The National Science Foundation is looking to spend a good chunk of its proposed $7.045 billion budget for FY 2010 on advanced network technologies.
The overall budget would be an 8.5% increase over FY 2009’s and would include $1.1 billion on Networking and Information Technology R&D, or NITRD in NSF-speak. NITRD coordinates network and IT investments across agencies, its proposed portion of the budget would represent a 10.6% increase vs. what it is in FY 2009.
20 kick-ass network research projects
Also on the IT front, the NSF is looking to devote $46.7 million to accelerate innovation in silicon technology, which is on pace is reach the limits of Moore’s Law in 10 to 20 years.
Some $57.8 million would go to setting up Science and Technology Centers dedicated to cutting edge research. The funding would support the opening of 5 new centers, making 17 in all.
Cybersecurity research would get $126.7 million, with an emphasis on usability and privacy. Cyber-enabled discovery and innovation would get $102.6 million, up 44.7% from FY 2009’s figure.
NSF is also earmarking $92 million across research divisions to do transformative research – high risk work that could have a big payoff.
Funding would also go to climate change research, energy science and many educational programs.
NSF Director Arden Bement, Jr., said: “With this budget, the President makes it absolutely clear that science and engineering research and education are vital to the nation’s future.”
The requested budget will put the agency on a path to doubling its budget from FY 2006 to FY 2016, as envisioned in the President’s Plan for Science and Innovation.
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