Observations on the President's Fiscal Year 2001 Federal Science and Technology Budget (2000)
Chapter: Conclusions
CONCLUSIONS
The Administration has made progress in FY2001 in the strategy and presentation of the federal science and technology budget. Some areas of FS&T have increased with generally positive impacts, and other programs have been cut. The strong increase proposed for NSF (17.5 percent) represents an important investment in basic research and a step toward better balance in federal support among the various research fields. Overall, the proposed increase in constant dollars is only 1.3 percent. The initiatives highlighted in the President 's budget and the 21st Century Research Fund are useful, and may fuel the kind of research that fosters public support for research as well as improvements in the quality of life.
The budget causes concerns about the effects of proposed cuts in Defense and other mission agencies. A continuing need exists to analyze possible imbalances among the fields of science and engineering— at a time when many fields are increasingly interdependent for achieving optimal results in the productivity of the economy and the pursuit of knowledge.
