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FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 17: February 6, 2003

FY 2004 Request: National Institute of Standards and Technology

The FY 2004 request of $496.8 million for the National Institute of
Standards and Technology represents a significant decline of 27.0% 
from the FY 2002 appropriations and of 14.0% from the FY 2003 request.  
This year's request would provide funding for new initiatives in 
homeland security and economic growth, while terminating the Advanced 
Technology Program and halting federal funding for Manufacturing 
Extension Partnership centers after the first six years, continuing a 
policy announced in last year's request.

NIST's budget is divided into three separate appropriations: 
Scientific and Technical Research and Services, Industrial Technology 
Services, and Construction of Research Facilities.  The requests are 
described below, with explanatory quotes from NIST budget documents.  
Because the FY 2003 appropriations process has not been completed, one 
way to look at the FY 2004 request is to compare it to the 
appropriation for FY 2002, which is final, to see how funding would 
change over the two-year period.

The SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL RESEARCH AND SERVICES (STRS) 
appropriation includes NIST's in-house Laboratories and the Baldrige 
National Quality Program:

NIST LABORATORIES: $381.8 million; up 18.8% from FY 2002 
appropriation; down 3.7% from FY 2003 request

The request for the NIST Laboratories includes $27.7 million for new
initiatives as follows:

 -  $10.3 million for homeland security measurements and 
infrastructure in such areas as nuclear, radiological, biowarfare and 
other terrorist threats ($5.3 million); lessons learned from the World 
Trade Center collapse investigation ($4 million); and biometric 
identification systems ($1 million).

 -  $9.2 million to "support and enhance" programs in nanotechnology 
($5.2 million); quantum computing ($3 million); and health care 
quality assurance ($1 million).

 -  $6.7 million for the Advanced Measurement Laboratory ($5.5 million 
for equipment and $1.2 million for operation and maintenance).

 -  $1.5 million for time-scale dissemination backup elements.

The BALDRIGE NATIONAL QUALITY PROGRAM would receive $5.8 million.

The INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY SERVICES (ITS) appropriation comprises the
Advanced Technology Program, a cost-shared competitive grant program 
with industry for early-stage, high-risk R&D, and the Manufacturing 
Extension Partnership, a network of centers that provide technical 
assistance to small and medium manufacturers.  The 
always-controversial Advanced Technology Program has been a target of 
many termination attempts by the House, but each time the Senate has 
restored its funding.

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM (ATP): $27 million; down 85.4% from FY 
2002 appropriation; down 75.0% from FY 2003 request

The ATP request is intended to cover "administrative and other 
expenses needed to terminate" the program.  According to the budget 
documents, "While this program has been well run and effective, scarce 
resources are needed for higher priority programs."  A senior OMB 
official stated that Congress's failure to enact 
Administration-proposed reforms of the ATP in 2002 contributed to the 
Administration's decision to terminate the program.

MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP (MEP): $12.6 million; down 88.2% 
from FY 2002 appropriation; down 2.3% from FY 2003 request

The MEP request maintains the policy, put forward in the FY 2003 
request, "of funding the partnership according to its original plan, 
which called for the phase-out of federal monies to MEP centers after 
six years of funding.  MEP central coordination activities and the 
federal share of the two centers less than seven years old would be 
funded."

The request for CONSTRUCTION OF RESEARCH FACILITIES (CRF) is $69.6
million.

According to NIST budget documents, "these actions" in the request 
"are consistent with the President's emphasis on shifting scarce 
resources to reflect higher-priority national needs.  Investment of 
limited NIST resources in the laboratory programs and facilities will 
have the greatest impact on strengthening homeland security and 
fostering innovation that leads to economic growth."

Details of the FY 2004 request for NIST and supporting materials can 
be found at 
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/budget_2004.htm .

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Audrey T. Leath
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi{at}aip.org
(301) 209-3094
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