NSF BIO Up 10.3 Percent in FY 2009 Budget Request

The Fiscal Year 2009 President’s budget request was released February 5.  Jim Collins, NSF Assistant Director heading the NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), explained to ASPB that the 2010 Project would be funded at $25 million in the budget request.  The Plant Genome Research Program is at $101.22 million, which is up $3.36 million over the 2008 level of  $97.87 million.

Following is a portion of the NSF Budget request for Integrative Organismal Systems related to plant genome research:

“The Plant Genome Research Program (+3.36 million) building on the ten years of investment in this program as part of the National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI), will provide continued support for genome-enabled plant biology research, including continued support of collaborations between U.S. scientists and scientists in developing countries.  PGR forms part of BIO’s Plant Biology portfolio that also includes:  the Plant Cyberinfrastructure Collaborative established in FY 2008 and funded through EF [Emerging Frontiers] the 2010 program supported separately from PGR by all the BIO divisions, and additional projects funded by core programs via unsolicited proposals.”

Despite a generous increase in the request for BIO of 10.3 percent, the average increase for Research and Related Activities is at 16 percent.  ASPB took the lead with ASBMB last year and nearly a dozen other science societies and succeeded in getting report language calling for comparable increases for BIO for FY 2008.  Comparable funding increases for all science directorates continues to be needed to address the nation’s basic research needs for FY 2009. 

Education and Human Resources funding is increased 8.9 percent or $64.8 million.  Major Research Equipment & Facilities Construction is decreased 33.2 percent or $73.23 million.