BASIC RESEARCH 

 IN FEDERAL LABORATORIES 



Total Federal expenditures for in-house basic 

 research increased over the 1P60-72 period in 

 terms of both current (259 percent) and con- 

 stant (154 percent) dollars (figure 31). How- 

 ever, during the 1970-72 period, expenditures 

 decreased by 13 percent in terms of current 

 dollars and by 19 percent when expressed in con- 

 stant 1958 dollars. The declines occurred prin- 

 cipally in laboratories funded by the National 

 Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

 and the Department of Health, Education, and 

 Welfare (HEW). In 1972, the in-house basic re- 

 search effort represented 23 percent of all 



Federal expenditures for basic research. Simi- 

 larly, it accounted for 14 percent of the total 

 expenditures for basic research in 1972, com- 

 pared with 12 percent in 1960. 



Data are not available for segregating the 

 activities by field of science, but obligation data 

 are presented in figure 32 for the Federal 

 agencies which support the bulk of in-house 

 basic research. In 1972, the total Federal obliga- 

 tions for in-house R&D were divided among the 

 agencies as follows: NASA (29 percent). Depart- 

 ment of Defense (18 percent). Agriculture (17 

 percent), HEW (13 percent). Interior (8 per- 

 cent), and Commerce (7 percent). 



Figure 32 



Federal Expenditures for Intramural Basic 

 Research, by Selected Agency, 1960-72 



(Millions of Dollars) 

 240 



Current dollars 



64 66 58 



Fiscal year 



[a) GNP price deriator was used to conveft current to constant dollars 

 SOURCE National Science Foundation 



70 72 (est.) 



(Millions of Dollars) 

 240 



Constant 1958 dollarsw 



'64 ee '68 



Fiscal year 



43 



