Figure 4.1 — Federal obligations for basic research, 

 by field of science, FY 1968-78 



($ Millions) 



1,200 1 



1,000 



800 



600 



400 



200 



Life Sciences 

 1 



/ 



/ 



/ 



t 



Physical Sciences 



Environmental Sciences 



,^m'^'^' Engineering 



r"^^"^ 1 - 



...athematicai and 

 Social Sciences^ Computer Sciences, 



-J I I \ I L 



Psychology 



J L 



1968 



70 



72 74 



Fiscal Year 



76 78 



(est.) 



SOURCE: Division of Science Resources Studies/STIA/National 

 Science Foundation. 



Environmental Sciences 



The environmental sciences received an esti- 

 mated $394 million in basic research support in 

 FY 1977, or 14 percent of all Federal basic re- 

 search obligations. Four agencies provided 93 

 percent of the total support: NSF, $139 million (35 



percent); Interior, $100 million (25 percent); NASA, 

 $67 million (17 percent); and DOD, $64 million (16 

 percent). 



Engineering 



Federal agency support for basic research in 

 engineering totaled $268 million in FY 1977. Four 

 agencies provided 91 percent of this total: DOD, 

 $82 million (31 percent); NSF, $68 million (25 per- 

 cent);. ERDA, $58 million (22 percent); and 

 NASA, $37 million (14 percent). 



Others 



All the other fields of science accounted for 

 $280 million, or 10 percent of total Federal obliga- 

 tions for basic research in FY 1977. Psychology, 

 with $53 million, received its principal support 

 from HEW, DOD, and NSF. Mathematics and 

 computer sciences, totaling $79 million, were sup- 

 ported primarily by NSF, DOD, and ERDA. Five 

 agencies provided 10 percent or more each of the 

 $102 million total for support of basic research in the 

 social sciences: NSF, HEW, Agriculture, Smith- 

 sonian, and Justice. 



In addition to the traditional fields of science, oth- 

 er breakdowns can be used to analyze federally sup- 

 ported research. The NSF Division of Science Re- 

 sources Studies has developed functional categories 

 for analysis of R&D obligations by broad program 

 areas to show priorities. These have not been broken 

 down, however, into basic research, applied re- 

 search, and development for the various functions. 

 The functional category "Science and Technology 

 Base" is mainly basic research; the remaining ele- 

 ments of basic research in the Federal R&D budget 

 are scattered throughout the other functional catego- 

 ries. As noted in Appendix J, the 1977 estimated total 

 for "'Science and Technology Base" is $953 million, 

 which is just 35 percent of all Federal obligations for 

 basic research — $2,755 million in 1977. 



AGENCY SUPPORT OF BASIC RESEARCH BY FIELD OF SCIENCE 



265 



