The following is a letter to the community from James Kurose, Assistant Director, and Erwin Gianchandani, Deputy Assistant Director, of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE).  

Dear CISE Community,

 

Each year, the President transmits to Congress a budget request for the Executive Branch of the Federal Government, including a request for the National Science Foundation (NSF).  Today, the President officially submitted that request for fiscal year (FY) 2019, which begins October 1, 2018, and continues through September 30, 2019.  The President’s FY 2019 Budget Request proposes $7.472 billion for NSF, which is flat with respect to the FY 2017 budget.  Dr. France Córdova, the NSF Director, issued a statement about the President’s FY 2019 Budget request for NSF this afternoon:  https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=244509

 

The submission of the President’s Budget Request to Congress is just the beginning of the budget process for the coming fiscal year (FY 2019).  As many of you know, the President proposes a budget, and Congress ultimately appropriates funds.  Here is a high-level summary of where things stand:

 

• For our current fiscal year, FY 2018, NSF is currently operating on a Continuing Resolution, pending Congressional appropriations and Presidential signature for the full fiscal year.
• Last week, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which is likely to impact NSF’s FY 2018 and FY 2019 appropriations.  This Act increased the level of spending allowed (the “budget cap”) for non-defense discretionary funding (which includes NSF) for FY 2018 as well as for FY 2019; that increase was relative to the FY 2017 budget.  Congress is now working on FY 2018 appropriations, which would specify exactly how much NSF will receive for the full fiscal year.
• Once our FY 2018 budget is resolved, it will be on to FY 2019.  The next phase of the FY 2019 budget process will be up to Congress, which must appropriate funding for all agencies including NSF.

 

Today’s FY 2019 Budget Request from the President positions NSF to sustain the critical investments that we make across a portfolio of programs supporting fundamental computer and information science and engineering (CISE) research, education, and research infrastructure.  As part of these investments, NSF’s CISE directorate will continue to lead cross-cutting activities that support national priorities.  For example, the FY 2019 Budget Request for NSF includes support for accelerating focused, cross-disciplinary efforts around two of NSF’s 10 Big Ideas for Future Investment (the Director previously announced the 10 Big Ideas in May 2016):  Harnessing the Data Revolution for 21^st-Century Science and Engineering (HDR); and the Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (FW-HTF).  These two Big Ideas are of particular interest to the CISE research community; CISE co-leads the HDR and FW-HTF Big Ideas within NSF

 

More information about the President’s FY 2019 Budget Request for NSF is posted at  https://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2019/index.jsp

 

For many decades now, investments in CISE research, education, and research infrastructure have returned exceptional dividends to our Nation – driving economic growth and competitiveness.  Working together, and working in new and emerging areas, we can ensure that our work continues to profoundly impact the world in which we live.  We invite you to continue to work with us to develop the discoveries and discoverers that will transform our society in the decades ahead.

 

Best,

 

Jim and Erwin

 

Jim Kurose, Assistant Director (AD) of NSF for CISE
Erwin Gianchandani, Deputy AD of NSF for CISE

For more details on the President’s request for science see Director of Government Affairs Peter Harsha’s recent computing research policy blog post.