IV. The UH System - Research Funding Priorities
NASA
NASA received a total of $16.3 billion in the FY 2006 Science, State, Justice and Commerce Appropriations Act, an increase of $230 million (1.4%) above the FY 2005 level. However, within this amount, funding for exploration of the Moon and Mars have been given priority over basic research and university research programs. UH supports human exploration of the Moon and Mars, but urges Congress to ensure that NASA’s important science programs do not become a “donor” for these efforts. Exploration and science must be partners, not competitors, in order for this undertaking to be truly beneficial to the nation and the world.
National Science Foundation
The FY 2006 Science, State, Justice and Commerce Appropriations Act provided a total of $5.59 billion for NSF – an increase of 2.4% over the FY 2005 level and just slightly above the NSF’s FY 2004 level. NSF’s research account increased over the FY 2005 level by 3.2% to $4.35 billion. This is also above the $4.29 billion level for FY 2004. NSF’s education account did not fare as well – it was cut by $39 million (4.6%) below the FY 2005 level and $142 million below the FY 2004 level. Numerous recent, high-profile reports by the scientific and business communities have stressed the importance of increased federal investment in basic research and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, which comprise NSF’s primary missions. In view of this consensus in the non-governmental sector, the UH System urges Congress to respond by providing the highest appropriation possible for both NSF’s research and education accounts in FY 2007 and beyond.
National Institutes of Health
The FY 2006 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill included $28.6 billion for NIH, an increase of less than 1% over the FY 2005 level and the smallest increase the agency has received in several decades. After the 1% across-the-board rescission to all discretionary programs, NIH will actually be left with less funding in FY 2006 than in FY 2005. The University of Houston hopes that this does not signal the beginning of a trend, as robust funding for university-based biomedical research is vital to the nation’s health and economic well-being.
Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability is responsible for two programs that fund superconductivity research as it relates to the United States power grid, the High Temperature Superconductivity (HTS) Program, and the Power Delivery Research Initiative (PDRI). These programs have been established in recognition of the fact that HTS is a technology critical to improving the nation’s electricity system. As a proponent and lead research institution in the field of HTS, the University of Houston (specifically the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH) encourages maximum funding for both programs in FY 2007. Doing so will facilitate the research and development of technologies that enhance the reliability, operational flexibility, and power-carrying capability of our electric transmission and distribution systems.
