National Science Board Adopts New Funding Standards

Flooded with nearly 30,000 proposals for funding every year, the National Science Board has adopted a new set of criteria to determine which research projects are most deserving of federal funds. Under the old system, the competence of the researcher and the intrinsic merit of the project were given the most weight. The new criteria, which give greater latitude to the broader impact of proposed research and its effect on the infrastructure of science and engineering, will go into effect in October. The board -- the governing body of the National Science Foundation -- grants funding for about 10,000 proposals each year.