The US fiscal year 2012 began in October, but details of the federal government’s budget are still being ironed out. The $193 billion fiscal 2012 “minibus” appropriations bill, which covers five federal departments and various independent agencies, was passed by the House and Senate on November 17 and signed by President Obama the next day. The bill included the fiscal 2012 budgets for the NSF, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and part of the FDA. In nearly all instances, the final amounts designated for the research agencies and their departments are less than what the Obama Administration requested, but overall reductions were much less severe than April’s across-the-board cuts to research agencies in the continuing resolution (CR) for fiscal 2011 (see IBO 6/15/11).

The NSF received $7.0 billion for fiscal 2012 (see table, page 3). The largest percentage increase was for the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) account, which nonetheless represented just 2% of the agency’s budget. Eighty-one percent of the NSF budget went to the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) account. The bill allows for $50 million to be transferred from the R&RA account to the MREFC account. The NSF’s Office of the Inspector General received less than 1% of NSF funds. The Agency Operations and Award Management account received 4%. Cuts to NSF programs included the Education and Human Resources account (EHR), which comprised 12% of the budget, and the National Science Board, which accounted for less than 1%. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) estimates that $5.3 billion, a 3.1% increase, was budgeted for R&D at the NSF in fiscal 2012. R&D funding for the R&RA, the MREFC and the EHR increased 2.0%, 42.7% and 12.1%, respectively.

Within the Department of Commerce budget, the NIST received $751 million for fiscal 2012 (see table). The amount is nearly even with last year’s allocation—just $100,000 higher. The bill gave basic research at NIST labs an 11.8% boost to $567 million, according to the US Senate Committee on Appropriations. More than 75% of the NIST’s budget supports its Scientific and Technical Research and Services (S&TRS) account. The NIST’s Industrial Technology Services (ITS) account received 17% of the agency’s funds. Out of the NIST’s budget, 7% was allocated for constructing new facilities and renovating and maintaining existing ones. The NIST’s Technology Innovation Program, which received $44.8 million in fiscal 2011, was eliminated. According to AAAS’s estimates, $680 million of the NIST’s budget went toward R&D, a 28.1% increase. The AAAS calculates that R&D funding for the S&TRS account increased 17.1% and that R&D funding for construction increased 45.7%. All funding for the new Public Safety Innovation Fund is for R&D. None of the ITS account’s budget is designated for R&D—a 100% decline from fiscal 2011.

Excluding the Forest Service, which is included in the Department of Interior appropriations bill, $17.5 billion was budgeted for the USDA (see table). The USDA’s Research, Education and Economics mission area claimed 14% of the overall budget. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) made up 43% and 47% of the Research, Education and Economics’ budget, respectively. The NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, a competitive grants program, was awarded 22% of its budget. Not every USDA program was saved. Congress supported shutting down 12 of the USDA’s more than 100 research centers. The budget also eliminated funding for the $4.2 million Microbiological Data Program, a foodborne pathogen–monitoring program that began in 2001. The AAAS estimates that USDA R&D funding declined 6.2% for fiscal 2012. For the ARS, 20.8% more was budgeted for R&D. However, no R&D funds were set aside for the NIFA.

Because it is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the FDA’s budget has not been finalized, but some funds were allocated. The bill included $978.7 million for the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, including $52.9 million for the Office of Generic Drugs; $882.7 million for the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; $356.9 million for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health; $329.1 million for the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; and $60.0 million for the National Center for Toxicological Research. All amounts included “field-related activities” at the Office of Regulatory Affairs for each Center. Another $222.6 million in total went to the Office of the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Office of Foods, the Office of Global and Regulatory Policy, the Office of Operations, the Office of Chief Scientist and other offices. The FDA received $8.8 million for construction and maintenance of buildings and facilities.

Also included in the minibus bill is a CR that maintains funding for the HHS, which houses the NIH, and the Department of Energy (DOE), through December 16 at 1.5% less than fiscal 2011 amounts. Until an agreement on the NIH’s fiscal 2012 budget is reached, noncompeting research grants awarded by the agency will be as much as 90% less than the amount stipulated in its latest Notices of Award. This protocol mirrors that of previous CRs. When the budget is finalized, the grant amounts may be amended.

Congress is currently working to establish at least one new CR for fiscal 2012 that will fund the HHS and the DOE after the current CR expires. Following that, federal agencies face a daunting prospect for fiscal 2013. If a bipartisan agreement to reduce the deficit by at least $1.5 trillion over ten years cannot be reached by December 23, a plan will be implemented in January 2013 that would slash the budgets of nondefense programs by 7.8%. The budget of defense programs would be reduced by 10%.

 Selected NIST Fiscal 2012 Budget Figures 
                                                        FY12($M) Chg.
 NIST                                                   $751     0.10% 
 Scientific and Technical Research and Services         $567     11.8%
 Industrial Technology Services                         $128    -26.0%
 Construction of Research Facilities                    $55.30  -21.4%
 Selected NSF Fiscal 2012 Budget Figures   
                                                        FY12($M)  Chg.
 NSF                                                    $7,033    2.5%
 Research and Related Activities                        $5,719    2.8%
 Major Research Equipment and Facilities                $167     42.7%
 Education and Human Resources                          $829     -3.7%
 Agency Operations and Award Management                 $299      0.0%
 National Science Boar                                  $4.4     -2.0%
 Inspector General                                      $14.00    1.6%
 Selected NSF Fiscal 2012 Budget Figures 
                                                        FY12($M)  Chg.
 NSF                                                    $7,033   2.5%
 Research and Related Activities                        $5,719   2.8%
 Major Research Equipment and Facilities                $167    42.7%
 Education and Human Resources                          $829    -3.7%
 Agency Operations and Award Management                 $299     0.0%
 National Science Board                                 $4.4    -2.0%
 Inspector General                                      $14.00   1.6%