previous
estimates based on NSF’s current assessment of COVID-19 impacts. As appropriate, re-baselining of several projects
will continue to take place, as cost and schedule impacts become better known.” See NSF, FY2023 Budget Request to
Congress, p. Research Infrastructure – 10.
55 The FY2023 funding for AIR is requested as part of re-baselining of the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization for
Science (AIMS) program, which encountered significant disruptions and delays due to COVID-19 restrictions as field
work and on-ice construction work was in the early stages; NSF, FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, p. Research
Infrastructure – 12.
56 NSF’s HL-LHC upgrade program represents about 7% of the global high luminosity upgrade effort at the LHC,
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the Vera C. Rubin Observatory ($15.0 million requested)57; and
Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRV; $1.98 million requested).58
Additionally, $76.2 million is requested for Mid-scale Research Infrastructure projects (those
projects with funding amounts in the $20 million to $100 million range), equal to the FY2022
request; this was a new funding line-item in the MREFC account as of FY2020, meant to manage
support for upgrades to major facilities and stand-alone projects in this range as a portfolio.
Other Initiatives. The FY2023 NSF budget request includes funding for multiple agency-wide
investments, including the Big Ideas, as well as multiagency initiatives. This funding is included
in multiple NSF appropriations accounts, and R&D amounts are not separately provided.
For FY2023, NSF requests funding for eight Big Ideas, including five Research and three
Enabling Big Ideas. The Big Ideas were first proposed in 2016 as an “endeavor to break down the
silos of conventional scientific research … to define and push the frontiers of global science and
engineering leadership and to invest in fundamental research.”59 Requested funding amounts for
each of the Big Ideas compared with the FY2021 actual amounts include the following:60
Harnessing the Data Revolution for 21st-Century Science and Engineering
(HDR): $182 million requested, down $9.7 million (-5%) from FY2021.
The Future of Work at the Human Technology Frontier (FW-HTF): $176 million
requested, up $2.9 million (2%) from FY2021.
Navigating the New Arctic (NNA): $35.2 million requested, down $4.9 million
(-12%) from FY2021.
Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL): Predicting Phenotype: $94 million
requested, down $20 million (-18%) from FY2021.
Windows on the Universe (WoU): $62 million requested, down $13 million
(-17%) from FY2021.
Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented
Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES): $51 million
requested, up $30 million (143%) from FY2021.
Growing Convergence Research at NSF (GCR): $16 million requested, equal to
the FY2021 actual amount.
Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure: $126 million requested, up $20 million (19%)
from FY2021.61
which is being supported by 45 funding agencies internationally, including the U.S. Department of Energy; see NSF,
FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, pp. Research Infrastructure – 21.
57 The Rubin Observatory is a joint program between NSF and DOE. FY2023 represents the 10 th year construction,
originally planned to last 99 months. This project is currently being rebaselined to account for impacts of the COVID19 pandemic, which have shifted expectations for completion to FY2024. See FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, p.
Research Infrastructure – 38.
58 The FY2023 request of $1.98 million is the current estimated amount needed to address the remaining impacts due to
COVID-19; see FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, p. Research Infrastructure – 35.
59 NSF, FY2021 Budget Request to Congress, February 10, 202, pp. Overview-9 – Overview-10.
60 For more information on the Big Ideas, see NSF, FY2023 Budget Request to Congress, pp. Cross-Theme Topics 15 –
Cross-Theme Topics-20.
61 This total includes Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1, funded through RRA, for projects costing $6 million-$20
million, as well as Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-2, funded through MREFC, for projects costing $20 million-$100
million.
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The budget request also includes multi-agency initiatives. The National Nanotechnology
Initiative would receive $435 million, $177 million (29%) less than the FY2021 actual amount.
The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development program would receive
$2.11 billion, an increase of $393 million (23%). The U.S. Global Change Research Program
would receive $913 million, $345 million (61%) more than the FY2021 actual amount.
Table 12. National Science Foundation Funding
(budget authority, in millions of dollars)
FY2021
Actuala
FY2022
Enacted/
Estimated
FY2023
Request
Research and Related
Activities (RRA)
7,099.1
7,159.4
8,426.0
R&D, RRA Total
6,413.1
6,239.0
7,561.6
Conduct of R&D
6,150.4
5,983.0
7,203.6
262.6
256.0
358.0
992.7
1,006.0
1,377.2
Account
R&D Facilities and Major
Equipment
Education and Human
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Resources (EDU)
R&D, EDU Total
480.8
560.0
698.2
Conduct of R&D
480.8
560.0
698.2
R&D Facilities and Major
Equipment
Major Research Equipment
0.0
0.0
0.0
170.2
249.0
187.2
170.2
249.0
187.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
170.2
249.0
187.2
396.5
400.0
473.2
Office of the Inspector
General (OIG)b
17.6
19.0
23.4
National Science Board
(NSB)b
4.4
4.6
5.1
NSF, Total Discretionaryc
8,680.5
8,838.0
10,492.1
R&D, NSF Total
7,064.1
7,048.0
8,447.0
Total, Conduct of R&D
6,631.3
6,543.0
7,901.8
432.9
505.0
545.3
and Facilities Construction
(MREFC)
R&D, MREFC Total
Conduct of R&D
R&D Facilities and Major
Equipment
Agency Operations and
Award Management
(AOAM)b
Total, R&D Facilities & Major
Equipment
Sources: Data in the columns titled “FY2021 Actual,” “FY2022 Enacted/Estimated,” and “FY2023 Request” are
from P.L. 117-103; email communications from OMB to CRS as of April 1, 2022; and the NSF FY2023 Budget
Request to Congress.
Notes: n/a = not available. Appropriations accounts are in bold. NSF total may differ from the sum of the
accounts due to rounding. Nonbold R&D funding amounts are a subset of funding for the specified accounts.
Figures for the columns currently blank may become available as action is completed.
a. FY2022 account funding amounts (bold) are as enacted (P.L. 117-103). FY2021 R&D funding amounts
(nonbold) are as reported in the NSF FY2023 Budget Request to Congress; these amounts include a portion of
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b.
c.
$600 million in two-year appropriations for NSF as enacted in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L.
117-2) “to fund or extend new and existing research grants, cooperative agreements, scholarships,
fellowships, and apprenticeships, and related administrative expenses to prevent, prepare for, and respond
to coronavirus.”
The AOAM, NSB, and OIG accounts have no reported R&D funding.
In addition to discretionary funding, NSF reports mandatory funding from H-1B visa and donation sources,
which are not included in this total.
Department of Agriculture62
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created in 1862 to support agricultural research
in an expanding, agriculturally dependent country. Today, USDA conducts intramural research at
federal facilities with federally employed scientists, and supports extramural research at
universities and other facilities through competitive grants and capacity (formula-based) funding.
The breadth of contemporary USDA research spans traditional agricultural production practices,
as well as organic and sustainable agriculture, bioenergy, nutritional needs and food composition,
food safety, animal and plant health, pest and disease management, economic decisionmaking,
and other social sciences affecting consumers, farmers, and rural communities.
The four agencies of USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area carry out
the Department’s research and education activities.63 These agencies are the Agricultural
Research Service (ARS), the principal intramural research agency; the National Institute of Food
and Agriculture (NIFA), the principal extramural research agency; the National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS), which undertakes a variety of surveys to capture relevant data; and the
Economic Research Service (ERS), which applies economic analysis to a wide range of topics
related to food and agriculture. In addition to the four REE agencies, the Office of the Chief
Scientist (OCS), a staff office within the Office of the Under Secretary for REE, coordinates
science activities across the department.
USDA’s FY2022 enacted discretionary appropriations and the Administration’s FY2023 budget
request for the four REE agencies and OCS are discussed below, with funding amounts presented
in Table 13. In annual agriculture appropriations acts, Title I (Agricultural Programs) provides
regular discretionary appropriations for USDA, including the REE agencies and OCS. REE
agencies and programs receive additional funding from sources other than this title, including
discretionary funding from Title VII (General Provisions), mandatory funding authorized by the
2018 farm bill (P.L. 115-334 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260),
nonfederal matching contributions, and private donations and grants.64 Funding from these other
sources is discussed separately in the text, and is not presented in Table 13.
FY2022 enacted appropriations (P.L. 117-103 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 provide a
total of $3,676.1 million in discretionary spending for the REE agencies through Division A
(Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2022), Title I.65 Title VII (General Provisions) of P.L. 117-103 provides an
62 This section was written by Genevieve K. Croft, Analyst in Agricultural Policy, CRS Resources, Science, and
Industry Division.
63 For additional information, see CRS Report R40819, Agricultural Research: Background and Issues, by Genevieve
K. Croft.
64 Ibid.
65 FY2022 enacted appropriations and related congressional directives presented in this report section derive from P.L.
117-103; the accompanying Explanatory Statement, Division A—Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022; H.Rept. 117-182 (to accompany the House-reported
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additional $13.7 million. The Administration is requesting a total of $4,042.0 million for these
agencies in FY2023, a 10% increase ($365.9 million), including increases of 8% to 14% for each
agency.
Agricultural Research Service
ARS is USDA’s in-house basic and applied research agency, and has major responsibilities for
conducting and leading the national agricultural research effort. ARS operates approximately 90
laboratories, with about 5,300 permanent employees, including approximately 2,000 research
scientists. ARS laboratories include a focus on efficient and sustainable food and fiber
production, development of new products and uses for agricultural commodities, development of
effective controls for pest management, and support of USDA regulatory and technical assistance
programs. ARS also operates the National Agricultural Library (NAL). NAL is the world’s largest
agricultural research library, and is a primary information repository for food, agriculture, and
natural resource sciences.
For FY2022, P.L. 117-103 provides $1,633.5 million for ARS salaries and expenses, and $127.8
million for buildings and facilities. For FY2023, the Administration is requesting $1,858.7
million for ARS salaries and expenses, an increase of $225.2 million (13.8%) above the FY2022
discretionary appropriation. This request includes increases of $101.0 million for clean energy
research and $109.0 million for climate science. The FY2023 request for buildings and facilities
is $45.4 million, a decrease of $82.4 million (-64.5%) from the FY2022 appropriation.
ARS continues to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the new
National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), which DHS is constructing to replace the
outdated Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC).66 In January 2019, USDA and DHS
signed a Memorandum of Agreement to govern the transition of NBAF from DHS to USDA, with
ownership to transfer upon its completion and commissioning.67 USDA projects the transfer of
the operations from PIADC to NBAF will be completed by December 2023, a date delayed from
earlier projections, including most recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.68 FY2022 enacted
appropriations for ARS Salaries and Expenses provide an additional $49.0 million for initial
costs, operation, and maintenance of NBAF. For FY2023, the Administration is requesting a total
of $47.5 million for NBAF within ARS salaries and expenses, and an increase of $10.6 million
for NBAF capital improvement and maintenance within the ARS buildings and facilities account.
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
NIFA is USDA’s principal extramural research agency. It provides federal funding for research,
education, and extension projects conducted in partnership with land-grant colleges and
universities (LGUs), State Agricultural Experiment Stations, the Cooperative Extension System,
FY2022 agriculture appropriations bill, H.R. 3456); and S.Rept. 117-34 (to accompany the Senate-reported agriculture
appropriations bill, S. 2599).
66 For additional information, see CRS In Focus IF11492, National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility: Purpose and Status,
by Genevieve K. Croft.
67 USDA and DHS, Memorandum of Agreement Between the U.S. Department of Agriculture Marketing and
Regulatory Programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Research, Education, and Economics, and the Department
of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, June 20, 2019, https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/
documents/usda-dhs-moa.pdf.
68 USDA, “USDA and DHS S&T Revise NBAF Project Timeline,” press release, December 15, 2020,
https://www.usda.gov/nbaf/media/press-releases/2020/usda-dhs-st-revise-nbaf-project-timeline.
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other research and education institutions, private organizations, and individuals. NIFA
partnerships include the three types of LGUs—1862 (original) Institutions, 1890 (historically
Black) Institutions, and 1994 (tribal) Institutions—as well as other higher education institutions.69
Federal funds awarded through NIFA capacity (formula-based) and competitive grants enhance
research capacity at these institutions.70 While NIFA is headquartered in Washington, DC, USDA
relocated the majority of NIFA staff positions to Kansas City, MO, in 2019.71
For FY2022, P.L. 117-103 provides $1,636.9 million in discretionary funds for NIFA activities.
For FY2023, the Administration requests $1,820.9 million, an increase of $184.0 million (11.2%).
In the explanatory notes for NIFA, the Administration proposes a change in appropriations
language that would combine three separate NIFA funding accounts—for research and education,
extension, and integrated activities—into one agency account that includes all programs.72 The
Administration argues that the existing three NIFA accounts are artifacts of the 1994
consolidation of two separate USDA agencies into the single agency now known as NIFA, and
the subsequent establishment of an integrated activities program in 1998.73 The Administration
argues that consolidating the accounts would “mirror the organization as a National Institute with
a unified mission and offer opportunities to streamline administration of funds.”74 Further, the
Administration proposes no-year spending authority for certain programs, including several that
provide funds to minority-serving institutions.75
Research and Education. Hatch Act and Evans-Allen Act funds support capacity grants for
research and education activities at 1862 and 1890 Institutions, respectively. For Hatch Act
programs, the enacted P.L. 117-103 provides $260.0 million, and the Administration is requesting
$265.0 million for FY2023, a 1.9% increase. For Evans-Allen programs, the FY2022
appropriation provides $80.0 million, and for FY2023 the Administration is requesting $92.8
million, a 16.0% increase. The McIntire-Stennis program provides capacity funds for forestry
research. For FY2022, P.L. 117-103provides $36.0 million for this program, and for FY2023 the
Administration is requesting $43.3 million, a 20.2% increase.
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is USDA’s flagship competitive research
grants program, and currently represents about 31.0% of NIFA’s total discretionary budget. The
FY2022 enacted bill provides $445.0 million for AFRI, and the Administration is requesting
$564.0 million for FY2023, a 26.7% increase and $136 million less than the $700 million
authorized by the 2018 farm bill. NIFA also funds the Sustainable Agriculture Research and
69 1862, 1890, and 1994 refer to the years of enactment of the laws that created these institutional classifications. For
more information on LGUs and other NIFA-funded institutions, see CRS Report R45897, The U.S. Land-Grant
University System: An Overview, by Genevieve K. Croft; CRS In Focus IF11847, 1890 Land-Grant Universities:
Background and Selected Issues, by Genevieve K. Croft; and CRS In Focus IF12009, 1994 Land-Grant Universities:
Background and Selected Issues, by Genevieve K. Croft.
70 The National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-113) designated USDA as
the lead federal agency for higher education in the food and agricultural sciences.
71 For further information, see CRS In Focus IF11527, Relocation of the USDA Research Agencies: NIFA and ERS, by
Genevieve K. Croft.
72 Similar consolidations in NIFA have been proposed in six of the past seven President’s Budget Requests, but were
not adopted by Congress.
73 USDA, “National Institute of Food and Agriculture,” 2023 USDA Budget Explanatory Notes for Committee on
Appropriations, 2022, pp. 29-30.
74 Ibid., p. 30.
75 No-year spending authority refers to authority that does not expire, unlike regular appropriations that are typically for
the one year of the appropriation.
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Education (SARE) program. For FY2022, P.L. 117-103provides $45.0 million for SARE, and the
Administration requests $60.0 million for FY2023, a 33.3% increase.
Extension. Smith-Lever 3(b) and 3(c) programs provide capacity grants to 1862 Institutions to
support cooperative extension. The FY2022 enacted appropriation provides $320.0 million for
these programs, and the Administration requests the same funding level for FY2023. For
extension capacity grants for 1890 Institutions, FY2022 appropriations provide $65.0 million, and
the Administration requests the same funding level for FY2023.
Smith-Lever Act 3(d) programs provide competitive grants to LGUs to support cooperative
extension. These programs include grants for food and nutrition education; new technologies for
agricultural extension; federally recognized tribes; children, youth, and families at risk; and farm
safety education. For FY2022, P.L. 117-103provides $90.4 million for Smith-Lever 3(d)
programs. For FY2023, the Administration is requesting $90.1 million. Of this total, $70.0
million would support the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), and $7.7
million would support the Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program.
Integrated Activities. Integrated activities are those activities that include some combination of
teaching, education, and research. The Administration is requesting $39.0 million for integrated
activities in FY2023, $1.0 million less than the FY2022 appropriation.
Other appropriations. In addition to those sums discussed above, Title VII (General Provisions)
of the enacted FY2022 agriculture appropriations bill includes $13.3 million for certain NIFA
programs and activities. These include appropriations for continuation of a pilot program to
enhance farming and ranching activities for military veterans ($5.0 million), to support the Farm
of the Future test site ($5.0 million), and a provision providing $5.0 million for Farming
Opportunities Training and Outreach (FOTO), of which half is for NIFA and half is for the USDA
Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement. For FY2023, the Administration proposes
appropriations language in the General Provisions providing $5.0 million for FOTO.
National Agricultural Statistics Service
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts the five-yearly Census of
Agriculture and provides official statistics on agricultural production and farm sector indicators.
It is one of the 13 principal statistical agencies of the U.S. Federal Statistical System.
For FY2022, P.L. 117-103 provides $190.2 million for NASS, of which up to $46.9 million is
reserved to support the Census of Agriculture. The Administration is requesting $217.5 million
for NASS in FY2023, of which up to $66.4 million is for the Census of Agriculture. This request
includes funding for mailing and processing the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The
Administration’s request for FY2023 proposes increases for some programs, including an
additional $8.0 million to support climate science activities through NASS’s existing geospatial
program.
Economic Research Service
The Economic Research Service supports economic and social science analysis about agriculture,
rural development, food, commodity markets, and the environment. It also collects and
disseminates data concerning USDA programs and policies. Like NASS, ERS is one of the
principal statistical agencies of the U.S. Federal Statistical System. While ERS is headquartered
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
in Washington, DC, USDA relocated the majority of ERS staff positions to Kansas City, MO, in
2019.76
For FY2022, P.L. 117-103provides $87.8 million for ERS activities. The Administration is
requesting $99.6 million for FY2023, a 13.4% increase. This includes a proposed increase of $2.1
million for climate science research and $6.5 million to conduct a second round of the USDA
National Household Food Purchase and Acquisition Survey—an activity to be conducted in
coordination with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.
Office of the REE Under Secretary and Office of the Chief Scientist
Congress created the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) in 2008 when it established the dual role
of the Under Secretary for REE as the USDA Chief Scientist (7 U.S.C. §6971). OCS coordinates
research programs and activities across USDA. Administratively, it is a component of the Office
of the Under Secretary for REE.
In recent years, congressional appropriations for the Office of the Under Secretary for REE have
included funds for the Under Secretary and a partial staff.77 Congress has not provided direct
appropriations for OCS staff since its establishment. As such, OCS has been funded via
interagency agreement among the REE agencies. FY2022 appropriations provide $3.3 million for
the Office of the Under Secretary for REE, which does not include direct funding for OCS staff.
Of the $3.3 million, $1.0 million is for planning and staffing of the Agriculture Advanced
Research and Development Authority (AGARDA), and $1.0 million is to fund a study by the
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on links between soil health and
human health.78 In addition to those funds provided through Title I (Agricultural Programs) of
P.L. 117-103, Title VII (General Provisions) provides $400,000 for pollinator research
coordination within OCS. The President’s budget request for FY2023 includes $6.3 million for
the Office of the Under Secretary for REE, of which $4.9 million is for OCS. In concert with this
request, each REE agency’s FY2023 budget request includes a funding decrease equal to the
amount the agency contributed for OCS operations in FY2022.
Table 13. U.S. Department of Agriculture R&D
(budget authority, in millions of dollars)
FY2022
Enacted
P.L. 117-103
FY2023
Request
Salaries and Expenses
1,633.5
1,858.7
Buildings and Facilities
127.8
45.4
1,761.3
1,904.1
Agency or Major Program
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Subtotal, ARS
National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA)
Research and Education
76 See CRS In Focus IF11527, Relocation of the USDA Research Agencies: NIFA and ERS, by Genevieve K. Croft.
77 For example, Table OSEC-5 of USDA’s FY2023 explanatory notes identifies $809,000 and three staff years for the
Office of the Under Secretary for REE in FY2022. USDA, “Office of the Secretary,” 2023 USDA Budget Explanatory
Notes for Committee on Appropriations, 2022, p. 8.
78 The 2018 farm bill established the AGARDA pilot program as a component of OCS (7 U.S.C. §3319k).
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Agency or Major Program
FY2022
Enacted
P.L. 117-103
FY2023
Request
AFRI (competitive grants)
445.0
564.0
Hatch Act (1862 Institutions)
260.0
265.0
Evans-Allen (1890 Institutions)
80.0
92.8
McIntire-Stennis (forestry)
36.0
43.3
Other
225.2
248.2
1,046.2
1,213.3
Smith-Lever 3(b) and 3(c)
320.0
320.0
Smith-Lever 3(d)
90.4
90.1
1890 Extension Activities
65.0
65.0
1994 Extension Activities
9.5
19.0
Other
65.7
74.4
550.6
568.6
Subtotal, Research and Education
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Extension
Subtotal, Extension
Integrated Activities
40.0
39.0
1,636.8
1,820.9
National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS)
190.2
217.5
Economic Research Service (ERS)
87.8
99.6
Total, USDA Research, Education,
and Economics Agencies
3,676.1
4,042.0
3.3
6.4
1.0
5.0
Subtotal, NIFA
Office of the Under Secretary for REE
Office of the Chief Scientist
Sources: CRS, compiled from P.L. 117-103 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, FY2022 Explanatory Statement,
Division A; and FY2023 USDA Budget Justification Notes.
Notes: Totals may differ from the sum of the components due to rounding. Figures for the columns currently
blank may become available as action is completed. FY2022 enacted amounts do not include $13.7 million in
discretionary appropriations for NIFA and OCS programs and activities allocated via P.L. 117-103, Division A,
Title VII (General Provisions).
Department of Commerce
Two agencies of the Department of Commerce have major R&D programs: the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA).
National Institute of Standards and Technology79
The mission of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is “to promote U.S. innovation
and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in
79 This section was written by Emily G. Blevins, Analyst in Science and Technology Policy, and John Sargent,
Specialist in Science and Technology Policy, CRS Resources, Science, and Industry Division.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.”80 NIST research provides
measurement, calibration, and quality assurance methods and techniques that support U.S.
commerce, technological progress, product reliability, manufacturing processes, and public safety.
NIST’s responsibilities include the development, maintenance, and custodial retention of the
national standards of measurement; providing the means and methods for making measurements
consistent with those standards; and ensuring the compatibility of U.S. national measurement
standards with those of other nations.81
Regular appropriations for NIST are provided through the annual Commerce, Justice, Science,
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (CJS Act). President Biden is requesting $1,467.6
million for NIST in FY2023, an increase of $237.5 million (19.3%) from the FY2022 enacted
appropriation of $1,230.1 million.82 (See Table 14.)
NIST discretionary funding is provided through three accounts: Scientific and Technical Research
and Services (STRS), Industrial Technology Services (ITS), and Construction of Research
Facilities (CRF).
The President’s FY2023 request includes $974.9 million for laboratory R&D programs, corporate
services, and standards coordination and special programs in the STRS account, an increase of
$124.9 million (14.7%) from the FY2022 enacted level.83 Program increases include
Climate and Energy Measurements, Tools, and Testbeds, $68.2 million (up $18.5
million);84
Cybersecurity—Supply Chain, 5G and Beyond, and Identity Management, $99.9
million (up $18.0 million);85
Quantum Information Science, Engineering, and Metrology, $61.8 million (up
$15.0 million);86
Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Centric Challenges, $45.4 million (up $15.0
million);87
Supporting the American Bioeconomy/Measurements for the Bioeconomy, $33.1
million (up $12.6 million);88
80 NIST website, “General Information,” http://nist.gov/public_affairs/general_information.cfm.
81 15 U.S.C. §272.
82 The FY2023 request is up $400.7 million (37.6%) from the FY2022 enacted levels when the congressionally directed
spending totals are removed. CRS analysis of data from U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards
and Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology/National Technical Information Service, Fiscal Year
2023 Budget Submission to Congress, https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2022-03/FY2023-NIST-NTISCongressional-Budget-Submission.pdf; Fiscal Year 2022 enacted levels extracted from CRS analysis of P.L. 117-103
and Explanatory Statement, H.R. 2471, 117th Cong., 2nd sess., Congressional Record 168 (March 9, 2022): H1774,
available at: https://www.congress.gov/117/crec/2022/03/09/168/42/CREC-2022-03-09-bk3.pdf.
83 Ibid., p. NIST-3. The FY22 enacted total for the STRS account includes $37.6 million for Congressionally-directed
External Projects, Explanatory Statement, H.R. 2471, 117th Cong., 2nd sess., Congressional Record 168 (March 9,
2022): H1775.
84 National Institute of Standards and Technology/National Technical Information Service, Fiscal Year 2023, Budget
Submission—Rebased, NIST-23, provided to CRS by NIST by email correspondence on May 12, 2022. Increases are
from the FY2023 base.
85 Ibid., p. NIST-28.
86 Ibid., p. NIST-33.
87 Ibid., p. NIST-38.
88 Ibid., p. NIST-43.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Advanced Communications Research and Standards, $36.7 million (up $11.8
million);89
NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) Controls and Corrective Actions,
$67.2 million (up $5.0 million);90
Public Safety Communications Research and Advanced Technology Accelerator,
$10.0 million (up $8.5 million);91
Measurement Service Modernization, $76.0 million (up $8.0 million);92
Measurements and Data to Enable the Circular Economy, $13.5 million (up $4.0
million);93
iEdison System-Federal Inventions and Patent Applications, $3.4 million (up
$2.0 million);94
Standards for Critical and Emerging Technologies, $10.4 million (up $8.0
million);95 and
Building Equity and Diversity in the NIST Workforce, $17.3 (up $5.8 million).96
The FY2023 request would provide $372.3 million for the ITS account, up $197.8 million
(113.4%) from the FY2022 enacted level.97 Within the ITS account, the request would provide
$275.3 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, an increase of
$117.3 million (57.4%) from the FY2022 enacted level, and $97.5 million for Manufacturing
USA, up $81 million (590.9%) from the FY2022 enacted level of $16.5 million.98
According to NIST, the funding requested for MEP would, among other things, enable new
investments to strengthen supply chains, support workforce training, and promote technology
adoption.99
Funding for Manufacturing USA would support the first year of an additional four Manufacturing
USA Institutes, one of which would focus on the design and manufacture of semiconductors.100
The President is requesting $120.3 million for the CRF account for FY2023, down $85.3 million
(41.5%) from the FY2022 enacted level.101 The FY2023 request represents an increase of $40.3
89 Ibid., p. NIST-48.
90 Ibid., p. NIST-53.
91 Ibid., p. NIST-58.
92 Ibid., p. NIST-63.
93 Ibid., p. NIST-68.
94 Ibid., p. NIST-72.
95 Ibid., p. NIST-87.
96
Ibid., p. NIST-92.
97 CRS analysis of P.L. 117-103; and Explanatory Statement, H.R. 2471, 117th Cong., 2nd sess., Congressional Record
168 (March 9, 2022): H1774, available at: https://www.congress.gov/117/crec/2022/03/09/168/42/CREC-2022-03-09bk3.pdf.
98 National Institute of Standards and Technology/National Technical Information Service, Fiscal Year 2023 Budget
Submission to Congress, NIST-105; and Explanatory Statement, H.R. 2471, 117th Cong., 2nd sess., Congressional
Record 168 (March 9, 2022): H1775, available at: https://www.congress.gov/117/crec/2022/03/09/168/42/CREC-202203-09-bk3.pdf.
99 Ibid., p. NIST-112.
100 Ibid., p. NIST-119 – NIST-120.
101 National Institute of Standards and Technology/National Technical Information Service, Fiscal Year 2023 Budget
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
million (66.7%) over FY2022 enacted levels when congressionally directed spending projects are
removed from CRF account totals. This funding would support repair and revitalization of
facilities to address NIST’s major utility infrastructure maintenance backlog and to modernize its
IT networking infrastructure.102
Table 14. National Institute of Standards and Technology Funding
(budget authority, in millions of dollars)
FY2022
Enacted
FY2023
Request
850.0
975.0
Laboratory Programs
705.7
855.4
Corporate Services
17.5
18.5
Standards Coordination and Special Programs
89.2
101.1
Congressionally-directed External Projects
37.6
0.0
Industrial Technology Services
174.5
372.3
Manufacturing Extension Partnership
158.0
275.3
Manufacturing USA
16.5
97.0
Construction of Research Facilities
205.6
120.3
Construction and Major Renovations
0.0
0.0
Safety, Capacity, Maintenance and Major Repairs
80.0
120.3
Congressionally-directed Extramural Construction
125.6
0.0
1,230.1
1,467.6
Scientific and Technical Research and
Services
NIST, Total
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institute of
Standards and Technology/National Technical Information Service, Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Submission to
Congress, 2021, [May 29, 2022.], https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2022-03/FY2023-NIST-NTISCongressional-Budget-Submission.pdf.
Notes: Totals may differ from the sum of the components due to rounding. Figures for the columns currently
blank may become available as action is completed.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration103
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducts scientific research in areas such
as ecosystems, atmosphere, global climate change, weather, and oceans; collects and disseminates
data on the oceans and atmosphere; and manages coastal and marine species and environments.
NOAA was created in 1970 by Reorganization Plan No. 4.104
Submission to Congress, NIST-105; and Explanatory Statement, H.R. 2471, 117th Cong., 2nd sess., Congressional
Record 168 (March 9, 2022): H1775, available at: https://www.congress.gov/117/crec/2022/03/09/168/42/CREC-202203-09-bk3.pdf.
102 National Institute of Standards and Technology/National Technical Information Service, Fiscal Year 2023 Budget
Submission to Congress, p. NIST-149 and NIST-157.
103 This section was written by Eva Lipiec, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy, CRS Resources, Science, and Industry
Division.
104 “Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970,” 35 Federal Register 15627-15630, October 6, 1970.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
NOAA’s administrative structure is organized into six line offices: the National Environmental
Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS);
National Ocean Service (NOS); National Weather Service (NWS); Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR); and the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). The
line offices are supported by an additional office, Mission Support, which provides cross-cutting
administrative functions related to education, planning, information technology, human resources,
and infrastructure. Congress provides most of the discretionary funding for the line offices and
Mission Support through two accounts: (1) Operations, Research, and Facilities, and (2)
Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction.
In 2010, NOAA published its Next Generation Strategic Plan.105 The strategic plan is organized
into four categories of long-term goals: (1) climate adaptation and mitigation, (2) a weather-ready
nation, (3) healthy oceans, and (4) resilient coastal communities and economies.106 The strategic
plan also lists cross-agency objectives related to (1) stakeholder engagement, (2) data and
observations, and (3) integrated environmental modeling.107 The strategic plan serves as a guide
for NOAA’s R&D plan. The most recent R&D plan was published in June 2020, and identifies
R&D priorities within three vision areas: (1) reducing societal impacts from hazardous weather
and other environmental phenomena, (2) sustainable use and stewardship of ocean and coastal
resources, and (3) a robust and effective research, development, and transition enterprise.108
For FY2023, President Biden requested $1.335 billion for NOAA R&D funding, including R&Drelated equipment and facilities, $147.9 million (12.5%) above the FY2022 enacted level of
$1.187 billion.109 According to OMB, direct obligations include annual appropriations, transfers,
and recoveries from prior-year obligations.110 Table 15 provides R&D amounts enacted in
FY2022 and requested by the Administration for FY2023.
The President’s FY2023 request for NOAA R&D is 18.4% of the requested FY2023 NOAA total
direct obligations of $7.264 billion.111 The FY2023 request includes $785.9 million for research
105 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NOAA’s Next-Generation Strategic Plan, Silver
Spring, MD, December 2010, https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/about/what-we-do/program-review/next-gen-str-plan.pdf.
Hereinafter NOAA, Strategic Plan, 2010.
106 According to NOAA, a weather-ready nation is envisioned as a society that is prepared for and responds to weatherrelated events.
107 NOAA defines the enterprise objectives as “cross-cutting requirements for addressing NOAA’s strategic goals as a
whole” (NOAA, Strategic Plan, 2010, p. 32).
108 NOAA, NOAA Research and Development Vision Areas: 2020-2026, June 2020,
https://sciencecouncil.noaa.gov/Home/fileticket/z4iHSl3P4KY/portalid.
109 Email correspondence with the NOAA Budget Office, May 12, 2022. R&D funding amounts in the annual agency
appropriation bill are estimated by NOAA because neither the legislative text nor the explanatory statement provide a
breakout of R&D funding and only include discretionary direct obligations (telephone conversation with NOAA
Budget Office, September 3, 2020).
110 Congressional documents sometimes refer to direct obligations as program levels (“Regarding the House
Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2471, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022,” Explanatory Statement
Submitted by Ms. DeLauro, Chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, Congressional Record, vol. 168 (March
9, 2022), pp. H1775 and H1781. Hereinafter FY2022 Explanatory Statement). For further descriptions of what types of
obligations are direct versus reimbursable, see Office of Management and Budget, Circular No. A-11, Preparation,
Submission, and Execution of the Budget, July 2016, p. 3 of Section 83, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/
default/files/omb/assets/a11_current_year/a11_2016.pdf.
111 NOAA, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2023, 2022, p. Control Table-15, at https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/
2022-04/FY23_NOAAPresidents_Budget_508Compliant.pdf. Hereinafter NOAA, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2023.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
(58.9% of the total requested for NOAA R&D), $176.2 million for development (13.2%), and
$373.4 million (28.0%) for R&D equipment and facilities.112
OAR accounts for the majority of NOAA R&D requests and enacted amounts in most years,
including FY2023. The Administration requested $735.9 million for OAR R&D in FY2023,
which is $107.6 million (17.1%) above the FY2022 enacted funding level of $628.3 million.113
OAR conducts research in three major areas: (1) weather and air chemistry; (2) climate; and (3)
oceans, coasts, and the Great Lakes. A portion of these efforts is implemented through OAR’s
laboratories and cooperative research institutes. The President requested $236.3 million for OAR
labs and cooperative institutes in FY2023, $22.6 million (10.6%) more than the FY2022 enacted
amount of $213.8 million.114
Another OAR program, the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP), is composed of 33
university-based state programs and supports scientific research and stakeholder engagement to
identify and solve problems faced by coastal communities. For FY2023, the Administration
requested $76.3 million for NSGCP, an increase of $0.3 million (0.4%) from the FY2022 enacted
amount of $76.0 million, and $13.2 million for its related Aquaculture Research program, a
decrease of $0.3 million (2.0%) from the FY2022 enacted amount of $13.5 million.115
Table 15. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration R&D
(in millions of dollars)
FY2022
Enacted
FY2023
Request
National Environmental
Satellite, Data, and
Information Service
(NESDIS)
$41.9
$69.8
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS)
$76.9
$71.9
National Ocean Service
(NOS)
$108.0
$128.6
National Weather Service
(NWS)
$21.3
$36.0
Office of Marine and
Aviation Operations
(OMAO)
$278.1
$234.2
Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research
(OAR)
$628.3
$735.9
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
112 Email correspondence with the NOAA Budget Office, May 12, 2022.
113 Email correspondence with the NOAA Budget Office, May 12, 2022.
114 NOAA, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2023, and FY2022 Explanatory Statement, p. H1778.
115 Ibid.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
FY2022
Enacted
Mission Support
FY2023
Request
$33.0
$59.0
Total R&D
$1,187.5
$1,335.4
NOAA Total Direct
Obligations, Total R&D and
Non-R&D
$6,109.5
$7,264
FY2023
House
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Sources: Line office amounts provided by the NOAA Budget Office via email correspondence on May 12, 2022.
NOAA Total R&D and non-R&D are from P.L. 117-103, Division B, Title I (CRS calculated from enacted NOAA
Operations, Research, and Facilities and Procurement, Acquisition, and Construction account direct obligations
amounts) and NOAA, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2023, 2022, p. Control Table-15.
Notes: Totals may differ from the sum of the components due to rounding. Figures for the columns currently
blank may become available as action is completed. Direct obligations include annual appropriations, transfers,
and recoveries from prior-year obligations. Congress and NOAA use several different budgetary terms, such as
direct obligations, budget authority, and appropriations. For more information, see CRS In Focus IF11914,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2022 Budget Request and Appropriations, by Eva Lipiec.
Department of Veterans Affairs116
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides health care and health-related services to
eligible veterans through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). VHA’s primary mission is
to provide health care services to eligible veterans and some family members.117 The VHA is also
statutorily required to conduct medical research into the special healthcare needs of veterans.118
The President is requesting $1.695 billion for VA R&D in FY2023, an increase of $32.9 million
(2%) from FY2022 enacted levels. (See Table 16.) According to the President’s request, FY2023
strategic priorities for VA R&D include increasing veterans’ access to clinical trials; increasing
real-world impact of VA research; the effective use of VA data for veterans; promoting diversity,
equity, and inclusion within the VA sphere of influence; and building community through VA
research.119 In addition, the VA plans to increase funding for research on environmental
exposures, traumatic brain injury/brain health, cancer and precision oncology, and
implementation of the Commander John Scott Hannon Mental Health Care Improvement Act
(P.L. 116-171).120
VA R&D is funded through two major funding streams—the Medical and Prosthetic Research
account and Medical Support.121 The funding that will be allocated from Medical Support to
support R&D is generally unclear unless Congress provides funding at the precise level of the
request. In general, R&D funding levels from Medical Support are known only after the VA
116 This section was written by Jared S. Sussman, Analyst in Health Policy, CRS Domestic Social Policy Division.
117 38 U.S.C. §7301.
118 38 U.S.C. §7303(a)(3).
119 Department of Veterans Affairs, Volume II: Medical Programs and Information Technology Programs,
Congressional Submission, FY2023, pp. VHA-619-621.
120 Ibid., p. VHA-574. For a summary of research initiatives required by P.L. 116-171, see CRS Report R46848,
Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (P.L. 116-171) and Veterans
COMPACT Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-214), coordinated by Victoria R. Green.
121 The funding for Medical Support is derived from the Medical Services, Medical Support and Compliance, and
Medical Facilities appropriations accounts. For more information, see CRS Report R46964, Department of Veterans
Affairs FY2022 Appropriations, by Sidath Viranga Panangala, Jared S. Sussman, and Heather M. Salazar.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
allocates its appropriations to specific activities and reports those figures. Medical Support
appropriations fund a range of activities across VHA; R&D is one of those activities.
The FY2023 request includes $916 million for VA’s Medical and Prosthetic Research account, an
increase of $34 million (4%) compared to FY2022 enacted levels. The request includes $779
million in funding for research supported by the agency’s Medical Care Support account, an
increase of $29 million (4%) compared to FY2022. The Medical Care Support account provides
administrative and other support for VA researchers and R&D projects, including infrastructure
maintenance.
The Medical and Prosthetics R&D program is an intramural program. In general, each Principal
Investigator (PI) and any Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) must be VA employees with at least a
five-eighths appointment (25 hours per week) in the VA.122 The R&D program is managed by the
VHA Office of Research and Development (ORD) and conducted at VA Medical Centers and VAapproved sites nationwide. According to ORD, the mission of VA R&D includes “improv[ing]
Veterans’ health and well-being via basic, translational, clinical, health services, and rehabilitative
research and apply[ing] scientific knowledge to develop effective individualized care solutions
for Veterans.”123 ORD consists of four main research services, each headed by a director:
Biomedical Laboratory R&D conducts preclinical research to understand life
processes at the molecular, genomic, and physiological levels.
Clinical Science R&D supports clinical trials and other human subjects research
to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of new treatments such as drugs,
therapies, or devices; compare existing therapies; and improve clinical care and
practice.
Health Services R&D conducts studies to identify and promote effective and
efficient strategies to improve the quality and accessibility of the VA health
system and patient outcomes, and to minimize health care costs.
Rehabilitation R&D conducts research and develops novel approaches to
improving the quality of life of impaired and disabled veterans.
In addition to intramural support, VA researchers are eligible to obtain funding for their research
from extramural sources, including other federal agencies, private foundations and health
organizations, and commercial entities. According to the President’s FY2023 budget request,
these additional R&D resources are estimated at $540 million in FY2023.
Table 16 summarizes R&D program funding for VA in the Medical and Prosthetic Research and
the Medical Care Support accounts. Table 17 details amounts to be spent in Designated Research
Areas (DRAs), which VA describes as “areas of importance to our veteran patient population.”124
Funding for research projects that span multiple areas may be included in several DRAs; thus, the
amounts in Table 17 total to more than the appropriation or request for VA R&D.
122 Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research
& Development Program Guide 1200.15: Eligibility for VA Research Support July 13, 2018, p. 1.
123 Department of Veterans Affairs, “Office of Research and Development,” https://www.research.va.gov/about/
default.cfm.
124 Department of Veterans Affairs, Volume II: Medical Programs and Information Technology Programs,
Congressional Submission, FY2023, p. VHA-621.
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
Table 16. Department of Veterans Affairs R&D
(budget authority, in millions of dollars)
Account
FY2022
Enacted
FY2023
Request
FY2023
House
Medical and Prosthetic Research
882.0
916.0
Veterans Medical Care and Health Fund
30.0a
0
Medical Care Support
749.7
778.6
$1,661.7
$1,694.6
Veterans Affairs, Total R&D
FY2023
Senate
FY2023
Enacted
Source: Department of Veterans Affairs, Volume II: Medical Programs and Information Technology Programs,
Congressional Submission, FY2023, p. VHA-569, https://www.va.gov/budget/docs/summary/
fy2023VAbudgetVolumeIImedicalProgramsAndInformationTechnology.pdf.
Notes: Totals may differ from the sum of the components due to rounding. Figures for the columns currently
blank may become available as action is completed. VA researchers also receive grants from other federal and
nonfederal resources, including the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention; these resources are estimated at $540 million in FY2022 and $540 million in
FY2023. In addition, the VA estimates reimbursements associated with agency R&D at $61 million in FY2022 and
$61 million in FY2023, increasing the total amount of R&D performed at VA to $2.26 billion in FY2022 and $2.30
billion in the FY2023 request.
a. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2, Section 8002) included $14.482 billion for medical care
and health needs. VA established the Veterans Medical Care and Health Fund (VMCHF) to execute Section
8002. VA estimates allocating $30 million of the provided funding for research in FY2022.
Table 17. Department of Veterans Affairs R&D by Designated Research Area
(in millions of dollars)
FY2022
Estimate
FY2023
Request
Acute and Traumatic Injury
26.0
26.0
Aging
147.7
151.3
Autoimmune, Allergic, and Hematopoietic Disorders
38.9
39.6
Cancer
69.3
81.3
Central Nervous System Injury and Associated
Disorders
127.1
140.8
Degenerative Diseases of Bones and Joints
41.1
41.6
Dementia and Neuronal Degeneration
41.6
42.3
Diabetes and Major Complications
47.1
47.7
Digestive Diseases
26.1
26.3
Emerging Pathogens/Bio-Terrorism
3.0
2.8
Gulf War Veterans Illness
15.5
15.2
Health Systems
69.9
71.1
Heart Disease/Cardiovascular Health
71.6
73.0
Infectious Disease
57.1
58.2
Kidney Disorders
18.2
18.2
Lung Disorders
27.9
28.2
Designated Research Area
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Federal Research and Development (R&D) Funding: FY2023
FY2022
Estimate
FY2023
Request
Mental Illness
121.6
130.1
Military Occupations and Environmental Exposures
30.5
51.4
Other Chronic Diseases
7.6
7.4
Prosthetics
25.5
25.6
Sensory Loss
23.2
23.4
Special Populations
42.8
43.3
Substance Abuse
29.9
30.1
Designated Research Area
Source: Department of Veterans Affairs, Volume II: Medical Programs and Information Technology Programs,
Congressional Submission, FY2023, p. VHA-622, https://www.va.gov/budget/docs/summary/
fy2023VAbudgetVolumeIImedicalProgramsAndInformationTechnology.pdf.
Notes: Projects that span multiple areas may be included in several Designated Research Areas (DRAs);
therefore, the amounts depicted in this table total to more than the FY2022 amount and the FY2023 request for
Medical and Prosthetic Research. Columns for “FY2022 House,” “FY2022 Senate,” and “FY2022 Enacted” are
not included in this table as these fi
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