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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

 OVERVIEW OF FY 1997 REQUEST 



The National Science Foundation requests $3 3 billion for FY 1997 to invest in almost 20,000 research ana 

 education projects in science and engineering Today's investments in people, in ideas, and in the exploration 

 of the unknown will help determine the course of the United States in the 21st century. Based on history, it 

 can be said with confidence that the return on these investments will be instrumental in propelling the nation 

 into a future of progress and prosperity 



FY 1997 Request: $3,325 Billion 



Research Project Support Research Education & 



Facilities Training 



Administration & 

 Management 



Embedded in this request are some of the most forward-looking activities sponsored by the Federal 

 government They explore the unknown, open new frontiers, and emphasize innovation in fulfilling a mission 

 that is as appropriate today as it was when the Foundation was created in 1950 That mission, to promote 

 progress in science and engineering in the service of the nation, gives NSF broad license to invest in 

 research and education in science and engineering that will make a difference to the nation's future NSF is 

 committed to being a catalyst for progress, to addressing today's difficult questions, and to seeing that the 

 American people get the best possible return on their investment 



NSF's FY 1997 request emphasizes: 



• Developing a balanced portfolio of investments that spans the frontiers of knowledge. This requires 

 assessing both tradeoffs and supporting connections across fields, between people and equipment and 

 infrastructure, and between research and education. In FY 1997, certain activities, notably investments 

 in research facilities, have been held constant in order to strike the balance necessary to extend the 

 frontiers of science and engineering. 



• Linking the processes of learning and discovery Fundamental science and engineering research is 

 enriched by the educational environment in which much of it is conducted Likewise, experimentation, 

 inquiry, and discovery enhances and reinforces the learning process NSF's FY 1997 request assigns 

 high priority to activities that link the processes of learning and discovery, including new approaches in 

 the systemic reform of precollege education, at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and in the 

 preparation and enhancement of teachers, researchers and faculty 



• Working in partnership America's success in science and technology depends on the continued viability 

 of a long-standing team effort NSF investments, including those made in tandem with other agencies, 

 state and local governments and the private sector, directly involve over 200,000 researchers, teachers 

 and students, over 2,000 colleges, universities, and research institutions, including almost 600 

 businesses. Indirectly, they involve literally millions more NSF's FY 1997 request enhances the 

 agency's ability to mobilize this vast resource of individuals and institutions, thereby enabling the United 

 States to uphold a position of world leadership in science and engineering 



