TMS Public and Governmental Affairs Resource Center

The Administration is requesting $6.43 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), an increase of 6.8 percent over the FY 2007 request. If the full request is appropriated, NSF estimates that the number of competitive awards would increase to 11,300, and the funding rate would increase to 28 percent. Research grants would hit 7,435, and the funding rate would be 21 percent. Average annualized research grant award size and duration also would increase. Calling NSF’s Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Directorate “the heart of the American Competitiveness Initiative,” Assistant Director Tony Chan said the Directorate would receive an 8.9 percent increase over the FY 2007 request, to $1.253 billion. Within MPS, Materials Research would go up 9.8 percent, from $257.5 million in the FY 2007 request to $282.6 million in FY 2008. This includes increased funding for materials and phenomena at the nanoscale; complex systems (including biomaterials); materials aspects of computational discovery and fundamental research addressing Science Beyond Moore’s Law that encompasses novel materials and phenomena required for the future development of entirely new computational and communications technologies; broadening participation in materials research through research and education partnerships; expanded support for Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers; maintaining support for world-class user facilities while enabling the development of future instrumentation; and continuing strong support for international collaborations and partnerships in materials research. MPS’s education and workforce activities include the CAREER program for “jump-starting” junior faculty in research and education; postdoc programs; increasing emphasis on research opportunities for students in the first two years of college; the Research Experiences for Teachers Program focused on emerging frontiers of science as a mechanism for integrating new knowledge into the classroom; Research Partnerships for Diversity to support research, education and institutional infrastructure through partnering with MPS-supported centers and facilities; and piloting an ACI Fellows activity that will link undergraduate and graduate education, postdoctoral research, and early faculty experience in areas contributing to the American Competitiveness Initiative.

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