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NSF 16-311
Basic Research
Basic research obligations accounted
for 24% of total projected R&D and
R&D plant in FY 2014. Basic research
obligations increased 6% to $31.6
TABLE 1. Federal obligations for research and development and R&D plant, by type of R&D: FYs 201216
Type of R&D
All R&D and R&D plant
R&D
Research
Basic
Applied
Development
Science and technology
Major systemsa
2012
Current $millions
Preliminary Projected
2013
2014
2015
2016
2012
Projected
2016
132,752
140,479
121,058
125,765
129,435
63,420
31,925
31,495
137,659
66,169
33,042
33,127
118,033
57,833
29,113
28,721
123,240
59,238
29,581
29,657
76,538
14,878
66,188
13,471
67,370
14,313
66,015
14,659
71,489
14,973
73,144
14,218
62,312
12,682
62,490
13,276
60,200
13,368
64,001
13,405
61,660
52,717
53,057
51,356
56,516
58,926
49,630
49,213
46,832
50,596
2,146
1,905
2,218
3,317
2,820
2,051
1,793
2,057
3,025
2,525
R&D plant
a
To better differentiate between the part of the federal R&D budget that supports science and technologies (including technologies for military and
nondefense applications) and the part that primarily supports development, testing, and evaluation of defense-related systems, the National Science
Foundation collects data on development dollars from the Department of Defense in two categories: advanced technology development and major systems
development.
NOTES: Gross domestic product implicit price deflators for 2009 were used to convert current to constant dollars. Detail may not sum to total due
to rounding.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Federal Funds for Research and
Development.
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/
Applied Research
Applied research obligations accounted
for 24% of the total federal R&D and
R&D plant budget in FY 2014. Applied
research obligations increased 6% to
$31.3 billion in FY 2014 (table 1). HHS,
DOE, and the Department of Defense
(DOD) combined accounted for 86% of
the $1.9 billion increase in FY 2014 (table
TABLE 2. Federal obligations for research, by agency and type of research in FY 2014 rank order: FYs 201216
Current $millions
Agency
All agencies
Basic
Applied
HHS
Basic
Applied
DOE
Basic
Applied
DOD
Basic
Applied
NSF
Basic
Applied
NASA
Basic
Applied
USDA
Basic
Applied
Other
Basic
Applied
Preliminary Projected
2015
2016
Preliminary Projected
2015
2016
2012
2013
2014
33,042
33,127
59,198
29,586
29,612
55,732
28,035
27,696
58,352
29,300
29,052
57,833
29,113
28,721
59,238
29,581
29,657
30,888
16,061
14,827
31,857
16,505
15,353
29,744
15,269
14,475
27,598
14,393
13,205
28,371
14,846
13,526
28,167
14,646
13,521
28,520
14,776
13,745
8,092
4,075
4,017
8,419
4,088
4,331
9,232
4,245
4,987
7,035
3,782
3,253
6,904
3,625
3,278
7,506
3,780
3,726
7,677
3,728
3,949
8,265
3,800
4,465
5,955
1,863
4,093
6,704
2,074
4,631
6,902
2,236
4,666
6,760
2,144
4,616
6,368
1,946
4,422
5,606
1,754
3,853
6,218
1,924
4,296
6,294
2,039
4,255
6,052
1,919
4,132
5,170
4,652
517
4,956
4,362
594
5,403
4,725
678
5,562
4,834
728
5,864
5,062
802
4,941
4,446
494
4,666
4,107
559
5,012
4,383
629
5,072
4,408
664
5,250
4,532
718
5,100
2,606
2,494
5,422
2,824
2,598
5,336
3,023
2,313
4,868
2,934
1,934
5,094
3,180
1,914
4,874
2,490
2,383
5,105
2,659
2,446
4,949
2,804
2,145
4,439
2,676
1,764
4,560
2,847
1,714
1,964
851
1,113
1,868
844
1,024
2,060
908
1,152
2,214
964
1,250
2,404
1,040
1,364
1,877
813
1,064
1,759
795
964
1,911
842
1,069
2,019
879
1,140
2,152
931
1,221
4,563
879
3,685
4,349
747
3,602
4,727
778
3,948
4,568
808
3,761
4,959
867
4,092
4,361
840
3,522
4,094
703
3,391
4,385
722
3,662
4,166
737
3,430
4,440
776
3,663
2012
2013
2014
61,945
59,198
62,909
63,420
66,169
30,959
30,986
29,779
29,419
31,588
31,321
31,925
31,495
31,124
15,977
15,147
29,315
15,288
14,026
30,587
16,005
14,582
7,361
3,957
3,404
7,333
3,851
3,482
6,663
2,036
4,627
DOD = Department of Defense; DOE = Department of Energy; HHS = Department of Health and Human Services; NASA = National Aeronautics
and Space Administration; NSF = National Science Foundation; USDA = Department of Agriculture.
NOTES: Gross domestic product implicit price deflators for 2009 were used to convert current to constant dollars. Detail may not sum to total due
to rounding. Other agencies includes the following: Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Homeland Security,
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State,
Department of Transportation, Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, Agency for International Development, Appalachian
Regional Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Communications Commission, Federal
Trade Commission, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Smithsonian Institution,
and Social Security Administration.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Federal Funds for Research and
Development.
2 InfoBrief
NSF 16-311
April 2016
Department of Defense
Federal research dollars obligated by
DOD increased by 13% ($0.7 billion)
from FY 2013 to 2014, are estimated
to increase 3% in FY 2015, and are
projected to decrease by 2% in FY
2016. DODs share of total agencyfunded research was 11% ($6.7 billion)
in FY 2014 (table 2).
The Departments of the Air Force,
Army, and Navy and the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency
account for most (90%) of DOD
research dollars (table 3). Of the total
FY 2014 DOD research funding, 44%
TABLE 3. Federal obligations for research, by largest agency funders: FYs 201216
(Millions of current dollars)
Projected
2016
2014 %
distribution
within agency
2012
2013
2014
Preliminary
2015
61,945
59,198
62,909
63,420
66,169
1,964
981
614
272
97
1,868
913
546
301
108
2,060
1,010
657
277
117
2,214
1,030
777
284
123
2,404
1,072
924
281
127
100
49
32
13
6
6,663
1,496
1,726
1,333
1,414
693
5,955
1,268
1,502
1,257
1,296
633
6,704
1,537
1,574
1,418
1,483
693
6,902
1,554
1,631
1,457
1,449
812
6,760
1,589
1,683
1,346
1,452
691
100
23
23
21
22
10
7,361
441
2,339
2,143
195
336
3,940
306
7,333
530
2,404
2,148
256
236
3,848
315
8,092
540
2,770
2,519
251
296
4,085
400
8,419
512
3,150
2,974
176
387
4,008
363
9,232
823
3,492
3,316
176
365
4,167
385
100
7
34
31
3
4
50
5
31,124
29,877
1,247
29,315
28,215
1,099
30,587
29,400
1,188
30,888
29,637
1,251
31,857
30,617
1,240
100
96
4
5,100
5,422
5,336
4,868
5,094
100
5,170
4,956
5,403
5,562
5,864
100
Agency
All agencies
NOTES: Not all agencies supporting research are listed here. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Federal Funds for Research and
Development.
April 2016
NSF 16-311
InfoBrief 3
Data Notes
Definitions
Applied research is defined as systematic study to gain knowledge or understanding necessary to determine the
means by which a recognized and
specific need may be met.
Basic research is defined as systematic study directed toward fuller
knowledge or understanding of the
fundamental aspects of phenomena
and of observable facts without
specific applications toward processes
or products in mind.
Development is defined as systematic
application of knowledge or understanding that is directed toward the
production of useful materials, devices,
and systems or methods, including
TABLE 4. Federal obligations for research, by broad field of science and engineering and agency in rank order: FY 2014
(Millions of current dollars)
Field
All fields
Life sciences
Engineering
Physical sciences
Environmental sciences
Computer sciences and mathematics
Other sciences neca
Psychology
Social sciences
All agencies
HHS
DOD
DOE
NSF
NASA
USDA
Other
62,909
30,587
6,704
8,092
5,403
5,336
2,060
4,727
30,668
11,888
6,483
4,366
3,883
2,218
1,968
1,435
25,683
1,445
140
343
231
806
1,770
169
866
2,966
795
337
1,292
346
42
61
400
3,531
2,699
336
959
164
0
2
685
876
867
1,220
1,048
487
35
186
309
2,023
1,415
1,215
93
260
21
1
1,616
79
103
38
10
0
0
213
1,109
968
465
877
250
155
100
803
DOD = Department of Defense; DOE = Department of Energy; HHS = Department of Health and Human Services; NASA = National
Aeronautics and Space Administration; NSF = National Science Foundation; nec = not elsewhere classified; USDA = Department of
Agriculture.
a
"Other sciences nec" is used for multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary projects that cannot be classified within one of the broad fields of
science.
NOTES: Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. Other agencies includes the following: Department of Commerce,
Department of Education, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of the
Interior, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of the
Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, Agency for International Development, Appalachian Regional Commission, Consumer
Product Safety Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade
Commission, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Smithsonian
Institution, and Social Security Administration.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Federal Funds for Research and
Development.
4 InfoBrief
NSF 16-311
April 2016
April 2016
Data Availability
Note
NSF 16-311
InfoBrief 5
NSF 16-311