The National Science Foundation’s FY 2011 Budget Request
Opening Statement By Chairman Dan Lipinski
Good morning and welcome to this Research and Science Education Subcommittee hearing on the National Science Foundation’s fiscal year 2011 budget request. In addition to reviewing the budget request, we will be examining the status of NSF programs authorized under the 2007 America COMPETES Act and discussing opportunities to further strengthen NSF’s research and education missions through targeted programs and policies.
I was very pleased to see the strong increases for NSF being proposed in the President’s budget, especially in these tough budget times. I believe that overall, this budget reflects the President’s commitment to our future economic growth and understanding that such growth is tied very strongly to the investments we make in science and innovation today. I look forward to hearing from Dr. Bement and Dr. Beering about some of the new research initiatives and directions being proposed in this budget.
But before we begin, I would like to spend a couple of minutes laying out some of my concerns. First, this Administration, and the President himself, has made a strong commitment to STEM education, and I do not underestimate the impact of having the President himself publicly engaged on this critical issue. But once again the Administration is proposing a budget for NSF’s Education directorate that barely keeps pace with inflation. I support an increased role for the Department of Education in STEM education and am happy to hear that collaboration between the agencies has increased markedly in the last year. But NSF has a long, rich, and successful history in supporting STEM education activities and programs, and a unique expertise that the Department of Education cannot effectively duplicate; I worry about both the statement being made by the request and the consequences flat funding would have for NSF’s excellent programs.
Second, this subcommittee held a hearing just a couple of weeks ago on academic research infrastructure. I know that we are still waiting to see what impacts the Recovery Act ARI program will have, and that there are some concerns that infrastructure funding could potentially cut into research funding. But I also have concerns that we are not investing our research dollars as effectively as we could be if we invested first in modernizing our research facilities. So I look forward to discussing ways that the federal government can help support the critical modernization of academic research infrastructure. This is an issue that is becoming increasingly critical as state universities have seen significant budget cuts and all universities have experienced shrunken endowments and an increased need for financial aid.
Finally, I would like to understand the justification for the decrease in funding for nanotechnology research under the NNI program. In 2007, $60 billion in nano-enabled products were sold; and it is predicted that the number will rise to $2.6 trillion by 2014. That’s a pretty staggering number. Surely we should be investing more, not less, in this very important area of research.
Dr. Bement, and Dr. Beering, thank you for taking the time to appear before the subcommittee this morning. As most of you know Dr. Bement will be leaving his post as the Director of NSF on June 1. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Bement on his new position at Purdue and thank him for his years of service to the government and to the entire scientific community. You’re not leaving quite yet Dr. Bement, and we are still planning to pass the COMPETES Reauthorization in the House before your departure date, so I look forward to working with you closely as we develop this legislation over the next several weeks.
I understand that Dr. Beering is also coming to the end of his term as chair of the National Science Board this May. Thank you Dr. Beering for your service, and I wish both of you success in your future endeavors.
Witnesses
Panel
0 - Dr. Arden Bement
Director National Science Foundation National Science Foundation
Download the Witness Testimony
0 - Dr. Steven Beering
Chair National Science Board National Science Board
Download the Witness Testimony