Federal Obligations for Research and Development

i Deph of Defense

~*^'

1 0 0 150 Λ2Ο0 250

Distribution of the Federal Dollar

Profit Organizat ions 38c

Educational Institutions

15c

within Federal Government

44c

Federal R&D Spending Sets Record Research in b io log ica l sciences showed largest in­crease in funds; physical sciences aïso rose

1 HE FEDERAL R&D budget for fiscal 1958 was a record S3.4 billion. This represents an increase of 13 ' · over the 1957 expenditure of $3.0 billion, says the National Science Foundation in its latest report on the government re­search budget. Expenditures ior 1959 are expected to go up another S' < .

The most significant growth in basic research was in the biological sciences. which increased 2 3 ' / over 1957 (C&EN. Nov. 25, 1957, page 48) . Total obligations for the physical sci­ences rose about 12 '^ .

As in fiscal 1957, the Defense De­partment and the Atomic Energy Com­mission took an overwhelmingly large slice of the budget, accounting for S3'* of the funds. DOD and AEC plus six other agencies—Departments of Health. Education, and Welfare; Agriculture: Interior; Commerce; National Science Foundation; and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (now the National Aeronautics and Space Ad­ministration )—spent 99'* of the entire federal R&D budget. These figures and

percentages a re actual payment for services and goods. In addition. D O D spent another $900 million in 1958 to support research and development.

• Research Breakdown. The big­gest chunk of the federal R&l) do l la r -44'<~is spent within the Government itself. This represents a decrease of 4'< from fiscal 1957. Almost SI.2 billion, or 32 ' , of the R&D dollar, .vent to profit organizations. One fourth of that amount went to industry-operated research centers under con­tract with the Department of Defense or the Atomic Energy Commission. The report points out that the S 1.2 bil­lion does not include DOD funds which go to profit organizations tor engineer­ing-type production and procurement. If this were considered, the total would be $2.0 billion.

Educational institutions received onlv 15''—$400 million—of the funds. This is only 1 ' Ί higher than the allot­ment in fiscal 1957. The major share of this obligation—about 69r<—was car­ried bv DOD and AEC. In addition

to these two agencies. Agriculture; \ S F ; and Health. Education, and Wel­fare, each contributed S23 million to educational institutions.

The remaining S105 million went to nonprofit research groups, philanthropic institutions, health agencies, state gov­ernments, and foreign and interna­tional organizations.

• Kow Funds Are Spent. Almost two thirds of the R&D dollar was spent for development; about 35 ' < was spent for research, both applied and basic. Basic research accounted for only S' * of the research dollar, about S259 mil­lion. This is an increase of 2 3 ' < over the amount spent in 1957. although on percentage bases, the amounts an» the same-about S'/ of the federal R&D dollar for 1957 was spent on basic research.

Of all the agencies, only the National Science Foundation and the Smith­sonian Institution support only projects in basic research. AEC and the De­partment of Labor spent over 50'> of their research obligations in basic ι esearch.

According to the report, the Gov­ernment's tendency is to emphasize the most "practical uses of science." This is borne out by the fact that engi­neering sciences receive about 65 '^ of funds spent for physical sciences. •

DEC. I. 1958 C & E N 4 1

new advances in Zirconium Chemistry.!

new advances in Zirconium Chemistry.!