The White House has proposed $78.2 billion in R&D funding for the 1999 fiscal year, reflecting a renewed emphasis on support for scientific and university-based research facilities.
The Clinton administration proposed $17 billion for basic research, an increase of $1.2 billion (8%) over last year. The budget provides $16.4 billion for applied research, up $848 million (5%) from fiscal 1998.
Highlights include $14.8 billion to the National Institutes of Health, which would expand research on diabetes, cancer, genetic medicine and the search for an AIDS vaccine. The National Science Foundation's allotment rose $344 million to $3.8 billion, and the US Department of Energy could receive $7.2 billion. Other proposals include modest increases in R&D for the Department of Defense at $4.3 billion; Department of Agriculture, $770 million; and Department of Commerce, $1.08 billion.