Press Release

Statement by NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan on the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget

By SpaceRef Editor
March 28, 2022
Filed under ,

March 28, 2022

Today, the Biden-Harris administration submitted to Congress the President’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2023. The President’s budget, which includes $10.5 billion for the U.S. National Science Foundation, details his vision to expand on the historic progress the country has made over the last year and deliver the agenda he laid out in his State of the Union address — to build a better America, reduce the deficit, reduce costs for families, and grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out.    

“We are excited about the Fiscal Year 2023 budget request which reflects the confidence that the President is placing in our agency and the critical role that NSF plays to keep our country at the forefront of science, engineering and education research and innovation,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “This request makes crucial investments in NSF’s mission, which is vital to the nation’s competitiveness, prosperity, and national security. With the continued strong support from the Administration and Congress, NSF will lead transformational developments that will benefit the American people and shape the future of innovation.”  

The budget makes critical investments in American science, innovation, and the workforce that will help lay a stronger foundation for shared growth and prosperity for generations to come. At NSF, in addition to investing in the vibrant fundamental research across all areas of science and engineering, the budget would:  

  • Accelerate research and development in climate change and clean energy. $1.5 billion will fund a broad portfolio of research related to climate science and clean energy, including research on atmospheric composition, water and carbon cycles, modeling climate systems, renewable energy technologies, materials sciences, the impacts of global change on the Arctic region, and social, behavioral and economic research on human responses to climate change.  
  • Advance equity in science and engineering. $393 million will fund programs that aim to broaden the participation in science and engineering of groups that are underserved and underrepresented in these fields. Funding will support new and existing programs at historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions. An additional $247 million is provided to support EPSCoR jurisdictions. Programs will focus on designing curriculums; researching successful recruitment and retention methods; developing outreach or mentorship programs and fellowships; and improving science and engineering research and education capacity.  
  • Expedite technology development in emerging technologies. $880 million will go toward expanding the newly established Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships within NSF to help translate research into practical applications. The directorate will work with programs across NSF and with other federal and non-federal entities to expedite technology development in emerging areas that are crucial for the United States’ technological leadership. An additional $2.1 billion will support critical investments in emerging industries, focused on priority areas such as advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, microelectronics, semiconductors and quantum information science.   
  • Continue the construction and procurement of research infrastructure and instrumentation. $187 million will fund the construction of major NSF research facilities, including long-term upgrades of NSF’s major Antarctic infrastructure. In addition, the budget request seeks funding for the construction and procurement of mid-scale research facilities and equipment across the nation.  
  • Support NSF operations and award management. $473 million will support essential services that NSF needs to carry out its mission, including a growing research science and security framework that is vital to the nation’s science and technology enterprise.   

The budget makes these smart investments while also reducing deficits and improving our country’s long-term fiscal outlook.  

For more information on the president’s FY 2023 budget request, please visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/  

For more information on the NSF budget, please visit https://beta.nsf.gov/budget 

SpaceRef staff editor.