	Recent Developments

The Bush Administration requested $132.4 billion in federal research and development(R&D) funding for FY2006. This sum represents a $400 million increase over the FY2005 estimatedfunding level of $132 billion. CRS estimates that Congress has approved a record $135.7 billion forfederal R&D in FY2006, a 2.8% increase over the FY2005 estimated funding level. However, nearlyall of that increase can be attributed to increases in defense weapons systems and the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration's $877 million increase for human space explorationtechnology. (6) 
Basic research funding would decline by 0.5% below the FY2005 estimated level, decliningto an estimated $26.7 billion in FY2006. Five agencies account for 90% of all federal basic researchexpenditures. Total federal research funding (the sum of basic and applied research) is projected toincrease $1 billion to $57 billion. However, the majority of that increase would go to NASA, whilemost of the remaining federal agencies would receive below inflation increases for research funding. While the President essentially requested flat funding for the Department of Defense (DOD)R&D programs, Congress approved an estimated $ 72.1 billion DOD R&D, a 4.2 % increase overFY2005 funding levels. Most of that increase is a result of Congress increasing DOD's proposedS&T budget by $2.5 billion more than was requested by the Administration. Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would decline, in nominal dollars forthe first time in 36 years. Since the completion of doubling NIH's budget (between 1998-2003),funding has declined to the FY2003 funding level, after adjusting for inflation. Most R&D funding agencies now face budgets that are shrinking to levels of years past, inreal dollars. While it has been 24 years since NIH's budget declined in real dollars, other agenciessuch as the National Science Foundation, DOE's Office of Science, NASA (excluding human spaceexploration), and Agriculture, have lived with stagnate budgets for several years. Consequently, inreal dollars, all of these agencies will have less R&D funding in FY2006 than they did in FY2003.
The Bush Administration requested $132.4 billion in federal research and development(R&D) funding for FY2006. This sum represents a $400 million increase over the FY2005 estimatedfunding level of $132 billion. CRS estimates that Congress has approved a record $135.7 billion forfederal R&D in FY2006, a 2.8% increase over the FY2005 estimated funding level. However, nearlyall of that increase can be attributed to increases in defense weapons systems and the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration's $877 million increase for human space explorationtechnology. (1) (See Table13)
Basic research funding would decline by 0.5% below the FY2005 estimated level, decliningto an estimated $26.7 billion in FY2006. Five agencies account for 90% of all federal basic researchexpenditures. Total federal research funding (the sum of basic and applied research) is projected toincrease $1 billion to $57 billion. However, the majority of that increase would go to NASA, whilemost of the remaining federal agencies would receive below inflation increases for research funding.
While the President essentially requested flat funding for the Department of Defense (DOD)R&D programs, Congress approved an estimated $ 72.1 billion DOD R&D, a 4.2 % increase overFY2005 funding levels. Most of that increase is a result of Congress increasing DOD's proposedscience and technology budget by $2.5 billion more than was requested by the Administration.
Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would decline, in nominal dollars forthe first time in 36 years. Since the completion of doubling NIH's budget (between 1998-2003),funding has declined to the FY2003 funding level, after adjusting for inflation.
Most R&D funding agencies now face budgets that are shrinking to levels of years past, inreal dollars. While it has been 24 years since NIH's budget declined in real dollars, other agenciessuch as the National Science Foundation, DOE's Office of Science, NASA (excluding human spaceexploration), and Agriculture, have lived with stagnate budgets for several years. Consequently, inreal dollars, all of these agencies will have less R&D funding in FY2006 than they did in FY2003.