NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

May 30, 2025

ii
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

NOTES

Table and Figure Notes

Numbers in the tables and figures may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Common Acronyms Used in NSF’s Budget Submission

Appropriation Accounts
• AOAM - Agency Operations and Award Management
• MREFC - Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction
• NSB – National Science Board
• OIG - Office of Inspector General
• R&RA - Research and Related Activities

Directorates and Offices

• BFA - Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management
• BIO - Directorate for Biological Sciences
• CISE - Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering
• EDU - Directorate for STEM Education
• ENG - Directorate for Engineering
• GEO - Directorate for Geosciences
• GEO: OPP - Office of Polar Programs (a Sub-Activity within the Directorate for Geosciences)
• MPS - Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
• SBE - Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
• TIP - Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
• CRSP – Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy
• OIRM - Office of Information and Resource Management
• OISE - Office of International Science and Engineering
• OIA - Office of Integrative Activities [organizational unit]
• IA - Integrative Activities [budget activity]
• EPSCoR – Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

National Science and Technology Council Crosscuts:

• CET - Clean Energy Technology
• NITRD - Networking and Information Technology Research and Development
• NNI - National Nanotechnology Initiative
• USGCRP - U.S. Global Change Research Program
• QIS - Quantum Information Science

NSF-Wide Investments
• GRFP - Graduate Research Fellowship Program
• IUSE - Improving Undergraduate STEM Education
• I-Corps™ - NSF Innovation Corps
• NRT - NSF Research Traineeship
• SaTC - Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace

iii
Notes

Other Frequently Used Acronyms

• STEM - science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
• R&D - research and development
• O&M - operations and maintenance
• AI - artificial intelligence
• Mid-scale RI - Mid-scale Research Infrastructure

iv
 NSF FY 2026 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

For definitions of common acronyms used throughout NSF’s FY 2026 Budget Request, see the
NOTES found at the beginning of the entire document on pages iii-iv.

OVERVIEW........................................................................................................................... Overview - 1

NSF SUMMARY TABLES (Internal TOC) ............................................................... Summary Tables - 1

NSF Summary Table ............................................................................................ Summary Tables - 3
NSF Budget Requests and Appropriations by Account: FY 2006-FY 2026.... Summary Tables - 4
NSF Funding Profile ............................................................................................. Summary Tables - 5
Number of People Involved in NSF Activities ................................................... Summary Tables - 6
NSF Administration Priorities and Crosscutting Research Summary ........... Summary Tables - 8
NSF Programs to Broaden Participation Table .............................................. Summary Tables - 11
Fellowships, Scholarships, and Postdoctoral Programs .............................. Summary Tables - 12
NSF Research Infrastructure Funding by Account and Activity ................... Summary Tables - 13
NSF Research Infrastructure Summary .......................................................... Summary Tables - 14

NSF AUTHORIZATIONS AND OTHER REPORTS (Internal TOC) ............................. Authorizations - 1

Computer Science Education Research Report ................................................... Authorizations - 3
EPSCoR Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2024 ................................................ Authorizations - 6
CHIPS and Science Spend Plan for Fiscal Year 2026 ......................................... Authorizations - 18
NSF Current Authorizations ................................................................................. Authorizations - 19

NSF-WIDE INVESTMENTS (Internal TOC) ................................................... NSF-Wide Investments - 1

Artificial Intelligence Narrative................................................................. NSF-Wide Investments - 3
Quantum Information Science ................................................................ NSF-Wide Investments - 5
Advanced Manufacturing ......................................................................... NSF-Wide Investments - 7
Advanced Wireless Research ................................................................... NSF-Wide Investments - 9
Biotechnology .......................................................................................... NSF-Wide Investments - 10
Microelectronics and Semiconductors ................................................. NSF-Wide Investments - 12
Spectrum Innovation Initiative ............................................................... NSF-Wide Investments - 14
NSF Centers .............................................................................................. NSF-Wide Investments - 15

Major Research Equipment and Facilities Overview ................................................ MREFC - 1

Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization............................................................................MREFC - 4
Leadership-Class Computing Facility ............................................................................... MREFC - 14
Mid-scale Research Infrastructure Track 2 ..................................................................... MREFC - 20

Major Facilities Overview ......................................................................................... Facilities - 1

RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES (Internal TOC) ........................................... R&RA Overview - 1

R&RA Overview ....................................................................................................................... R&RA - 3
Biological Sciences ................................................................................................................... R&RA - 5
Computer and Information Science and Engineering ........................................................ R&RA - 6
STEM Education ...................................................................................................................... R&RA - 7

v
Table of Contents

Engineering ............................................................................................................................... R&RA - 9

Geosciences ............................................................................................................................ R&RA - 10
Geosciences: Office of Polar Programs .............................................................................. R&RA - 11
Mathematical and Physical Sciences................................................................................... R&RA - 12
Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, including NCSES ......................................... R&RA - 13
Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships ........................................................................ R&RA - 15
Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy ........................................... R&RA - 16
Office of International Science and Engineering ............................................................... R&RA - 17
Integrative Activities, including EPSCOR ............................................................................. R&RA - 18
US Arctic Research Commission ......................................................................................... R&RA - 20

ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE (Internal TOC) .................................................................... OrgEx- 1

Organizational Excellence Portfolio................................................................................ OrgEx - 1

Office of Inspector General ........................................................................................... OIG - 1

Office of the National Science Board .......................................................................... NSB - 1

PERFORMANCE AND MANAGEMENT (Internal TOC) .................... Performance & Management - 1

FY 2026 Annual Performance Plan ...................................................... Performance & Management - 3

GAO-IG Act Exhibits ............................................................................ Performance & Management - 11

TECHNICAL INFORMATION ....................................................................................... Technical Info - 1

FY 2026 NSF Appropriations Language ........................................................................ Technical Info - 3
Summary of FY 2026 NSF Budgetary Resources by Account .................................... Technical Info - 5
NSF by Object Classification ........................................................................................... Technical Info - 8
NSF Reimbursable Activity.............................................................................................. Technical Info - 9
Explanation of FY 2024 Carryover into FY 2025 by Account .................................... Technical Info - 10

QUANTITATIVE DATA TABLES .................................................................................................... QDT - 1

vi
 NSF FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (Public Law 81-507) sets forth our mission: “To promote
the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the
national defense...”

The National Science Foundation’s FY 2026 Budget Request of $3.903

billion reflects a strategic alignment of resources in a constrained
fiscal environment. NSF is prioritizing investments that complement
private-sector R&D and offer strong potential to drive economic
growth and strengthen U.S. technological leadership. This approach
ensures public funding is directed toward areas where it can have the
greatest national impact.

NSF support is vital to the U.S. research and development enterprise,

to training the STEM workforce, and to cultivating access to scientific
learning and resources. These investments will continue to spur the
economic growth that keeps our Nation moving forward and support U.S. manufacturing
competitiveness.

The allocation of funds reflects Administration policy to invest in programs that serve all Americans
equally.

For over 75 years, NSF has advanced the frontiers of the full spectrum of science and engineering
research and innovation. Tasked with keeping the U.S. at the leading edge of scientific and engineering
discovery to the benefit of all, NSF funds research that generates new knowledge that provides a
greater understanding of the world around us. NSF’s long-term support for solutions-oriented
research has fueled industries of the future, produced advancements for the American people, and
created world-leading technologies.

NSF investments fuel groundbreaking discoveries, accelerate translational solutions, and expand
participation in STEM fields. These efforts support a strong domestic workforce, bolster national
security, and enhance U.S. global competitiveness in science and engineering. A new frontier of
scientific discovery lies before us, defined by transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence,
quantum computing, and advanced biotechnology. Breakthroughs in these fields have the potential
to reshape the global balance of power, spark entirely new industries, and revolutionize the way we
live and work. To secure our future, we must harness the full power of American innovation by
empowering entrepreneurs, unleashing private-sector creativity, and reinvigorating our research
institutions.

Overview - 1
Overview

CRITICAL ACTIVITIES PRIORITIZED IN THE BUDGET

Artificial Intelligence (AI), including machine learning, autonomy, and related advances, ($655.23
million) investments will bring together numerous fields of scientific inquiry—including computer and
information science; cognitive science and psychology; economics and game theory; education
research; engineering and control theory; ethics; linguistics; mathematics; and philosophy—to
advance the frontiers of trustworthy AI, including advancing perception, learning, reasoning,
recommendation, and action in the context of specific fields and economic sectors. NSF investments
are needed to develop new foundational AI theory and implementation techniques, as well as novel
AI methods that are inspired by use cases in specific application domains and contexts.

Quantum Information Science (QIS), including quantum computing and simulation, ($231.15
million) will advance fundamental understanding of uniquely quantum phenomena that can be
harnessed for information processing, transmission, and measurement in ways that classical
approaches do less efficiently, or not at all. Current and future applications of QIS differ from prior
applications of quantum mechanics by using distinct properties that do not have classical
counterparts. The development of new applications for QIS will lay the groundwork for one of the
major technological revolutions of the 21st century.

Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) ($350.0 million), including the
Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs,
is a strategic organizational tool for maintaining and expanding America’s leadership role in science
and technology. By accelerating commercialization, expanding the Nation’s innovation base, and
attracting and training American workers to power key technologies, TIP is a national security asset
driving impact in key technology areas and national, societal, and geostrategic challenges.

CONTINUED INVESTMENTS IN KEY AREAS

Biotechnology, including genomics and synthetic biology, ($248.59 million) investments will support
fundamental and translational research, infrastructure, and education to understand and harness
biological processes for societal benefit.

Advanced Manufacturing, including robotics and sensing technologies, ($110.10 million)

investments will accelerate breakthroughs in manufacturing materials, technologies, and systems
through fundamental and translational, multidisciplinary research that transforms manufacturing
capabilities, methods, and practices.

Microelectronics and Semiconductors, including advanced computer hardware, ($65.75 million)

investments will address the microelectronics and semiconductor challenges facing our Nation due
to technological and global trends, such as the end of Moore’s Law and offshoring of semiconductor
fabrication and manufacturing.

Advanced Wireless, including communications technology and immersive technology, ($59.46

million) investments will bridge knowledge gaps and advance innovations in areas critical to future
generations of communications technologies and networks, such as novel wireless devices, circuits,
protocols, and systems; mobile edge computing; distributed machine learning and inference on

Overview - 2
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

mobile devices; human-machine-network interactions; ultra-low-latency connections; and dynamic

spectrum allocation and sharing, all while ensuring security for all users.

Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Office ($107.70 million)

provides strategic programs and opportunities that stimulate sustainable improvements to EPSCoR
jurisdictions’ R&D capacity and capability. EPSCoR aims to stimulate research that enhances
jurisdictional competitiveness in NSF disciplinary and multidisciplinary research programs, especially
those that drive economic growth and geographic diversity.

EPSCoR uses three investment strategies in pursuit of its goal to strengthen research capacity and
competitiveness in eligible jurisdictions. These are:
• Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) awards that support physical, human, and
cyberinfrastructure development
• Co-Funding in partnership with NSF directorates and offices that support individual investigators
and groups within EPSCoR jurisdictions
• Outreach activities and workshops that bring EPSCoR jurisdiction investigators together with
program staff from across the Foundation to explore opportunities in emerging areas of science
and engineering aligned with NSF strategic priorities and with jurisdictional science and
technology goals

The CybersCorps®: Scholarships for Service (SFS) ($21.71 million) program recruits and trains the
next generation of cybersecurity professionals in order to develop a superior cybersecurity workforce
for the Nation. Key goals for NSF are to increase the number of qualified cybersecurity candidates for
cybersecurity positions and improve the national capacity for the education of cybersecurity
professionals and research and development workforce.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) and -Excellence

in Research Program (HBCU-EiR) ($56.50 million in total). These programs enhance the quality of
undergraduate STEM education and research and support projects that enable STEM and STEM
education faculty to develop research capacity and conduct research at HBCUs.

The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) ($7.11 million) provides awards to Tribal
Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions
to promote high quality STEM education, research, and outreach.

INVESTMENTS IN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE (RI)

From individual instruments to major research facilities, RI is foundational to the scientific endeavor
and necessary for enabling ground-breaking discoveries and global leadership. RI is equally important
in use-inspired research and technology development that meet national, societal, and geostrategic
needs and challenges. Cutting-edge RI is also integral to attracting, developing, and training the next
generation of STEM talent and inspiring those who will lead the next generation of advances in
infrastructure. The skills required to design, operate, and maintain RI are critical for the long-term
future and success of the Nation’s science and technology enterprise. Key components of RI are:

Overview - 3
Overview

Major Facilities Operations and Maintenance (O&M) ($745.0 million) reflects a balance among
multiple priorities. NSF carefully allocates resources between research grants and O&M costs for
research infrastructure that supports the scientific discovery for which those grants are made. In
addition to regular O&M needs to keep a facility functional, support for upgrades, significant periodic
maintenance, and infrastructure renewal must also be addressed within Facilities O&M. NSF
continues to explore ways to invest in research infrastructure, at all scales, to keep pace with changing
technologies, increased demand by users, and expanding research opportunities.

Mid-scale Research Infrastructure (Mid-scale RI) ($43.06 million total, comprising $25.0 million in
the agency-wide Track 2 program plus $18.06 million in directorate-level programs), supports research
infrastructure with a total project cost falling between the upper limit for the Major Research
Instrumentation program at $4.0 million and the Major Facility construction threshold at $100.0
million. This dedicated funding line implements an agency-wide mechanism that includes upgrades
to major facilities as well as stand-alone projects.

The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) ($20.0 million) program catalyzes new knowledge by
helping STEM professionals acquire or develop the instrumentation needed for innovative research.
MRI grants of up to $4.0 million are provided across all NSF-supported research disciplines.

Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) ($251.0 million). Construction
projects that require an investment of more than $100.0 million are supported through NSF’s MREFC
Account. In FY 2026, funding continues construction of the Leadership-Class Computing Facility and
the Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization project, as well as the Mid-scale Research Infrastructure
- Track-2 program.

MREFC Account Funding, by Project

(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2026
Request
Leadership-Class Computing Facility (LCCF) $201.00
Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization (AIR) 24.00
Mid-scale Research Infrastructure, Track 2 25.00
Dedicated Construction Oversight 1.00
Total $251.00

• The Leadership-Class Computing Facility ($201.0 million) is envisioned as a distributed facility

that will provide unique computational and data analytics capabilities, as well as critical software
and services, for the Nation’s science and engineering research community to enable discoveries
that would not be possible otherwise. The project will deploy a range of education and outreach
activities to nurture our Nation’s future STEM workforce in data and computational science.

• NSF manages all U.S. Antarctic activities as a single, integrated program, making Antarctic research
possible for scientists supported by NSF and other U.S. agencies. The Antarctic Infrastructure
Recapitalization ($24.0 million) program is a portfolio of infrastructure investments across the
U.S. Antarctic stations.

Overview - 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

• Mid-scale Research Infrastructure - Track 2. See discussion above.

Design of Potential New Major Facility Construction Project. Given the unaffordability of
continuing funding two different multi-billion dollar telescopes, NSF will advance the Giant Magellan
Telescope (GMT) into the Major Facility Final Design Phase, but the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will
not advance to the Final Design Phase and will not receive additional commitment of funds from NSF.
NSF has received assurances from the GMT project that it can complete the final design phase without
further investments. Moving into the final design phase does not guarantee that a project will be
approved for construction, and doing so does not obligate the agency to provide any further funding.
The FY 2026 Request supports continued design of a single telescope within the U.S. Extremely Large
Telescope (ELT) program.

RESEARCH SECURITY STRATEGY AND POLICY

NSF is expanding capabilities and competencies to protect the U.S. science and engineering
enterprise through its Research Security Strategy and Policy activity. The August 2022 CHIPS and
Science Act contained several research security provisions that NSF is implementing. NSF
participation in discussions with the U.S. research community and with international colleagues and
development of common frameworks for understanding research security are major components of
the NSF Research Security activity. Specific activities include:

• As required by Section 10338 of the CHIPS and Science Act, NSF will support the Safeguarding the
Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Program, formerly the Research
Security and Integrity Information Sharing and Analysis Organization, to empower the research
community to identify and mitigate foreign interference that poses risks to the U.S.-funded
research enterprise. The Program includes the SECURE-Center which will share information, tools
and other services related to research security risks and provide training to the research
community. In addition, the SECURE-Analytics award supports the analytics needs of the broader
research community and works in close coordination with the SECURE-Center.

• The Research on Research Security (RoRS) Program will advance the understanding of the full
scope, potential, challenges, and nature of the research on research security field through
scholarly evidence. This includes assessment of the characteristics that distinguish research
security from research integrity, improving the quantitative understanding of the scale and scope
of research security risks, developing methodologies to assess the potential impact of research
security threats, and assessing the additional research security risks in an innovation system that
includes more use-inspired research rather than staying well within the bounds of fundamental
research.

Overview - 5
Overview

ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE - AGENCY OPERATIONS AND AWARD MANAGEMENT (AOAM)

Of the $3.903 billion funding that NSF is requesting in FY 2026, NSF requests $355.0 million for AOAM,
a decrease of $93.0 million or -20.8 percent below FY 2024 Current Plan level for AOAM. This reduction
is commensurate to the needs of NSF at the total FY 2026 Request level.

The AOAM account funds the staff and support services at NSF that enable research and operations
to steward the taxpayer investment. Investments in the AOAM account provide the fundamental
framework through which the Foundation’s science and engineering research and education
programs are administered, and by which NSF directly supports and responds to Congressional
priorities and the Administration’s management and performance priorities, including a research
science and security framework necessary to the well-being of the NSF-funded scientific enterprise.
Over the last several fiscal year budget requests, NSF reduced or held flat support services costs to
accommodate the year-over-year increases in the fixed costs for staffing and rent while minimizing
growth to the AOAM account in the Request.

Emphasizing the essential nature of the AOAM account in supporting the scientific enterprise at NSF,
in FY 2026 NSF proposes two changes:

• Shifting the AOAM account from one-year to two-year budget authority to bring the availability
into alignment with the program funds in the R&RA account
• Shifting budget activities with an agency-wide benefit from the AOAM account to the R&RA
account, under Mission Support Services, to better align the funding for such activities with where
their benefit accrues as well as to accommodate the reduced AOAM level in FY 2026

Overview - 6
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

HIGHLIGHTS

Expeditions in Computing

NSF's Expeditions in Computing program supports

large-scale, cutting-edge research projects poised to
yield lasting impacts on society, the economy, and
technological advancement. Projects funded by
Expeditions are characterized by their ambition and
potential for transformation, leveraging advances in
computing and cyberinfrastructure to accelerate
discovery and innovation across various science and
engineering domains. Previous awards have covered
topics from synthetic biology and behavioral
neuroscience to computer vision, robotics, and
quantum computing. NSF has awarded $36.0 million
to three projects with the potential to forge new Expeditions projects focus on creating transformative
technologies, methodologies and infrastructure that can be
pathways and revolutionize operating system design
adopted by the broader research community, industry or
with machine learning. This investment will foster society at large. Credit: NSF.
innovation by advancing computing performance
and capability.

Leadership-Class Computing Facility

NSF begins construction on a new

Leadership-Class Computing Facility (LCCF)
at the Texas Advanced Computing Center
at the University of Texas, Austin that will
revolutionize computational research and
development. Expected to be operational
during 2026, the LCCF will deploy the
largest academic supercomputer, Horizon,
dedicated to open-scientific research in the
NSF portfolio, enabling groundbreaking
curiosity-driven and use-inspired research
Texas Advanced Computing Center employees work on the network across all scientific disciplines. This cutting-
cabling at that will revolutionize computational research and
edge facility will partner with four
development. Credit: Texas Advanced Computing Center
distributed science centers to leverage the
deep expertise within the nation's cyberinfrastructure ecosystem and ensure that researchers across
the country have access to its computational resources and services. The LCCF and its partners will
also oversee a wide range of education and public outreach activities to grow the future science and
engineering workforce.

Overview - 7
Overview

NSF Announces $20 Million Investment in Quantum Nanofabrication Infrastructure

NSF announced a nearly $20.0 million award that will support

the construction of a nanoscale fabrication facility at the
University of Colorado Boulder to accelerate co-design and
development of atomic-photonic quantum devices,
positioning the U.S. as a global leader in quantum science and
engineering. The new NSF National Quantum Nanofab (NQN)
will enable quantum device fabrication, characterization, and
packaging capabilities that are essential to advancing
applications ranging from quantum computers and networks
Logo for National Quantum Nanofab Facility.
to atomic clocks, and advanced quantum sensors. Funded as University of Colorado Boulder. Credit: CU
part of NSF's Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure 1 (Mid-scale Boulder
RI-1) program, NQN will be an open-access national facility for
academic, government and industrial users.

NSF ERC Breaks Ground on Highway test bed to develop wireless charging for electric
vehicles.

The Indiana Department of Transportation, Cummins, White Construction, and Purdue ceremoniously
broke ground May 1, 2024, for a highway segment where Purdue engineers will test a system they
designed to wirelessly provide power to a heavy-duty electric truck traveling at highway speeds. This
project is part of the NSF Engineering Research Centers for advancing Infrastructure for Roadway
Electrification.

Pictured from left are Mike Smith, Indiana Department of Transportation commissioner; Tim
Frazier, vice president of research and technology at Cummins Inc.; Bill Lang, vice president of
White Construction; Nadia Gkritza, Purdue professor of civil engineering and agricultural and
biological engineering; Arvind Raman, John A. Edwardson dean of Purdue’s College of
Engineering; and Purdue University President Mung Chiang. Credit: Kayla M Albert, Purdue
University .

Overview - 8
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

National Artificial Intelligence Research Infrastructure Pilot

The National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) envisions a collaborative national
research infrastructure designed for responsible AI discovery and innovation. Launching the NAIRR
Pilot marks the initial step in achieving this vision, aiming to enhance and broaden access to essential
resources vital for advancing responsible AI research and innovation.

Credit: NSF.

Accelerating Discovery Through AI-Assisted Chemical Synthesis

Supported by two NSF Centers for

Chemical Innovation, researchers
developed an AI-based system that
successfully planned and executed
real-world chemistry experiments
using robotic lab equipment with
minimal human direction. Their
work was published in Nature and
demonstrates the potential for AI to
become a type of hyper-efficient lab
partner that can assist human
scientists in making more
Conceptual representation of chemistry research conducted by AI. The work
discoveries, faster.
was led by Gabe Gomes at Carnegie Mellon University and supported by the
U.S. National Science Foundation Centers for Chemical Innovation. Credit: NSF.

Overview - 9
Overview

Overview - 10
 NSF SUMMARY TABLES

For definitions of common acronyms used throughout NSF’s FY 2026 Budget Request, see the
NOTES found at the beginning of the entire document on pages iii-iv.

NSF Summary Table ......................................................................................................... Summary Tables - 3

NSF Budget Requests and Appropriations by Account: FY 2006-FY 2026 ................ Summary Tables - 4
NSF Funding Profile .......................................................................................................... Summary Tables - 5
Number of People Involved in NSF Activities ............................................................... Summary Tables - 6
NSF Administration Priorities and Crosscutting Research Summary........................ Summary Tables - 8
NSF Programs to Broaden Participation Table........................................................... Summary Tables – 11
Fellowships, Scholarships, and Postdoctoral Programs ........................................... Summary Tables - 12
NSF Research Infrastructure Funding by Account and Activity ................................ Summary Tables - 13
NSF Research Infrastructure Summary ....................................................................... Summary Tables - 14

Summary Tables - 1
NSF Summary Tables

Summary Tables - 2
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUMMARY TABLE

FY 2026 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 FY 2025 Change over
Current Estimate FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
1
NSF by Account Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
BIO $789.59 $224.89 -$564.70 -71.5%
CISE 989.35 346.27 -643.08 -65.0%
EDU 1,154.31 288.43 -865.88 -75.0%
ENG 740.80 185.20 -555.60 -75.0%
GEO 1,577.08 873.57 -703.51 -44.6%
GEO: OPP 559.76 497.22 -62.54 -11.2%
U.S. Antarctic Logistics Activities 109.31 109.31 - -
MPS 1,554.21 515.28 -1,038.93 -66.8%
SBE 290.29 94.00 -196.29 -67.6%
NCSES 74.07 44.00 -30.07 -40.6%
TIP 617.90 350.00 -267.90 -43.4%
SBIR/STTR, including Operations 251.78 108.47 -143.31 -56.9%
CRSP 13.50 10.00 -3.50 -25.9%
OISE 63.70 12.74 -50.96 -80.0%
IA 430.02 177.73 -252.29 -58.7%
U.S. Arctic Research Commission 1.75 1.15 -0.60 -34.3%
Mission Support Services 126.00 196.89 70.89 56.3%
1
Research & Related Activities $8,348.50 $8,348.50 $3,276.15 -$5,072.35 -60.8%
Major Res. Equip. & Fac. Construction $234.00 - $251.00 $17.00 7.3%
Agency Operations & Award Mgmt. $448.00 $448.00 $355.00 -$93.00 -20.8%
Office of Inspector General $24.41 $24.41 $18.00 -$6.41 -26.3%
National Science Board $5.09 $5.09 $3.00 -$2.09 -41.1%
Total, NSF Discretionary Funding $9,060.00 $8,826.00 $3,903.15 -$5,156.85 -56.9%
CHIPS for America Workforce and Education Fund2 25.00 50.00 50.00 25.00 100.0%
STEM Education - H-1B Visa 138.93 138.93 150.46 11.53 8.3%
Donations 40.00 40.00 40.00 - -
Total, NSF Mandatory Funding $203.93 $228.93 $240.46 $36.53 17.9%
Total, NSF Budgetary Resources $9,263.93 $9,054.93 $4,143.61 -$5,120.32 -55.3%
Totals exclude reimbursable amounts.
1
Restatements for comparability includes the consolidation of the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) and Mission Support
Services within R&RA, and the establishment of the Office of the Chief of Research Security, Strategy, and Policy (CRSP) as a
standalone Program Activity.
2
As made available under Sec. 102(d)(2)(C) of Division A of the CHIPS and Science Act (P.L. 117-167).

Summary Tables - 3
Summary Tables

NSF BUDGET REQUESTS AND APPROPRIATIONS BY ACCOUNT: FY 2006 - FY 2026

(Dollars in Millions)
Major Research
Research & Related Agency Operations & Office of Office of the National
STEM Education Equipment & Facilities NSF,
Activities Award Management Inspector General Science Board
(EDU)2 Construction 4
TOTAL
(R&RA) (AOAM) (OIG) (NSB)
(MREFC)3
Fiscal Year Request Appropriation Request Appropriation Request Appropriation Request Appropriation Request Appropriation Request Appropriation Request Appropriation
2006 4,333.49 4,339.21 737.00 796.69 250.01 190.88 269.00 247.06 11.50 11.35 4.00 3.95 5,605.00 5,589.14
2007 4,665.95 4,654.24 816.22 796.59 240.45 175.61 281.82 248.50 11.86 10.97 3.91 3.97 6,020.21 5,889.87
2008 5,131.69 4,841.73 750.60 765.60 244.74 220.74 285.59 281.79 12.35 11.43 4.03 3.97 6,429.00 6,125.26
2009 5,593.99 5,186.17 790.41 845.26 147.51 152.01 305.06 294.15 13.10 12.00 4.03 4.03 6,854.10 6,493.61
2009 ARRA - 2,500.00 - 100.00 - 400.00 - - 2.00 - - 3,002.00
2009 Total 5,593.99 7,686.17 790.41 945.26 147.51 552.01 305.06 294.15 13.10 14.00 4.03 4.03 6,854.10 9,495.61
2010 5,733.24 5,563.92 857.76 872.76 117.29 117.29 318.37 300.00 14.00 14.00 4.34 4.54 7,045.00 6,872.51
2011 6,018.83 5,509.98 892.00 861.03 165.19 117.06 329.19 299.40 14.35 13.97 4.84 4.53 7,424.40 6,805.98
2012 6,253.54 5,689.00 911.20 829.00 224.68 197.06 357.74 299.40 15.00 14.20 4.84 4.44 7,767.00 7,033.10
2013 5,983.28 5,543.72 875.61 833.31 196.17 196.17 299.40 293.60 14.20 13.19 4.44 4.12 7,373.10 6,884.11
2014 6,212.29 5,808.92 880.29 846.50 210.12 200.00 304.29 298.00 14.32 14.20 4.47 4.30 7,625.78 7,171.92
2015 5,807.46 5,933.65 889.75 866.00 200.76 200.76 338.23 325.00 14.43 14.43 4.37 4.37 7,255.00 7,344.21
2016 6,186.30 5,989.68 962.57 878.97 200.31 218.31 354.84 357.00 15.16 15.16 4.37 4.37 7,723.55 7,463.49
2017 6,425.44 6,005.65 952.86 873.05 193.12 214.86 373.02 359.09 15.20 15.20 4.38 4.37 7,964.02 7,472.22
20185 5,361.65 6,334.48 760.55 902.00 182.80 182.80 328.51 328.51 15.01 15.20 4.37 4.37 6,652.89 7,767.36
2019 6,150.68 6,504.51 873.37 922.00 94.65 295.74 333.63 333.03 15.35 15.35 4.32 4.37 7,472.00 8,075.00
20206 5,662.96 6,789.80 823.47 942.55 223.23 243.23 336.89 357.75 15.35 16.50 4.10 4.50 7,066.00 8,354.33
20217 6,213.02 7,347.48 930.93 1,029.00 229.75 301.00 345.64 386.93 17.85 17.85 4.21 4.50 7,741.40 9,086.76
20228 8,139.71 6,999.52 1,287.27 1,149.46 249.00 265.52 468.30 424.90 20.42 19.00 4.60 4.60 10,169.30 8,863.00
2023 9 8,425.99 7,006.14 1,377.18 1,154.00 187.23 187.23 473.20 463.00 23.39 23.39 5.09 5.09 10,492.08 8,838.85
2023 DRS 9 - 820.66 - 217.00 - - - - - - - - - 1,037.66
2023 Total9 8,425.99 7,826.80 1,377.18 1,371.00 187.23 187.23 473.20 463.00 23.39 23.39 5.09 5.09 10,492.08 9,876.51
202410 9,017.90 7,176.50 1,496.18 1,172.00 304.67 234.00 503.87 448.00 26.81 24.41 5.25 5.09 11,354.68 9,060.00
202511, 12 8,045.32 7,176.50 1,300.00 1,172.00 300.00 [234.00] 504.00 448.00 28.46 24.41 5.22 5.09 10,183.00 9,060.00
2026 Request13 3,276.15 TBD - - 251.00 TBD 355.00 TBD 18.00 TBD 3.00 TBD 3,903.15 TBD
Totals may not add due to rounding. Appropriations as shown are after supplemental appropriations, transfers, and reprogrammings.
1
For a complete history visit dellweb.bfa.nsf.gov/
2
The STEM Education (EDU) account was previously known as Education and Human Resources (EHR) until FY 2023.
3
The Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) account was known as Major Research Equipment (MRE) until FY 2002.
4
The Agency Operations and Award Management (AOAM) account was known as Salaries & Expenses (S&E) until FY 2008.
5
FY 2018 appropriations include Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act of 2018 supplemental appropriations (P.L. 115-123), which provided NSF $16.30 million in no-year funding to repair radio observatory facilities
damaged by hurricanes that occurred during 2017.
6
FY 2020 appropriations include Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) supplemental appropriations (P.L. 116-136), which provided NSF $76.0 million in two-year funding ($75.0 million to the R&RA account and $1.0 million to the
AOAM account) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, including to fund research grants and other necessary expenses. NSF subsequently transferred $5.0 million from the R&RA account to the EHR account
for these purposes.
7
FY 2021 Appropriations include the $600.0 million in American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (P.L. 117-2) supplemental two-year appropriations to fund or extend new and existing research grants, cooperative agreements, scholarships, fellowships, and
apprenticeships, and related administrative expenses to prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.
8
MREFC account level includes $25.0 million in one-time funding for necessary expenses related to RCRV construction impacted by Hurricane Ida as provides in P.L. 117-43, the “Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act.”
9
Reflects the transfer of $15.0 million of carryover within the R&RA account to the AOAM account completed in FY 2024. This does not affect funding provided by the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (DRS).
10
The FY 2024 Current Plan includes $448.0 million of FY 2024 appropriated dollars and a transfer of $15.0 million of FY 2023 carryover of appropriated dollars for total available funding in the FY 2024 Current Plan of $463.0 million.
11
Reflects the consolidation of mission support services for EDU and R&RA into R&RA starting in FY 2025.
12
MREFC appropriated funds were not included in the emergency designation transmitted to the Committee on Appropriations on March 24, 2025, and are thus not available for expenditure.
13
Reflects the proposed consolidation of the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) within the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) Account.

Summary Tables – 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

NSF FUNDING PROFILE

The Funding Profile presents a high level, agency-wide estimate of proposal pressure, funding rates
(or proposal “success”), and award statistics. These indicators are useful in gauging the relative impact
of different funding levels.

Statistics for Competitive Awards: Competitive awards encompass the universe of NSF new activity each
year. Examples include research grants, cooperative agreements, equipment grants, fellowships, and
conferences.

Statistics for Research Grant Awards: Research Grant Awards are a sub-set of competitive awards. They
are limited to research projects and exclude other categories of awards such as those for cooperative
agreements, equipment grants, fellowships, and conferences.

• Number of Proposals is based on several factors, including past actual activity, planned
competitions, and research trends within the various disciplinary communities. External factors,
such as the state of the national economy and other sources of funding, also play a part.
• Number of Awards is also based on several factors, including estimated funding, and expected
proposal pool.
• Funding Rate is the number of awards made during a year as a percentage of total proposals
competitively reviewed. This indicates the probability of receiving an award when submitting
proposals to NSF.
• Annualized Award Size shows the annual level of research grant awards provided to awardees by
dividing the total dollars of each award by the number of years over which it extends.
• Average Duration is the length of awards in years.

Summary Tables - 5
Summary Tables

NUMBER OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN NSF ACTIVITIES

NSF estimates that in FY 2026, about 90,000 people will be directly involved in NSF programs and
activities, receiving salaries, stipends, participant support, and other types of direct involvement.
Beyond these figures, NSF programs indirectly impact millions of people, reaching PreK-12 students
and teachers, the general public, and researchers through activities including workshops; informal
science activities such as museums, television, videos, and journals; outreach efforts; and
dissemination of improved curriculum and teaching methods.

Number of People Involved in NSF Activities

FY 2024 FY 2026
Plan FY 2025 Request
Estimate (TBD) Estimate
Senior Researchers 60,400 16,900
Other Professionals 14,400 4,100
Postdoctoral Associates 5,500 1,000
Graduate Students 41,500 12,400
Undergraduate Students 37,300 8,000
PreK-12 Teachers 42,900 8,200
PreK-12 Students 128,100 39,400
Total Number of People 330,100 90,000

Senior Researchers include scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and educators receiving funding
through NSF awards. These include both researchers who are principal or co-principal investigators
on research and education projects, and researchers working at NSF-supported centers and facilities.

Other Professionals are individuals who may or may not hold a doctoral degree or its equivalent, are
considered professionals but are not reported as senior researchers, postdoctoral associates, or
students. Examples are technicians, systems experts, etc.

Postdoctoral Associates are individuals who have received Ph.D., M.D., D.Sc., or equivalent and are
not faculty members of the performing institution. These individuals are supported through funds
included in research projects, centers, or facilities awards, as well as by postdoctoral fellowships.

Graduate Students include those compensated from NSF grant funds. NSF supports graduate
students through NSF’s fellowship and traineeship programs as well as research assistantships and
funds to assist senior researchers or postdoctoral associates in performing research through awards
for research projects, centers, or facilities. NSF provides support for approximately 25 percent of the
U.S. science and engineering graduate students receiving federal funds and about four percent of the
science and engineering graduate students in the U.S. overall. 1

Undergraduate Students include students compensated from NSF grant funds who are enrolled in

1
NCSES Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS) 2023 —Table 1-7:
Detailed primary source of federal support for full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health:
1975–2023 (www.ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf25317/table/1-7))

Summary Tables - 6
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

technical colleges or baccalaureate programs. They may be assisting senior researchers or

postdoctoral associates in performing research, or participating in NSF programs aimed at
undergraduate students, such as Research Experiences for Undergraduates.

PreK-12 Teachers include teachers at elementary, middle, and secondary schools. These individuals
actively participate in intensive professional development experiences in the sciences and
mathematics.

PreK-12 Students are those attending elementary, middle, and secondary schools. They are
supported through program components that directly engage students in science and mathematics
experiences.

Summary Tables - 7
Summary Tables

NSF ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND CROSSCUTTING RESEARCH TOPICS SUMMARY

FY 2026 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS
(Dollars in millions)

Advanced Manufacturing Advanced Wireless

FY 2024 Change over FY 2024 Change over

Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
BIO $6.16 $6.15 -$0.01 -0.2% BIO - - - N/A
CISE 41.62 14.57 -27.05 -65.0% CISE 84.47 29.56 -54.91 -65.0%
EDU 6.00 - -6.00 -100.0% EDU - - - N/A
ENG 101.66 57.00 -44.66 -43.9% ENG 22.10 11.00 -11.10 -50.2%
GEO Programs - 2.00 2.00 N/A GEO Programs - - - N/A
GEO: OPP - - - N/A GEO: OPP - - - N/A
MPS 115.70 - -115.70 -100.0% MPS 15.30 3.00 -12.30 -80.4%
SBE - 0.52 0.52 N/A SBE - - - N/A
TIP 38.48 29.86 -8.62 -22.4% TIP 21.52 15.90 -5.62 -26.1%
OISE 0.50 -0.50 -100.0% OISE - - - N/A
IA 0.50 - -0.50 -100.0% IA - - - N/A
Total, NSF $310.62 $110.10 -$200.52 -64.6% Total, NSF $143.39 $59.46 -$83.93 -58.5%

Artificial Intelligence Biotechnology

FY 2024 Change over FY 2024 Change over

Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
BIO $20.00 $50.00 $30.00 150.0% BIO $136.50 $130.00 -$6.50 -4.8%
CISE 342.18 284.54 -57.64 -16.8% CISE 6.27 2.19 -4.08 -65.1%
EDU 35.00 35.00 - - EDU 9.00 2.00 -7.00 -77.8%
ENG 77.80 83.19 5.39 6.9% ENG 81.30 47.00 -34.30 -42.2%
GEO Programs 1.95 24.00 22.05 1130.8% GEO Programs 7.30 13.00 5.70 78.1%
GEO: OPP - 0.20 0.20 N/A GEO: OPP 1.23 0.20 -1.03 -83.7%
MPS 73.07 90.07 17.00 23.3% MPS 61.49 15.00 -46.49 -75.6%
SBE 12.42 15.00 2.58 20.8% SBE 1.00 2.50 1.50 150.0%
TIP 72.23 72.23 - - TIP 48.64 36.70 -11.94 -24.5%
OISE - - - N/A OISE - - - N/A
IA 1.00 1.00 - - IA 1.00 - -1.00 -100.0%
Total, NSF $635.65 $655.23 $19.58 3.1% Total, NSF $353.73 $248.59 -$105.14 -29.7%

Summary Tables - 8
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

NSF ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND CROSSCUTTING RESEARCH TOPICS SUMMARY

FY 2026 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS
(Dollars in millions)
NSTC Crosscut
Microelectronics and Semiconductors
Quantum Information Science
FY 2024 Change over FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
BIO - - - N/A BIO $3.28 $3.28 - -
CISE 35.99 12.60 -23.39 -65.0% CISE 18.11 18.11 - -
EDU - 2.00 2.00 N/A EDU 4.00 4.00 - -
ENG 38.00 22.60 -15.40 -40.5% ENG 23.85 23.85 - -
GEO Programs - - - N/A GEO Programs - 1.00 1.00 N/A
GEO: OPP - - - N/A GEO: OPP - - - N/A
MPS 33.20 - -33.20 -100.0% MPS 152.86 152.86 - -
SBE - - - N/A SBE - - - N/A
TIP 35.38 28.55 -6.83 -19.3% TIP 27.05 27.05 - -
OISE - - - N/A OISE 1.00 1.00 - -
IA - - - N/A IA - - - N/A
Total, NSF $142.57 $65.75 -$76.82 -53.9% Total, NSF $230.15 $231.15 $1.00 0.4%

NSTC Crosscut NSTC Crosscut

National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Networking & Information Technology R&D (NITRD)
FY 2024 Change over FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
BIO $39.95 $34.00 -$5.95 -14.9% BIO $79.00 $69.50 -$9.50 -12.0%
CISE 13.67 - -13.67 -100.0% CISE 989.35 346.27 -643.08 -65.0%
EDU 2.50 - -2.50 -100.0% EDU 19.80 - -19.80 -100.0%
ENG 179.50 90.00 -89.50 -49.9% ENG 138.29 90.68 -47.61 -34.4%
GEO Programs - - - N/A GEO Programs 20.95 24.00 3.05 14.6%
GEO: OPP - - - N/A GEO: OPP - 0.20 0.20 N/A
MPS 119.34 - -119.34 -100.0% MPS 217.53 90.07 -127.46 -58.6%
SBE 0.40 - -0.40 -100.0% SBE 29.75 12.86 -16.89 -56.8%
TIP 7.09 7.10 0.01 0.1% TIP 270.14 186.76 -83.38 -30.9%
OISE 0.10 0.03 -0.07 -70.0% OISE - - - N/A
IA - - - N/A IA 1.00 1.00 - -
Total, NSF $362.55 $131.13 -$231.42 -63.8% Total, NSF $1,765.81 $821.34 -$944.47 -53.5%

Summary Tables - 9
Summary Tables

NSF ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND CROSSCUTTING RESEARCH TOPICS SUMMARY

FY 2026 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS
(Dollars in millions)
NSTC Crosscut NSTC Crosscut
Clean Energy Technology U.S. Global Change Research Program
FY 2024 Change over FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
BIO $55.00 - -$55.00 -100.0% BIO $218.65 $3.10 -$215.55 -98.6%
CISE 37.18 - -37.18 -100.0% CISE 25.00 - -25.00 -100.0%
EDU - - - N/A EDU - - - N/A
ENG 181.40 3.67 -177.73 -98.0% ENG - - - N/A
GEO Programs - - - N/A GEO Programs 335.14 10.00 -325.14 -97.0%
GEO: OPP - - - N/A GEO: OPP 160.54 11.91 -148.63 -92.6%
MPS 108.98 - -108.98 -100.0% MPS 5.57 - -5.57 -100.0%
SBE - - - N/A SBE 17.60 0.15 -17.45 -99.1%
TIP 49.09 - -49.09 -100.0% TIP - - - N/A
OISE 7.50 - -7.50 -100.0% OISE 7.50 - -7.50 -100.0%
IA - - - N/A IA 1.83 - -1.83 -100.0%
Total, NSF $439.15 $3.67 -$435.48 -99.2% Total, NSF $771.83 $25.16 -$746.67 -96.7%

Summary Tables - 10
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

NSF PROGRAMS TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION (BP)

NSF’s BP portfolio programs fall into three categories: (1) Focused; (2) Geographic, where BP is an
explicit goal and 100 percent of total funding applies; and (3) Emphasis, where BP is one of many
emphases, but not an explicit goal, and less than 100 percent of total program funding applies.

NSF PROGRAMS TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION

(Dollars in Millions)
BP FY 2024
Percent Current FY 2025 FY 2026
Applied Plan (TBD) Request
Focused Programs
Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) 100% $62.50 -
ADVANCE 100% 18.00 -
Alliances for Graduate Education & the Professoriate (AGEP) 100% 8.00 -
AGEP Graduate Research Supplements (AGEP-GRS) 100% 3.37 -
Broadening Participation in Biology Fellowships 100% 6.00 -
Broadening Participation in Engineering (BPE) 100% 7.02 -
Career-Life Balance (CLB) 100% 0.03 -
Centers of Research Excellence in Science & Technology (CREST) 100% 24.00 -
CISE Education and Workforce 100% 14.75 -
CISE Graduate Fellowships (CSGrad4US) 100% 8.50 -
CISE-MSI Research Expansion Program 100% 7.00 -
Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering (DARE) 100% 5.00 -
Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative (INCLUDES Initiative) 100% 23.33 -
Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) 100% 20.00 -
Excellence Awards in Science & Engineering (EASE) 100% 2.20 -
ExpandAI 100% 7.50 -
ExpandQISE 100% 18.50 -
Growing Research Access for Nation'ly Transformative Equity & Diversity (GRANTED) 100% 34.50 -
HBCU Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR) 100% 25.00 20.00
Historically Black Colleges & Universities Undergrad Prog (HBCU-UP) 100% 36.50 36.50
Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE): CUE Program 100% 7.50 -
IUSE: Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Program 100% 46.50 -
Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) 100% 49.50 -
MPS Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (MPS-Acend) 100% 8.25 -
MPS Partnerships for Research & Education 100% 18.36 -
NSF Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM)(H-1B)1 100% [144.41] [112.85]
Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates in Biological Sciences (RaMP) 100% - -
SBE Build and Broaden 100% 6.00 -
SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships-Broadening Participation (SPRF-BP) 100% 1.50 -
Science of Broadening Participation 100% 1.50 -
Tribal Colleges & Universities Program (TCUP) 100% 16.50 7.11
Subtotal, Focused Programs $487.31 $63.61
Geographic Diversity Programs
EPSCoR 100% $250.00 $107.70
Subtotal, Geographic Diversity Programs $250.00 $107.70
Emphasis Programs
Computer Science for All (CSforAll) 0% $14.84 -
Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) 0% 79.83 -
EDU Core Research 0% 58.02 -
Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) 0% 229.55 -
Geosciences Disciplinary Education 0% 24.72 -
Geosciences Postdoctoral Fellowships 0% 6.56 -
Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) 0% 192.62 -
Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) 0% 85.10 -
Innovative Tech Experiences for Students & Teachers (ITEST)(H-1B)1 17% [40.13] [6.25]
International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) 0% 7.46 -
Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Math. and Phys. Sciences (MPS-LEAPS) 0% 6.98 -
NSF Innovation Corps Hubs Program (I-Corps) 0% 28.26 -
NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) 0% 32.56 -
Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Sites in BIO, CISE, ENG 0% 7.33 -
Research Experiences for Undergrads (REU) - Sites and Supplements 0% 47.11 -
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (NOYCE) 0% 48.78 -
STEM Ed Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program 0% 6.83 -
Subtotal, Emphasis Programs $876.54 -
Total, Broadening Participation Programs $1,613.85 $171.31
1
Totals exclude H-1B Visa funded programs (S-STEM and ITEST).

Summary Tables - 11
Summary Tables

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

FELLOWSHIPS, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND POSTDOCTORAL PROGRAMS
FY 2026 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over

Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan

Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Fellowships and Scholarships $472.52 $167.22 -$305.30 -64.6%
CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service (SFS) 63.00 21.71 -41.29 -65.5%
Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) 284.52 127.29 -157.23 -55.3%
NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) 58.00 - -58.00 -100.0%
1
NSF Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) (H-1B) [144.41] [112.85] [-31.56] [-21.9%]
Robert Noyce Scholarship (Noyce) Program 67.00 18.22 -48.78 -72.8%
Postdoctoral Programs $65.03 $5.62 -$59.41 -91.4%
Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships 2.40 - -2.40 -100.0%
Engineering Postoctoral Fellowships (eFellows) 3.00 - -3.00 -100.0%
Entreprenural Fellowships 4.12 4.12 - -
Geosciences Postdoctoral Fellowships 10.80 - -10.80 -100.0%
Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships 8.36 - -8.36 -100.0%
MPS ASCEND Postdoctoral Research Fellowships 8.25 - -8.25 -100.0%
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) 17.10 - -17.10 -100.0%
SPRF-Broadening Participation 1.50 - -1.50 -100.0%
SPRF-Fundamental Research 1.50 1.50 - -
STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellowships 8.00 - -8.00 -100.0%
Total $537.55 $172.84 -$364.71 -67.8%
1
Totals exclude H-1B Visa funded programs (S-STEM).

Summary Tables - 12
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE (RI) FUNDING, BY ACCOUNT AND ACTIVITY
FY 2026 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
FY 2024 Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current
Current Plan FY 2025 (TBD) FY 2026 Request Plan RI
1 1
Plan RI Funding (TBD) RI Funding Request RI Funding Amount Percent
BIO $789.59 $141.40 $224.89 $54.85 -$86.55 -61.2%
CISE 989.35 234.15 346.27 96.19 -137.96 -58.9%
EDU 1,154.31 - 288.43 - - N/A
ENG 740.80 24.33 185.20 2.05 -22.28 -91.6%
GEO 1,017.32 473.58 376.35 247.57 -226.01 -47.7%
GEO: OPP 559.76 469.84 497.22 471.97 2.13 0.5%
MPS 1,554.21 415.67 515.28 241.90 -173.77 -41.8%
SBE 290.29 89.52 94.00 50.00 -39.52 -44.1%
TIP 617.90 - 350.00 - - N/A
CRSP 13.50 - 10.00 - - N/A
OISE 63.70 0.10 12.74 0.03 -0.07 -70.0%
IA 430.02 76.35 177.73 22.30 -54.05 -70.8%
USARC 1.75 - 1.15 - - N/A
Mission Support Services 126.00 - 196.89 - - N/A
R&RA $8,348.50 $1,924.94 $3,276.15 $1,186.86 -$738.08 -38.3%
MREFC $234.00 $233.00 $251.00 $250.00 $17.00 7.3%
AOAM $448.00 - $355.00 - - N/A
OIG $24.41 - $18.00 - - N/A
NSB $5.09 - $3.00 - - N/A
Total, NSF $9,060.00 $2,157.94 $3,903.15 $1,436.86 -$721.08 -33.4%
1
Restatement for comparability includes the consolidation of the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) and Mission Support Services within R&RA,
and the establishment of the Office of the Chief of Research Security, Strategy, and Policy (CRSP) as a standalone Program Activity.

Summary Tables - 13
Summary Tables

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE SUMMARY
FY 2026 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Operations and Maintenance of Major Facilities $1,065.73 $745.00 -$320.73 -30.1%
Major Research Facilities Construction Investments $190.13 $243.00 $52.87 27.8%
Construction, Acquisition, and Commissioning (MREFC)1 156.75 225.00 68.25 43.5%
Design Stage Activities2 33.38 18.00 -15.38 -46.1%
Mid-scale Research Infrastructure3 $160.83 $43.06 -$117.77 -73.2%
MREFC Mid-scale Research Infrastructure 76.25 25.00 -51.25 -67.2%
NSF-wide Mid-scale Research Infrastructure (R&RA) 40.05 - -40.05 -100.0%
Directorate Midscale Research Infrastructure Programs 44.53 18.06 -26.47 -59.4%
Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) $31.17 $20.00 -$11.17 -35.8%
Polar Logistical and Infrastructure Support4 $181.46 $181.11 -$0.35 -0.2%
CISE Netwrking and Computatnl Resrces Infrastrctre and Srvces (NCRIS) $196.70 $83.29 -$113.41 -57.7%
Research Resources5 $211.10 $63.02 -$148.08 -70.1%
BIO 60.90 6.00 -54.90 -90.1%
CISE 36.85 12.90 -23.95 -65.0%
GEO 66.15 15.26 -50.89 -76.9%
MPS 26.17 13.00 -13.17 -50.3%
SBE 15.05 6.00 -9.05 -60.1%
OPP 5.98 9.86 3.88 64.9%
Other Research Infrastructure $121.04 $58.38 -$62.66 -51.8%
Subtotal, Research Infrastructure Support $2,158.16 $1,436.86 -$721.30 -33.4%
Research Infrastructure Stewardship Offset -0.22 - 0.22 -100.0%
RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE TOTAL $2,157.94 $1,436.86 -$721.08 -33.4%
1
Construction, Acquisition, and Commissioning are for implementation support provided through the MREFC account. FY 2026 MREFC funding is included
for the Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization program, the Leadership Class Computing Facility, and Mid-scale Research Infrastructure (shown on the
MREFC Mid-scale RI line below).
2
Design Stage Activities include support for potential next generation major facilities. This line reflects FY 2024 funding amounts of $3.88 million for the
Antarctic Research Vessel (ARV), $9.5 million for Summit Station, $7.0 million for the Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), and $13.0 million for
Extremely Large Telescopes (ELT), and FY 2026 funding amounts of $12.0 million for Summit Station, and $6.0 million for ngVLA.
3
NSF-wide Mid-scale Research Infrastructure is provided through both the R&RA account (total project cost is less than $20.0 million) and the MREFC
account (total project cost is greater than $20.0 million).
4
Polar Logistical and Infrastructure Support includes funding for Arctic Logistics; U.S. Antarctic Logistical Support Activities (USALS); and Polar
Environment, Health, and Safety (PEHS).
5
Funding for Research Resources includes support for the operation and maintenance of minor facilities, infrastructure and instrumentation, field stations,
museum collections, etc.

Summary Tables - 14
 NSF AUTHORIZATIONS AND OTHER REPORTS

For definitions of common acronyms used throughout NSF’s FY 2026 Budget Request, see the
NOTES found at the beginning of the entire document on pages iii-iv.

Total NSF Funding

Computer Science Education Research Report .......................................................... Authorizations - 3

EPSCoR Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2024 ....................................................... Authorizations - 6

CHIPS and Science Spend Plan for Fiscal Year 2026 ............................................... Authorizations – 18

NSF Current Authorizations ........................................................................................ Authorizations - 19

Authorizations - 1
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

Authorizations - 2
 U.S. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)
COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION RESEARCH CONGRESSIONAL REPORT
IN COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 114-329:
AMERICAN INNOVATION AND COMPETITIVENESS ACT, SEC. 310 (E)

Summary

The American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (ACA), 2017, Public Law 114-329, requires the U.S.
National Science Foundation (NSF) to undertake specific activities regarding computer science
education research. Specifically, in Sec. (310)(b), NSF is directed to award grants to “…eligible entities
to research computer science education and computational thinking.”

NSF’s Computer Science for All (CSforAll) activities respond to this provision of PL 114-329. In 2018,
NSF issued the first CSforAll solicitation, NSF 18-537, and in 2024, NSF issued an updated solicitation,
NSF 24-555, with revised descriptions of four strands for proposals, three Research Practitioner
Partnership (RPP) strands, and one Research strand. The Computer Science for All (CSforAll: Research
and RPPs) program solicitation “…aims to provide (1) high school teachers with the preparation,
professional development (PD) and ongoing support they need to teach rigorous computer science
courses; (2) preK-8 teachers with the instructional materials and preparation they need to integrate
CS and CT into their teaching; and (3) schools and districts with the resources needed to define and
evaluate multi-grade pathways in CS and CT.”

Metrics

The development of metrics to evaluate the success of the program is required by Public Law 114-
329. This report focuses on short-term and mid-term metrics.

Report on the Success of the Program as Measured by the Short-Term Metrics

Short-term metrics focus on ensuring that the program is making awards in the four areas outlined in
the law and that the awards address the goal of reaching the communities identified in the law while
ensuring compliance with applicable Non-Discrimination Statutes and Regulations as detailed in the
NSF Terms and Conditions. NSF considers ‘short-term’ metrics to be those that are observable on an
annual basis.

During FY 2024, the program funded 13 new projects composed of 16 awards in 10 states to proposals
submitted pursuant to NSF 24-555. These awards have goals that cover the first three research topics
listed in Sec. 310 of the Act as outlined below. Because some awards have goals that span more than
one of the research topics addressed in (b)(2) A (models of preservice preparation for teachers who
will teach computer science and computational thinking), B (scalable and sustainable models of
professional development and ongoing support for teachers), C (tools and models to support student
success), and D (high quality learning opportunities), the number of projects sums to more than 13.

• 12 projects have research goals that address subsection (b)(2) A and (b)(2) B;
• 13 projects have research goals that address subsection (b)(2) C; and

Authorizations - 3
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

• 13 projects have research goals that address subsection (b)(2) D

Taken as a group, these awards consider a range of opportunities to expand CS education and
computational thinking. Examples of CSforAll supported efforts to address preservice preparations
for teachers who will teach computer science and computational thinking, and/or professional
development and ongoing support for teachers, can be found at the CSforAll: Research and RPPs
program website. 1 These include methods for sustainable scaling using school and district networks,
and regionally focused K-12 efforts. The geographic spread of these 13 CSforAll: Research and RPPs
awarded projects is shown in the table below.

Geographic Regions Served by

FY24 CSforAll: Research and RPPs Projects
Number of
U.S. State/Region Projects Serving
Colorado 2
Florida 1
Hawaii 2
Illinois 1
Mississippi 1
National 2
Nevada 1
New Mexico 1
North Carolina 1
Oklahoma 1
South Carolina 1

Report on the Success of the Program as Measured by the Mid-Term Metrics

Mid-term metrics assess progress that individual projects can reasonably be expected to achieve
within three years of award. Measurement of mid-term metrics is based on information contained in
the projects’ annual reports. Since we are reporting on FY 2024, mid-term metrics are given for the 32
projects comprised of 42 awards that NSF issued in FY 2021.

Based on the responses of the awardees, program staff assessed that 100 percent of projects
awarded in FY 2021 have been making satisfactory progress for each year of the project duration.
“Satisfactory progress” refers to criteria such as whether the stated goals of the project are being met;
whether the major activities are in line with those planned in the original grant proposal; whether the
opportunities for training and professional development are in line with those promised; and whether
dissemination is occurring as planned.

1
Computer Science for All (CSforAll: Research and RPPs) | NSF - National Science Foundation:
www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/csforall-research-rpps-computer-science-all

Authorizations - 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Of the 32 FY 2021 awarded projects, 6 projects were funded through the research strand and focused
on building strategically instrumental, or “high leverage” knowledge about the learning and teaching
of introductory computer science to support key CS and CT understandings and abilities for all
students. These projects reported a total of 36 publications in the form of journal articles, juried
conference papers, and other conference presentations/papers. The remaining projects voluntarily
included information about number of educators reached – the 26 CSforAll RPP awarded projects
from FY 2021 reported a total of approximately 706 educators reached.

Report on the Success of the Program as Measured by the Longer-Term Metrics

In FY 2023, NSF identified a contractor to carry out the “Evaluation of CSforAll RPPs Long-term
Outcomes”, which focuses on longer-term (5 years or more) outputs and outcomes associated with
the 73 Researcher Practitioner Partnerships (RPPs) funded under NSF’s CSforAll RPPs initiative in FY
2017, FY 2018, and FY 2019. In FY 2024, NSF program staff worked with contractors to identify potential
metrics for documenting longer-term outcomes of CSforAll: Research and RPPs projects. In FY 2025,
the program expects to select metrics that will be used to assess the collective success of the first five
years of CSforAll: Research and RPPs projects.

Authorizations - 5
 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)
ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE RESEARCH (EPSCOR)
REPORT TO CONGRESS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024

This report summarizes fiscal year (FY) 2024 NSF funding to institutions and entities in EPSCoR
jurisdictions, as required by the following enacted legislation:
• Public Law 111-358 – America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 Sec. 517 (42 U.S.C. 1862p-
9), as amended by:
• Public Law 114-329 - American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA) Sec. 103(d)(1)(D) and
• Public Law 117-167 - Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science
Act Title III Sec. 10325 (a)(3)(F) (42 U.S.C. 19014)

Specifically, report details responsive to the AICA include:

(1) a description of the program strategy and objectives;
(2) a description of the awards made in the previous fiscal year including:
(A) the total amount made available, by jurisdiction, under EPSCoR;
(B) the total amount of agency funding made available to all institutions and entities within each
EPSCoR jurisdiction;
(C) the efforts and accomplishments to more fully integrate the EPSCoR jurisdictions in major
agency activities and initiatives;
(D) the percentage of EPSCoR reviewers from EPSCoR jurisdictions;
(E) the number of programs or large collaborator awards involving a partnership of organizations
and institutions from EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR jurisdictions; and
(3) an analysis of the gains in academic research quality and competitiveness, and in science and
technology human resource development, achieved by the program over the last 5 years.

Report details responsive to the CHIPS and Science Act include:

(1) the Foundation’s implementation of Sec. 10325(a)(3);
(2) progress in building research capacity, including both infrastructure and personnel, in EPSCoR
jurisdictions, including at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges or
Universities, minority-serving institutions, and emerging research institutions; and
(3) if the Foundation does not meet the requirement described in subparagraph (A), an explanation
relating thereto and a plan for compliance in the following fiscal year and remediation.

American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (P.L. 114-329)

1. EPSCoR Strategies and Objectives (42 USC 1862p-9(d)(1)

EPSCoR’s strategies and objectives in FY 2024 were aligned with its mission and programmatic goals,
as described in the FY 2023 report. Specifically, the mission of EPSCoR is “to enhance research
competitiveness of targeted jurisdictions (states, territories, commonwealths) by strengthening
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) capacity and capability.”

In FY 2024, EPSCoR used three investment strategies in pursuit of its goal to strengthen research
capacity and competitiveness in eligible jurisdictions. These investment strategies were: (i) Research
Infrastructure Improvement (RII) awards that support physical, human, and cyberinfrastructure
development; (ii) Co-Funding in partnership with NSF directorates and offices that support individual
investigators and groups within EPSCoR jurisdictions; and (iii) Outreach activities and workshops that

Authorizations – 6
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

bring EPSCoR jurisdiction investigators together with program staff from across the Foundation to
explore opportunities in emerging areas of science and engineering aligned with NSF strategic
priorities and with jurisdictional science and technology goals.

Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII)

In FY 2024, EPSCoR RII programs were instrumental in helping to build jurisdictional capability and
capacity. In FY 2024, EPSCoR RII programs spanned five active funding opportunities.

• EPSCoR RII Program: Track-1: The RII Track-1 program was archived in FY 2024, with the final
cohort of awards made in May 2024. Awards provided up to $4 million per year for up to five years.
They were intended to improve the research competitiveness of jurisdictions by improving their
academic research infrastructure in areas of science and engineering supported by NSF and
critical to the jurisdiction’s science and technology initiative or plan.
• EPSCoR RII Program: EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems (E-CORE):
E-CORE responds directly to input from recent national studies and legislation with a focus on the
transformation of a jurisdiction's research ecosystem. 1,2,3 In FY 2024, E-CORE supported the
strengthening of jurisdiction-wide research ecosystems by fostering interconnected networks and
building research infrastructure to promote research capacity and competitiveness aligned with
jurisdictional priorities. These awards provided up to $8 million for up to four years, with a renewal
opportunity for up to an additional $8 million over up to four years.
• EPSCoR RII Program: EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE): E-RISE supported
the incubation of research teams and products in a scientific topical area that links to research
priorities identified in a jurisdiction’s approved Science and Technology (S&T) Plan. In FY 2024, E-
RISE encouraged collaborative, hypothesis-driven research and workforce development to improve
competitiveness in a selected STEM field. These awards provided up to $7 million for up to four
years, with a renewal opportunity for up to an additional $4.5 million over up to three years.

Together, E-CORE and E-RISE replaced the archived RII Track-1 program and provided expanded
opportunities for STEM capacity-building activities in EPSCoR jurisdictions.

• EPSCoR RII Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (FEC) Program: FEC (formerly known as EPSCoR RII
Track-2) built interjurisdictional collaborative teams of EPSCoR investigators in scientific focus
areas consistent with NSF and national research priorities. FY 2024 awards provided up to $1
million per year for up to four years as collaborative awards between two EPSCoR jurisdictions or
up to $1.5 million per year for up to four years to a consortium of three or more EPSCoR
jurisdictions.
• EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows (ERF): ERF (formerly known as EPSCoR RII Track-4) provided
opportunities for early career, non-tenured, and tenured assistant/associate professor faculty to
further develop their individual research potential through extended collaborative visits to the
nation’s premier private, governmental, or academic research centers. Through these visits in FY
2024, Fellows learned new techniques, benefited from access to unique equipment and facilities,
and shifted their research toward transformative new directions. The experience gained through
the fellowship is intended to provide a foundation for research collaborations that span the

1
Envisioning the Future of NSF EPSCoR report, https://new.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/epscor/future-nsf-epscor
2
Government Accountability Report, https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-105043.pdf
3
Exploratory analysis and conceptual framework for examining research competitiveness, https://nsf-gov-
resources.nsf.gov/2022-06/EPSCoR%20Base%20Period%20Final%20Report%20-%20%28508%20Compliant%29.pdf

Authorizations - 7
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

recipient’s entire career. These benefits to the Fellows are also expected to, in turn, enhance the
research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions.

Co-funding
The EPSCoR co-funding mechanism seeks to supplement support for researchers and institutions in
EPSCoR jurisdictions through partially funding some meritorious proposals submitted to NSF
programs. Proposals selected for co-funding have been merit reviewed and recommended for award
but could not be funded without the combined support of the funding directorate(s) and EPSCoR co-
funding. FY 2024 co-funding leveraged EPSCoR investment and facilitated participation of EPSCoR
scientists and engineers in NSF-wide programs and initiatives.

Workshops and Outreach

In FY 2024, EPSCoR also funded workshops, conferences, and other community-based activities to
explore opportunities in emerging areas of science and engineering, and to share best practices in
strategic planning, communication, cyberinfrastructure, evaluation, and other areas of importance to
EPSCoR jurisdictions. In addition, EPSCoR supported outreach travel that enabled NSF staff from all
directorates and offices to work with the EPSCoR research community on NSF opportunities, priorities,
programs, and policies. This travel better acquainted NSF staff with the science and engineering
accomplishments, ongoing activities and new directions and opportunities in research and education
in EPSCoR jurisdictions.

EPSCoR Strategic Data

In FY 2024, EPSCoR launched the EPSCoR Data Outcomes Collection System (EDOCS), which helps
track project and programmatic progress in relation to EPSCoR’s goals and objectives. EDOCS also
helps the program to standardize the depth and breadth of information collected from funded
EPSCoR RII projects and will be used to measure capacity-building efforts within the research
competitiveness evaluation framework for the program. This system collected data for RII Track-1 and
RII FEC in FY 2024.

2. Awards Made in Previous Fiscal Year (42 U.S.C. 1862p-9(d)(2))

NSF Funding Made Available, by Jurisdiction, under EPSCoR (42 U.S.C. 1862p-9(d)(2)(A)).
In FY 2024, NSF EPSCoR invested a total of $268.24 million in support of its programmatic activities.
Within total FY 2024 funding, $201.22 million (75.0 percent) was directed to 180 new RII awards, $66.64
million (24.8 percent) to 298 co-funded awards, and $381,000 (0.1 percent) to outreach activities and
two workshop awards. The table below details the investments from EPSCoR resources and EPSCoR
investments in co-funding actions.

Authorizations – 8
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

FY 2024 EPSCoR Funding by Jurisdiction

(Dollars in Millions)
EPSCoR Outreach & EPSCoR EPSCoR
RII Program
Jurisdiction Workshops Co-funding Total
AK $4.74 - $0.82 $5.56
AL 11.35 - 4.93 16.27
AR 3.62 - 1.71 5.33
DE 2.02 0.10 3.42 5.54
GU 3.52 - - 3.52
HI 6.37 - 1.41 7.78
IA 7.27 - 3.63 10.90
ID 8.88 - 2.92 11.80
KS 1.98 - 3.32 5.30
KY 11.21 - 2.51 13.72
LA 19.72 - 5.71 25.44
ME 12.15 - 0.55 12.70
MS 10.78 - 4.11 14.88
MT 10.16 - 3.57 13.72
ND 5.67 - 0.57 6.24
NE 2.38 - 4.26 6.64
NH 4.51 - 1.28 5.80
NM 16.13 - 2.15 18.29
NV 8.56 - 2.26 10.82
OK 7.21 - 3.16 10.36
PR 3.58 - 1.27 4.85
RI 5.03 - 1.11 6.14
SC 7.26 - 5.00 12.26
SD 10.08 0.20 1.62 11.90
VI - - - -
VT 6.29 - 0.99 7.29
WV 5.05 - 2.40 7.46
WY 1.36 - 1.96 3.33
Admin 4.33 0.08 - 4.42
Total $201.22 $0.38 $66.64 $268.24

Total NSF Funding Made Available in all EPSCoR Jurisdictions (42 U.S.C. 1862p-9(d)(2)(B)).
In FY 2024, NSF invested a total of $1,306.13 million in support of EPSCoR jurisdictions. The table below
details NSF investments in EPSCoR jurisdictions including research support, STEM Education, and
major research equipment funding.

Authorizations – 9
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

FY 2024 NSF Funding

(Dollars in Millions)
EPSCoR Jurisdiction NSF Funding
AK $48.14
AL 95.81
AR 33.10
DE 61.75
GU 4.17
HI 60.23
IA 66.67
ID 41.73
KS 60.79
KY 48.01
LA 87.03
ME 32.73
MS 67.57
MT 40.15
ND 36.63
NE 52.80
NH 33.06
NM 64.40
NV 39.57
OK 44.79
PR 19.85
RI 57.35
SC 114.67
SD 24.42
VI 2.54
VT 21.23
WV 28.00
WY 18.97
Total $1,306.13

Integration of EPSCoR Jurisdictions in Major Activities and Initiatives of the Foundation (42 U.S.C. 1862p-
9(d)(2)(C)).

In FY 2024, all EPSCoR programmatic activities targeted integration and assimilation of EPSCoR
jurisdictions into the research and education programs of the Foundation. RII awards promoted the
coordination and integration of recipient jurisdictions into major NSF programmatic activities.
Additionally, EPSCoR consulted and engaged NSF disciplinary program officers (POs) in merit review
processes and post-award evaluations, such as site visits and reverse site visits (RSVs). Site visits and
RSVs are intended to provide additional project oversight by allowing jurisdictions to report on the
progress of their RII projects in relation to their stated goals and the programmatic terms and
conditions. Disciplinary POs assisted in the identification of reviewers for RII merit review panels,
served as site visit and RSV observers, and provided knowledge about the ongoing activities within the

Authorizations – 10
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

directorate that could be leveraged to sustain RII efforts after the performance period of the EPSCoR
award.

In FY 2024, National, regional, and jurisdictional meetings of the EPSCoR community facilitated
grantee interactions with NSF leadership to learn about the Foundation’s strategic priorities and
funding opportunities. Participation by EPSCoR researchers and educators in the merit review process
across all disciplinary domains of the Foundation, in Committees of Visitors (COV) activities, in external
advisory (Federal Advisory Committee Act) committees, and in disciplinary workshops that shape new
activities were also vital to this integration.

Outreach to EPSCoR jurisdictions by NSF staff promoted integration of the EPSCoR community into
mainstream NSF programs, as did co-funding of awards with the disciplinary programs of the
Foundation. Through the EPSCoR outreach investment strategy, EPSCoR facilitated opportunities for
researchers and educators from EPSCoR jurisdictions to meet with NSF staff. In these meetings, the
EPSCoR participants were provided with information on NSF strategic priorities, funding
opportunities, and major Foundation activities and initiatives.

In FY 2024, EPSCoR promoted engagement of the EPSCoR community in NSF and other national
activities. Examples are:
• Hosted the 2024 EPSCoR Annual Principal Investigator (PI) Meeting on May 20-21, where the
EPSCoR community and NSF staff shared effective practices in research, strategic planning,
communication, evaluation, and other areas of importance to EPSCoR jurisdictions and NSF. In
addition to plenary presentations, the meeting included program-specific breakout sessions for
PIs and an NSF Open House showcasing activities and funding opportunities in all eight NSF
disciplinary directorates, the NSF Policy Office, and the Division of Grants and Agreements. Every
EPSCoR jurisdiction was represented at this meeting, which had nearly 300 non-NSF participants
(in-person and virtual).
• Encouraged researchers, faculty, and other stakeholders in EPSCoR jurisdictions to participate in
NSF committee and review panels across NSF (e.g., advisory committees, committee of visitors,
site visits, merit review panels). For example, in FY 2024, 24.2 percent of membership on NSF
advisory committees were from EPSCoR jurisdictions.
• Invested $47.02 million in FY 2024 funding for the inaugural E-RISE and E-CORE awardees.
Together, these awards encompass 58 funded institutions, including 37 emerging research
institutions, 29 primarily undergraduate institutions, and 14 minority-serving institutions.
• Supported fourteen new RII Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (FEC) awards. FY 2024 awards
represent a total EPSCoR investment of approximately $78 million over the four-year award
duration.
• Supported 63 RII EPSCoR Research Fellows (ERF) awards, representing a total EPSCoR investment
of $16.74 million over the two-year award duration.
• Launched the EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP) to enhance the capacity and
competitiveness of EPSCoR jurisdictions by providing funding to support graduate students in
EPSCoR jurisdictions. EGFP leveraged the NSF Graduate Fellowship Program (GRFP) by providing
funding for applicants who received the distinction of GRFP Honorable Mention to obtain financial
support to pursue their graduate education at an institution in an EPSCoR jurisdiction.
• Invested approximately $4.1 million in support of Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*) awards to
EPSCoR jurisdictions. The CC* program invested in coordinated campus-level networking and
cyberinfrastructure improvements, innovation, integration, and engineering for science

Authorizations – 11
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

applications and distributed research projects.

• Committed $1.85 million to fund awards related to acquisition of major research instrumentation
and equipment. These fundamental infrastructure-building awards will help to build STEM
capacity in EPSCoR jurisdictions.
• Provided $21.82 million for 71 CAREER awards for early-career faculty in EPSCoR jurisdictions. The
NSF CAREER program in FY 2024 supported early-career faculty who have the potential to serve
as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their
department or organization.
• Hosted an “Exploring EPSCoR Ecosystems” workshop, bringing together approximately 300
EPSCoR stakeholders to discuss strategies for further developing their jurisdictional STEM capacity
through the new E-RISE RII and E-CORE RII programs, and the role of the jurisdictional science and
technology committees within this framework.
• Convened two meetings with the EPSCoR Interagency Coordinating Committee (EICC) to share
relevant program information and identify opportunities for maximizing jurisdictional impact.
• Funded a Workshop for Artificial Intelligence-powered Materials Discovery, leveraging AI to
address critical societal challenges like global food shortages and climate change. This workshop
brought together approximately 200 researchers from nine EPSCoR jurisdictions and 40 key
leaders in AI, engineering, materials science, physical science, and data science.

EPSCoR Reviewers (42 U.S.C. 1862p-9(d)(2)(D)).

EPSCoR collects demographics of all reviewers who evaluate proposals submitted to EPSCoR RII
programs. In FY 2024, there were 455 reviewers. Of these, 123, or 27 percent were from EPSCoR
jurisdictions.

EPSCoR Collaborations and Partnerships (42 U.S.C. 1862p-9(d)(2)(E)).

All RII awards involved collaborations among scientists and engineers in EPSCoR jurisdictions. EPSCoR
collected data on RII Track-1 and FEC awardees’ partnerships and collaborations via the EPSCoR Data
Outcomes Collection System (EDOCS) in FY 2024. EDOCS modules for E-CORE, E-RISE, and ERF were
developed in FY 2024 and data on their outcomes, including collaborations and partnerships, will be
available in FY 2025. In FY 2024, RII Track-1 and FEC participants developed 767 institutional
collaborations within EPSCoR jurisdictions; 702 institutional collaborations between EPSCoR
jurisdictions and non-EPSCoR jurisdictions; and 221 collaborations between institutions in EPSCoR
jurisdictions and in foreign countries. These collaborative efforts highlight the vast network of
institutional involvement among EPSCoR jurisdictions and their partners in RII Track-1 and FEC
projects. Of these 1,690 catalyzed partnerships, 50 (3.0 percent) were with national laboratories and
60 (3.6 percent) were with industry partners.

Among the 298 awards co-funded by EPSCoR in FY 2024, 269 involved collaborative research between
multiple institutions. Of those 269 collaborative awards, 126 (46.8 percent) were collaborations
between investigators from institutions in EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR jurisdictions.

3. Analysis of Gains Over Last 5 Years

An analysis of the gains in academic research quality and competitiveness, and in science and technology
human resource development, achieved by the program over the last 5 fiscal years (42 U.S.C. 1862p-9(d)(3)).
The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-167, Sec.10325(a)(3)(H)(i)) suspended inclusion of new or
graduation of existing EPSCoR jurisdictions through FY 2027. However, EPSCoR continued to collect
data related to eligibility as a measure of a jurisdiction’s ability to obtain NSF funding. Historically, a

Authorizations – 12
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

jurisdiction was eligible to participate in EPSCoR programs if its level of NSF funding was equal to or
less than 0.75 percent of the total NSF budget over the most recent five-year period, excluding NSF
funding to other federal agencies and EPSCoR RII and workshop/conference funding. Jurisdictions
above 0.75 percent but less than 0.80 percent were allowed to remain EPSCoR-eligible for up to five
years. Given EPSCoR’s aim to stimulate research that is fully competitive in NSF’s disciplinary and
multidisciplinary research programs, increases in the ability to capture NSF research funds serve as a
proxy for gains in research competitiveness.

Figure 1 (below) shows the average annual amount of NSF research funds given to each cohort for the
initial five years (hatched bars) and the most recent five years (solid bars) of their participation in NSF
EPSCoR. A cohort is defined as the group of states or jurisdictions that entered EPSCoR within a given
fiscal year. For example, the 1980 cohort consists of the initial five states that qualified for EPSCoR at
that time. For this summary, the 2000+ cohort consists of jurisdictions that entered EPSCoR in FY 2000
or later and are still EPSCoR-eligible for RII competitions. Former EPSCoR jurisdictions Missouri,
Tennessee, and Utah are excluded because they were not EPSCoR-eligible in FY 2024.

Figure 1. Percentage of NSF Research Support, by EPSCoR Cohort

0.80%
Eligibility
0.75%
0.70% Threshold
NSF Research Support Funding

0.60%

0.50%

0.40%

0.30%

0.20%

0.10%

0.00%
1980 1985 1987 1992 2000+
Jurisdictional Cohort Year of Entry in EPSCoR
Initial 5 Years in EPSCoR FY 2020 - FY 2024, five-year average

Each cohort shows an increase in competitiveness over the periods of participation. For example, the
1980 cohort (Arkansas, Maine, Montana, South Carolina, West Virginia) shows a 104 percent increase
in NSF research funding over the past 44 years of EPSCoR activity. The 1985 cohort (Alabama,
Kentucky, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Vermont, and Wyoming) demonstrates a 97
percent increase during its 39 years of EPSCoR participation. The 1987 cohort (Idaho, Louisiana,
Mississippi, and South Dakota) shows a 119 percent increase over the past 37 years, whereas the 1992
cohort (Kansas and Nebraska) has a 79 percent increase in competitiveness over its 32 years of
EPSCoR involvement. In general, currently eligible jurisdictions participating in EPSCoR since FY 2000
entered into the program at a higher level of NSF research funding than the previous cohorts. For the
2000+ cohort (Alaska, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and

Authorizations – 13
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

the Virgin Islands), there has been a small, yet demonstrable 17 percent increase in research funding.

Percentage of NSF Funding,

by Jurisdiction and EPSCoR Cohort
Most Recent 5
Initial 5 Years Year Period Percent Change
1
in EPSCoR (FY 2020-2024) 2 Over Time
1980 Cohort 0.19% 0.39% 104%
Arkansas 0.10% 0.34% 240%
Maine 0.27% 0.26% -4%
Montana 0.13% 0.44% 238%
South Carolina 0.41% 0.68% 66%
West Virginia 0.07% 0.22% 214%
1985 Cohort 0.19% 0.37% 97%
Alabama 0.33% 0.91% 176%
Kentucky 0.22% 0.40% 82%
Nevada 0.14% 0.39% 179%
North Dakota 0.06% 0.24% 300%
Oklahoma 0.30% 0.48% 60%
Puerto Rico 0.15% 0.23% 53%
Vermont 0.10% 0.14% 40%
Wyoming 0.20% 0.20% 0%
1987 Cohort 0.17% 0.37% 119%
Idaho 0.08% 0.36% 350%
Louisiana 0.36% 0.64% 78%
Mississippi 0.16% 0.32% 100%
South Dakota 0.09% 0.17% 89%
1992 Cohort 0.28% 0.50% 79%
Kansas 0.34% 0.52% 53%
Nebraska 0.22% 0.48% 118%
2000+ Cohort 0.41% 0.48% 17%
Alaska 0.55% 0.65% 18%
Delaware 0.41% 0.55% 34%
Guam 0.02% 0.01% -50%
Hawaii 0.56% 0.64% 14%
Iowa 0.71% 0.73% 3%
New Hampshire 0.44% 0.39% -11%
New Mexico 0.58% 0.65% 12%
Rhode Island 0.70% 0.65% -7%
Virgin Islands 0.00% 0.04% 400%
1
Percentages based on eligibility guidelines at the time of entry into the EPSCoR
program.
2
Percentages based on current eligibility guidelines.

Authorizations – 14
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Additional EPSCoR Impacts – FY 2024

This section provides FY 2024 EPSCoR RII Track-1 and FEC science and technology outputs of academic
research capacity, human resource development, and the demographics of participants.

The following table demonstrates quantifiable outputs of NSF EPSCoR’s RII Track-1 and FEC programs
in FY 2024. This information clarifies the gains in academic research capacity and competitiveness, as
defined by publications, leveraged grants, and patents, all strong indicators of economic
development. The number and valuation of grants awarded encompass all federal, private industry,
and private foundation awards across the U.S. for all active projects. These leveraged grants help to
build on EPSCoR-funded research and drive academic capacity and capability across EPSCoR
jurisdictions.

1
FY 2024 RII Track-1 and Track-2 Aggregate of EPSCoR Outputs
Track-1 FEC Total
Number of Active Awards 31* 68* 99
Publications 1,049 1,057 2,106
Grants Awarded 391 377 768
Value of Grants Awarded $312.00 $566.52 $878.52
(Dollars in Millions)
Patents Awarded 4 2 6
Patents pending 24 3 27
1
Data is self-reported by each project through annual reports and aggregated for the
program, by year.

* Some jurisdictions have multiple RII Track-1 awards, since there is an allowable 6-month
overlap for expiring and new awards. Of the 68 active RII FEC awards, one had not yet
submitted data for the reporting period.

The table below indicates EPSCoR’s ongoing support of human resources in STEM in the RII Track-1
and FEC program. The number of faculty and students involved in these projects signifies strong
commitment by NSF and the jurisdictions in strengthening jurisdictional human capital in science and
engineering research and education.

FY 2024 RII Track-1 and RII FEC Human Resource Development1

Track-1 FEC Total
Faculty Supported 1,215 685 1,900
Post-Docs Supported 130 157 287
Graduate Students Supported 880 686 1,566
Undergraduates Supported 841 416 1,257
New Faculty Hired 29 9 38
Graduate Degrees Conferred 116 82 198
Undergraduate Degrees Conferred 102 80 182
1
Data is self-reported by each project through annual reports and aggregated for
the program, by year.

Authorizations – 15
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act (P.L. 117-167)

The CHIPS and Science Act reiterated the ongoing importance of investments in EPSCoR jurisdictions
and encouraged the development of new programs throughout NSF responsive to EPSCoR
jurisdictions’ and the Nation’s discovery, innovation, and training goals. NSF activities in response to
the CHIPS and Science Act will have sustainable positive impact, which will be reflected in each future
EPSCoR annual report.

1. Foundation’s implementation of Sec. 10325(a)(3)

In FY 2024, NSF’s implementation strategy of the provisions in Section 10325(a)(3) of the CHIPS and
Science Act was multi-faceted and organized around two strategies aligned with the intent of the
legislation of “prioritizing funding and activities that enable sustainable growth in the competitiveness
of EPSCoR jurisdictions”. The strategies were as follows:
1. Develop or grow NSF funding opportunities that support new or enhanced research capacity
building approaches to promote sustainable research infrastructure advancements at institutions
in EPSCoR jurisdictions.
2. Enhance and track EPSCoR-relevant knowledge sharing within NSF and expand external outreach
to institutions and organizations in EPSCoR jurisdictions.

To implement the provisions in Sec 10325(a)(3), a cross-cutting leadership and management structure
was used. At the agency level, NSF’s executive leadership team provided strategic direction in activities
and efforts to support implementation of the two aforementioned strategies. Additionally, the NSF
EPSCoR Strategy, Engagement, and Consultation (ESEC) Working Group, comprised of representatives
from NSF’s directorates and offices, coordinated the agencywide implementation plan process for
directorates and offices. NSF has created internal resources available to all NSF staff to monitor the
agency’s progress toward achieving annual spending targets.

2. Building Research Capacity in EPSCoR jurisdictions at Minority-serving Institutions and Emerging

Research Institutions
For FY 2024, NSF’s progress in building research capacity at minority-serving institutions (MSIs),
including Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges and universities, as
well as emerging research institutions (ERIs) in EPSCoR jurisdictions is provided in the table below.

Authorizations – 16
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

NSF's FY 2024 Support of Emerging Research Institutions and Minority-Serving Institutions

in EPSCoR Jurisdictions1,2
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024
Award Proposals Awards
Funding Evaluated Funding Funding Rate
3
All Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) $6,753.27 35,324 9,443 27%
3
All EPSCoR IHEs $1,193.72 5,335 1,661 31%
All ERIs $1,233.04 9,116 2,300 25%
All MSIs $1,173.77 6,190 1,636 26%
All HBCUs $141.05 686 210 31%
All Tribal Colleges $25.60 34 18 53%
ERIs in EPSCoR Jurisdictions $271.51 1,215 381 31%
MSIs in EPSCoR Jurisdictions $189.50 665 232 35%
HBCUs in EPSCoR Jurisdictions $42.43 173 63 36%
Tribal Colleges in EPSCoR Jurisdictions $18.55 22 11 50%
1
Figures sourced from NSF by the Numbers - https://new.nsf.gov/about/about-nsf-by-the-numbers
2
Data retrieved on January 7, 2025
3
IHEs filter excludes: federal, individuals, industry, other, and small business.

3. Foundation’s Compliance with EPSCoR Funding Targets from CHIPS and Science Act
For FY 2024, NSF had two CHIPS and Science Act directed funding targets:
• 16 percent “of the amounts appropriated to the Foundation for research and related activities,
and science, mathematics, and engineering education and human resources programs,
excluding those amounts made available for polar research and operations support (and
operations and maintenance of research facilities), shall be awarded to EPSCoR institutions.”
• 18 percent “of the amounts appropriated to the Foundation for scholarships (including at
community colleges), graduate fellowships and traineeships, and postdoctoral awards shall
be used to support EPSCoR institutions.”

NSF’s EPSCoR funding targets for total award funding and scholarships, fellowships, traineeships, and
postdoctoral awards are calculated using a consistent and replicable methodology that will enhance
NSF’s ability to monitor and provide oversight in the agency’s progress to meeting the funding targets
in a given fiscal year.

As previously noted in the report, NSF’s total FY 2024 funding to EPSCoR jurisdictions was $1,306.13
million representing an EPSCoR jurisdiction investment rate of 19.6 percent. This exceeds NSF’s
FY 2024 CHIPS and Science Act funding target of 16.0 percent. The investments include the one-time
funding provided for implementation of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation
Act that was available for obligation in FYs 2023 and 2024.

With regard to the funding target of 18 percent for scholarships, fellowships, traineeships and
postdoctoral awards, NSF exceeded this target and achieved an investment rate of 18.6 percent in
FY 2024. This target is based on NSF’s programs where NSF controls funding for scholarships, graduate
fellowships and traineeships, and postdoctoral awards.

Authorizations – 17
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

National Science Foundation

Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act (CHIPS) FY 2026
Spend Plan

NSF CHIPS Funding in FY 2026

(Dollars in millions)
Research and Related Activities (R&RA) Account $50.00
Total CHIPS and Science Act Funding $50.00

Overview

As part of Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act (CHIPS) (P.L. 117-167),
Congress provided the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) with $200 million over five years to
establish a fund “for microelectronics workforce development activities.” NSF previously transmitted
plans that described initial investments in workforce development, including scalable partnerships with
the private sector, that would enhance the skilled semiconductor design and manufacturing workforce.

In FY 2026, NSF will continue to leverage the CHIPS for America Workforce and Education Fund to train
new semiconductor researchers, practitioners, technicians, engineers, and educators, fulfilling a key
need of the semiconductor industry through FY 2027 and beyond.

Legislative Language

Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act (CHIPS), Public Law 117-167

SEC. 102. CREATING HELPFUL INCENTIVES TO PRODUCE SEMICONDUCTORS (CHIPS) FOR AMERICA FUND.
(d) CREATING HELPFUL INCENTIVES TO PRODUCE SEMICONDUCTORS (CHIPS) FOR AMERICA'S
WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION FUND.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the Treasury of the
United States a fund to be known as the ‘‘Creating Helpful Incentives to
Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Workforce and Education
Fund’’ (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Fund’’) for the National
Science Foundation for microelectronics workforce development
activities to meet the requirements under section 9906 of the William
M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2021 (15 U.S.C. 4656).
(2) APPROPRIATION.—In addition to amounts otherwise available for
such purposes, there is appropriated to the Fund established in
subsection (d)(1), out of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise
appropriated—
(A) For fiscal year 2023, $25,000,000, to remain available until expended;
(B) for fiscal year 2024, $25,000,000, to remain available until expended;
(C) for fiscal year 2025, $50,000,000, to remain available until expended;
(D) for fiscal year 2026, $50,000,000, to remain available until expended; and
(E) for fiscal year 2027, $50,000,000, to remain available until expended.

Authorizations - 18
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION CURRENT AUTHORIZATIONS

(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026

LEGISLATION Plan Request Request FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
National Science Foundation Act of 1950, P.L. 81-5071
within limits of funds made available for this purpose
within the limits of available appropriations
to make such expenditures as may be necessary
within the limit of appropriated funds
utilize appropriations available
CHIPS and Science Act, P.L. 117-167 - see table below see table below

SBIR and STTR reauthorized through 2025 at current levels under the SBIR and STTR Extension act of 2022,
P.L. 117-183
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program 2 $215.72 $240.57 $93.38 3.20% of research funds in 2023, 2024 and 2025
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program
2
$30.56 $33.14 $12.94 0.45% of research funds in 2023, 2024, and 2025
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act $50.00 $52.00 $19.50 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
of 2018, P.L. 115-307
Amends the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 to expand activities under the National Earthquake Hazards
Reduction Program to include: (1) gathering information on community resilience (i.e., the ability of a community to
prepare for, recover from, and adapt to earthquakes); (2) publishing a systematic set of maps of active faults and
folds, liquefaction susceptibility, susceptibility for earthquake-induced landslides, and other seismically induced
hazards; and (3) continuing the development of the Advanced National Seismic System, including earthquake early
warning capabilities.

With respect to earthquake hazard reduction activities, the bill revises or expands the duties of: (1) the Interagency
Coordinating Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction, (2) the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), (3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), (4) the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and (5) the
National Science Foundation. 3

National Quantum Initiative Act, P.L. 115-368 (Does not authorize appropriations)
Authorizes the National Science Foundation to carry out a basic research and education program on quantum * * *
information science and engineering, and award grants for the establishment of at least 2 but not more than 5
Multidisciplinary Centers for Quantum Research and Education up to $10 million each for each of fiscal years 2019
through 2023.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, P.L. 116-283
Sec 5401(f) Establishes the National Science Foundation Pilot Program of Grants for Research in Rapidly Evolving, High * * * $1,004.82 $1,055.06 $0.00
Priority Topics to assess the feasibility and advisability of awarding grants for the conduct of research in rapidly
evolving, high priority topics using funding mechanisms that require brief project descriptions and internal merit
review, and that may include accelerated external review. 4

Authorizations - 19
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION CURRENT AUTHORIZATIONS

(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026

LEGISLATION Plan Request Request FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
H.R. 8810 - National Landslide Preparedness Act, P.L. 116-323 $11.00 $0.00 $0.00
Provide grants, on a competitive basis, to State, territorial, local, and Tribal governments to research, map, assess, * * *
and collect data on landslide hazards within the jurisdictions of those governmentsFor each of fiscal years 2021
through 2024 there is authorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation, $11,000,000 to carry out
this section.
H.R. 4704 - Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act, P.L. 116-339 (Does not authorize appropriations)
Directs NSF to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to institutions of higher education (or their consortia) to * * *
support multidisciplinary, fundamental research with potential relevance to suicide, including potential relevance to
prevention and treatment.

In awarding such grants, the NSF shall encourage applications submitted by early career researchers, including
doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, to promote the researchers' development.

S. 2904 Identifying Outputs of Generative Adversarial Networks (IOGAN) Act, P.L. 116-258 (Does not authorize appropriations)
* * *
Sec. 3 Directs National Science Foundation, in consultation with other relevant Federal agencies, shall support merit
reviewed and competitively awarded research on manipulated or synthesized content and information authenticity,

H.R. 3153 - Expanding Findings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment Act, P.L. 116-335 (Does not authorize appropriations)
Sec. 2 Directs National Science Foundation, in collaboration withNational Institutes of Health shall support merit- * * *
reviewed and competitively awarded research on the science of opioid addiction.
S. 153 - Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act, P.L. 116-115 (Does not authorize appropriations)
Sec. 3 Directs National Science Foundation through the research and education activities of the Foundation, * * *
encourage veterans to study and pursue careers in STEM and computer science, in coordination with other Federal
agencies that serve veterans.

H.R. 7776 - James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, PL 117-347 (Does not authorize appropriations)
Sec. 5913 (c) Distributed Ledger Technology Research, which directs NSF to make awards to support distributed ledger * * *
technology research, subject to the availability of appropriations.
S. 3949 - Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022, PL 117-348 (Does not authorize appropriations)
Sec. 124 directs the National Science Foundation to support merit-reviewed and competitively awarded research on * * *
the impact of online social media platforms on the maintenance or expansion of human trafficking.
* - NSF only reports actual amounts in the Authorizations Table.
1
Organic legislation establishing NSF.
2
SBIR and STTR are reauthorized through September 30, 2025.
3
Authorizes $54.0 million for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program at NSF for each of fiscal years FY 2019 through FY 2023.
4
Authorizes appropriation of funds for the Pilot Program of Grants for Research in Rapidly Evolving, High Priority Topics. Outyear funding is $1,004,820,000 for fiscal year 2024; and $1,055,060,000 for fiscal year 2025.

Authorizations - 20
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 Authorized Levels

Sec. 10303 Authorization of Appropriations

FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2027

Mid-scale RI-1 $55.00 $60.00 $70.00 $75.00 $80.00
TIP Directorate 1,500.00 3,350.00 3,550.00 3,800.00 4,100.00
Unspecified Funding 7,495.00 8,640.00 9,230.00 9,925.00 10,520.00
Research & Related Activities $9,050.00 $12,050.00 $12,850.00 $13,800.00 $14,700.00
NOYCE 73.70 80.40 87.10 93.80 100.50
NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) 59.50 64.91 70.32 75.73 81.14
GRFP 416.30 454.14 491.99 529.83 567.68
Cybercorps SFS 70.00 72.00 78.00 84.00 90.00
Fellowships, traineeships, per section 10393 350.00 800.00 900.00 950.00 1,000.00
STEM Teacher Corps Pilot (pg. 393) 60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00
Sec. 5 Auth. of Approps. (pg. 410) 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00
Unspecified Funding 770.50 818.55 862.59 906.64 950.68
STEM Education $1,950.00 $2,500.00 $2,700.00 $2,850.00 $3,000.00
Mid-scale RI-2 76.25 80.00 85.00 90.00 100.00
MREFC $249.00 $355.00 $370.00 $372.00 $375.00
AOAM $620.00 $710.00 $750.00 $770.00 $800.00
OIG $23.39 $26.61 $31.11 $34.61 $38.11
NSB $5.09 $5.32 $5.56 $5.81 $6.07
Total, NSF $11,897.48 $15,646.93 $16,706.67 $17,832.42 $18,919.18

Authorizations - 21
NSF Authorizations and Other Reports

Authorizations - 22
 NSF-WIDE INVESTMENTS

For definitions of common acronyms used throughout NSF’s FY 2026 Budget Request, see the
NOTES found at the beginning of the entire document on pages iii-iv.

Artificial Intelligence ................................................................................................ NSF-Wide Investments - 3

Quantum Information Science ............................................................................. NSF-Wide Investments - 5
Advanced Manufacturing ...................................................................................... NSF-Wide Investments - 7
Advanced Wireless ................................................................................................. NSF-Wide Investments - 9
Biotechnology ..................................................................................................... NSF-Wide Investments - 10
Microelectronics and Semiconductors ............................................................... NSF-Wide Investments - 12
Spectrum Innovation Initiative ............................................................................ NSF-Wide Investments - 14
NSF Centers ..................................................................................................... NSF-Wide Investments - 15

Major Research Equipment and Facilities Overview ................................................ MREFC - 1

Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization............................................................................MREFC - 4
Leadership-Class Computing Facility ............................................................................... MREFC - 14
Mid-scale Research Infrastructure Track 2 ..................................................................... MREFC - 20

Major Facilities Overview ......................................................................................... Facilities - 1

NSF-Wide Investments - 1
NSF-Wide Investments

NSF-Wide Investments - 2
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

Artificial Intelligence Funding1

(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024
Current FY 2025 FY 2026
Plan (TBD) Request
BIO $20.00 $50.00
CISE 342.18 284.54
EDU 35.00 35.00
ENG 77.80 83.19
GEO Programs 1.95 24.00
GEO: OPP - 0.20
MPS 73.07 90.07
SBE 12.42 15.00
TIP 72.23 72.23
IA 1.00 1.00
Total $635.65 $655.23
1
Funding displayed may have overlap with other topics and
programs.

AI is advancing rapidly and is increasingly demonstrating its potential to significantly transform our
lives. NSF has a long and rich history of supporting AI research, setting the stage for today’s
widespread use of AI technologies in a range of sectors, from manufacturing to healthcare to
transportation, as well as the nation’s security and defense. NSF’s ability to bring together numerous
fields of scientific inquiry uniquely positions the agency to play a pivotal role in expanding the frontiers
of AI and further cementing the Nation’s leadership in this area as envisioned in the recent White
House Executive Order on Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence. 1 NSF
supports fundamental and translational research, education, and research infrastructure including
cyberinfrastructure and AI test beds that collectively strengthens our ability to harness AI to power
discovery, innovation, and economic growth.

In FY26, NSF’s AI investments will focus on three intertwined components:

Fundamental and Translational AI Research: Sustain long-term investments in fundamental and
translational AI research that will give rise to transformational technologies and, in turn,
breakthroughs across all areas of science and engineering and across all sectors of society.

Recent Requests for Information (RFI) on the Development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan2
and the Development of a 2025 National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research and Development (R&D)

1
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/removing-barriers-to-american-leadership-in-
artificial-intelligence/
2
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/06/2025-02305/request-for-information-on-the-
development-of-an-artificial-intelligence-ai-action-plan

NSF-Wide Investments - 3
Artificial Intelligence

Strategic Plan 3 emphasize the role of fundamental research in maintaining America's technological
leadership and ensuring that AI development serves broad public interests rather than being driven
solely by near-term market forces. In alignment with these priorities, NSF will support foundational
research in AI, including machine learning (ML) and deep learning, natural language technologies,
computer vision, human-AI interaction, AI algorithms, explainability and robustness of AI-based
decision-making, the interplay of AI and cybersecurity, next-generation hardware (including
semiconductors and microelectronics) and software accelerators for efficient AI, software engineering
for developing reliable AI-based programs, AI-native networking, robotics, and smart and autonomous
systems. NSF will also support use-inspired and translational research that links AI innovation with
science and the economy, including in the fields of agriculture, manufacturing, biotechnology,
transportation, and health.

Central to NSF’s investments in fundamental research will be continued support for the National AI
Research Institutes program that was initiated in FY 2019 to create national hubs for universities,
federal and local agencies, industry, and nonprofits to advance use-inspired AI research in key areas
addressing grand challenges. Additionally, NSF will continue advances in use-inspired and
translational research through initiatives like the NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines), NSF
Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR), and NSF
Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps™).

Education and Workforce Development: Develop AI systems that enhance learning for all and grow the
next generation of talent to advance the U.S. AI R&D workforce, including those applying AI solutions
and those working on or alongside AI systems. Equally important, as highlighted in the White House
Executive Order on Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth, 4 is NSF’s investment
in education research, which grows the human capital and institutional capacity needed to nurture
the next generation of AI researchers and practitioners as well as the AI technology that can be used
to support learning more broadly.

Access to Data and Advanced Computing Research Infrastructure and Testing Platforms: The RFI on the
Development of a 2025 National AI R&D Strategic Plan calls out “infrastructure support for the AI
research and development community” as a priority area. NSF will therefore continue to support the
National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot, which provides access to advanced
computing, cloud computing, data and networking resources, and serves as a proof of concept for a
potential fully operational NAIRR. The full NAIRR is envisioned as a national infrastructure that will
drive US AI innovation and discovery by supporting fundamental and translational research and
training the next generation of AI-ready workforce to use these critical resources. NSF-supported
resources will allow testing the readiness of AI methods and systems for real-world settings.

3
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/29/2025-07332/request-for-information-on-the-development-of-
a-2025-national-artificial-intelligence-ai-research
4
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/advancing-artificial-intelligence-education-for-american-
youth/

NSF-Wide Investments - 4
QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE (QIS)

1
Quantum Information Science Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024
Current FY 2025 FY 2026
Plan (TBD) Request
BIO $3.28 $3.28
CISE 18.11 18.11
EDU 4.00 4.00
ENG 23.85 23.85
GEO - 1.00
MPS 152.86 152.86
TIP 27.05 27.05
OISE 1.00 1.00
Total $230.15 $231.15
1
Funding displayed may have overlap with other topics and programs.

QIS research will advance fundamental understanding and exploitation of uniquely quantum
phenomena that can be harnessed for information processing, transmission, and measurement in
ways that classical approaches do less efficiently, or not at all. The development of new applications
for QIS will lay the groundwork for one of the major technological revolutions of the 21st century.
Building upon more than three decades of exploration and discovery-oriented research, NSF
investments in QIS will continue to propel the Nation forward as a leading developer of quantum
technology. NSF investments are a key component of the Administration’s focus on critical and
emerging industries.

NSF’s QIS investments build upon the agency’s long-standing and continuing foundational, use-
inspired, and translational activities in QIS, including more recent opportunities for interdisciplinary
teams, centers, and targeted workforce development efforts. NSF Investments will continue to enable
key work in all the major areas of quantum computing, communications, sensing, networking, artificial
intelligence, and simulation. Special attention as to how these areas connect with each other will
accelerate development in all of them and lead to advances in quantum computers, quantum
networks, and quantum-based metrology. Also of interest are novel approaches for building the
quantum computing stack as well as hybrid approaches that combine quantum and classical
computing, and post-quantum cryptographic algorithms designed to be secure against attacks from
both classical and quantum computers. Collaboration with fields beyond the core of QIS will identify
end users of new quantum technologies and help establish the market for new tools and applications,
from cybersecurity to biotechnology. Ultimately, this work will allow quantum technology to become
established on a sound footing and play a recognizable role in advancing the U.S. economy.

Consistent with and crucial to its mission, NSF will form new or expand existing partnerships with
other federal agencies, private industry, foundations, national laboratories, and existing centers to
leverage NSF’s investments in QIS research and education. In addition, international cooperation with
like-minded countries is critical to ensure that discoveries, and their resulting technologies, provide

NSF-Wide Investments - 5
Quantum Information Science

for economic growth and national security. NSF will continue to provide funding opportunities for QIS
researchers, enabling access to industry-built quantum computing platforms and to support
international collaboration efforts.

In FY 2026, NSF will continue to support the design and implementation phases of the National
Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL), which was initiated with a pilot phase in FY 2023. The NQVL is a
community-wide test bed designed to facilitate the translation of research results emerging from
fundamental science and engineering into breakthrough technologies, while at the same time
emphasizing and advancing the scientific and technical value of this work. The NQVL aims to develop
and utilize use-inspired and application-oriented quantum technologies through multi-sectoral
collaborations spanning academia and industry. Through a new competition, NSF will sustain its
investment in the Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes (QLCIs). The QLCIs are large-scale
interdisciplinary research projects motivated by major challenges at the frontiers of QIS. QLCIs are
expected to catalyze breakthroughs on important problems underpinning QIS, for example, in the
focus areas of quantum computation, quantum communication, quantum simulation and/or
quantum sensing. At the same time, QLCIs will nurture a culture of discovery, provide workforce
development opportunities in the context of cutting-edge research, and demonstrate value-added
research translation. As an indispensable part of the overall effort in QIS, NSF will continue
foundational investments in individual investigator programs and disciplinary-specific centers.

NSF-Wide Investments - 6
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

1
Advanced Manufacturing Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024
Current FY 2025 FY 2026
Plan (TBD) Request
BIO $6.16 $6.15
CISE 41.62 14.57
EDU 6.00 -
ENG 101.66 57.00
GEO Programs - 2.00
MPS 115.70 -
SBE - 0.52
TIP 38.48 29.86
OISE 0.50 -
IA 0.50 -
Total $310.62 - $110.10
1
Funding displayed may have overlap with other topics and programs.

Manufacturing is essential to almost every sector of the U.S. economy, spurring growth by increasing
productivity, making new products available to the marketplace, and opening new industries.
Advanced manufacturing uses innovative technologies to create safe and secure products and
processes with higher performance, fewer resources, and/or new capabilities. NSF’s investments in
Advanced Manufacturing research and education lead to useful methods and products that can
increase U.S. prosperity, competitiveness, security, and quality of life.

NSF aims to transform U.S. manufacturing capabilities, methods, and practices through the
development of new materials, technologies and systems. Our approach builds upon and contributes
to related investments in biotechnology, microelectronics and semiconductors, quantum
technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, communications and sensing, and other key
technologies.

NSF has three goals in Advanced Manufacturing:

• Advanced manufacturing research: Support groundbreaking discoveries in advanced
manufacturing that lead to products and processes with higher performance, new capabilities,
better safety, heightened security and privacy, and the use of fewer and more sustainable
resources.
• Workforce development: Attract, educate, train, and reskill/upskill diverse workers, from K-12 to
college and industry, across the Nation, for the manufacturing workforce of the future.
• Translation to practice: Leverage partnerships with other sectors to enable the translation of
research results to the market and society.
In FY 2026, NSF’s Advanced Manufacturing investment will support:
• Advanced manufacturing research. NSF investments will speed the discovery of new methods,
processes, analyses, tools, or equipment for new or existing manufacturing products, supply-

NSF-Wide Investments - 7
Advanced Manufacturing

chain components, or chemicals and materials, including replacements for environmentally

harmful mainstay materials. NSF will also support research on manufacturing of novel materials,
AI-enabled digital twins for manufacturing, and resilient and distributed manufacturing
infrastructure to make any product anywhere, anytime, in any quantity.
• Workforce development. To prepare a competitive advanced manufacturing workforce across the
U.S., NSF will invest in STEM education at all levels and across settings. These investments include
curriculum development and faculty training, internships and hands-on student research
experiences, access to fabrication and manufacturing facilities, recruitment and retention efforts,
and coordination and facilitation of partnerships.
• Translation to practice. NSF speeds translation of fundamental discoveries in advanced
manufacturing into products and processes in collaboration with the private sector. In addition,
NSF coordinates with other agencies and connects them to universities and community colleges.

NSF-Wide Investments - 8
ADVANCED WIRELESS RESEARCH

1
Advanced Wireless Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024
Current FY 2025 FY 2026
Plan (TBD) Request
CISE $84.47 $29.56
ENG 22.10 11.00
MPS 15.30 3.00
TIP 21.52 15.90
Total $143.39 $59.46
1
Funding displayed may have overlap with other topics and programs.

Advanced wireless networks and systems provide the backbone that connects users, devices,
applications, and intelligent services that will continue to enrich America's economy, health and
security. Next-generation (NextG) wireless networked systems spur innovation and enable the
development of new markets, products, and services, thereby contributing to economic growth. NSF-
supported advanced wireless research will innovate in areas critical to future generations of wireless
networks and offer new insights capable of making wireless communication faster, smarter, more
secure, resilient, and affordable.

In FY 2026, NSF will support foundational research enabling conception, exploration, and
development in edge, cellular and hybrid, mobile, vehicular, airborne, underwater, machine to
machine, satellite, Internet of Things (IoT), and quantum wireless networks. Topics include new
wireless devices, circuits, protocols, and systems for “6G” and beyond, AI-native networks, emerging
physical layer technologies, network architectures, hardware and high frequency capabilities, fine-
grained and real-time dynamic spectrum allocation and sharing, integration of wireless
communications and sensing, mobile sensing and edge computing, and intelligent integrated satellite-
terrestrial networks.

AI will be deeply embedded in NextG networks, potentially transforming how they are designed,
managed, and utilized. NSF will invest in foundational research and vertical-driven technology
development, demonstration, and translation activities that will lead to leaps in performance and
capabilities of NextG advanced intelligent network systems that span the user-edge-core-cloud
continuum. This includes research to address emerging issues in innovative higher-layer services that
can be enabled by wireless communications, such as wireless localization, augmented reality, remote
healthcare, disaster response, smart agriculture, and education and training.

NSF-Wide Investments - 9
BIOTECHNOLOGY

NSF investments in biotechnology accelerate scientific discovery and enable the use of living things to
create goods and services that benefit society. Whether the focus is lifesaving medicines, previously
offshored supply chain chemicals, or self-healing materials, advances built on the discovery, use, and
alteration of living things and their components will benefit the U.S. economy and transform fields as
diverse as medicine, manufacturing, agriculture, and defense. Biotechnology R&D, along with a highly
trained domestic biotechnology workforce, will be essential to power AI-driven innovations and
growth in the U.S. biotechnology industry, both of which will enhance America’s economic prosperity.

In FY 2026, NSF biotechnology funding will support these priorities:

National Security: Thanks to advances in biological sciences and AI, biotechnology is poised to be an
engine of innovation for decades. However, foreign competitors like China have continued to make
significant investments in biotechnology innovation that threaten the U.S.’ ability to compete in the
global bioeconomy. 1 To safeguard the U.S. economy and biosecurity, NSF will invest in biotechnology
R&D to ensure that the U.S. outcompetes and out-innovates China and other adversarial nations. NSF
will do this through investments in core programs in life sciences, biotechnology, bioengineering, and
biomanufacturing that span all Directorates at NSF and all manufacturing readiness levels from
discovery to translation. NSF will also partner with like-minded nations in priority areas such as
biodiversity, biofoundries, synthetic biology, and quantum sensing in biology.

Defense: NSF biotechnology investments will support defense applications via innovations in adaptive
and self-healing materials; advances in distributed, on-demand, and remote biomanufacturing; and
sentinel organisms that sense and respond to threats in the environment. Many biotechnology
innovations developed for defense can also have space exploration and commercial applications.

www.biotech.senate.gov/final-report/chapters/executive-summary/
1

NSF-Wide Investments - 10
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Reshoring Supply Chain: Between 75 and 90 percent of U.S. drug manufacturing relies on active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) manufactured outside the U.S., causing significant supply chain
vulnerabilities. NSF investments in biotechnology and biomanufacturing of critical supply chain
biochemical and biologic APIs will address National priorities for increased domestic production of
critical medicines. 2 NSF investments will also explore the untapped potential in developing
biotechnological routes to critical mineral recovery, either from recycled waste or from dilute deposits,
such as the offshore deposits prioritized by the Administration. 3 This supply chain reshoring from NSF
supported biotechnology advances will contribute to job creation, economic growth, and security.

Economic Prosperity: U.S. economic prosperity is dependent upon innovations that lead to new
technologies and industries. Often, those innovations are the result of NSF’s discovery-driven
research. Targeted programs in biotechnology are paving the way for new medicines, enhanced food
production, novel material development, and new, unorthodox technologies such as biocomputing,
information storage, and electricity storage. NSF programs that explore nature’s biodiversity are
uncovering a treasure trove of innovations that could lead to novel biotechnology-based solutions in
all sectors of the U.S. economy. NSF’s continued investments in physical infrastructure, discovery life
sciences research, and workforce development are essential elements in a bioeconomy ecosystem
that increasingly promotes collaboration between federal investments and the private sector, as
facilitated by NSF technology transfer programs.

AI Ready Biological Data to Fuel Innovation: The earliest products of AI and biotechnology to reach
the market have been designed proteins, a feat enabled by decades of investment of carefully
standardized and curated protein structure data archived in the Protein Data Bank. 4 To achieve the
promise of AI enabled design in life sciences, there needs to be robust investment in AI ready
biological data. NSF investments in AI-ready biological data include synthesis centers, biofoundries
and programmable cloud labs, NEON, and core life sciences programs that enable the collection of
data on proteins, cells, and organisms that span the diversity of life. These investments will also enable
innovators to find biological solutions that leverage innovations from evolution. NSF’s partnership
with NIST on bioeconomy standards also supports the development of AI ready biological data. A
biotechnology-AI prize, administered by NSF with partners in philanthropy and the private sector, will
address the presidential priority of AI training for everyone. 5 Such training will engage young people,
improve educational outcomes and bioliteracy, and provide the next generation with the tools to
become part of the biotechnology workforce.

Workforce: Growth in U.S. biotechnology industries will require expansion of a skilled biotechnology
workforce. NSF will invest in workforce training at all levels including community colleges, experiential
learning, research experiences for undergraduates and teachers, and support for graduate and
postdoctoral student training. A skilled domestically trained workforce is essential for the U.S. to
reshore the biotechnology and biomanufacturing sector and create thriving industries that will
enhance American prosperity.

2
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/regulatory-relief-to-promote-domestic-production-of-
critical-medicines/
3
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/unleashing-americas-offshore-critical-minerals-and-
resources/
4
www.wwpdb.org/
5
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/advancing-artificial-intelligence-education-for-american-
youth/

NSF-Wide Investments - 11
MICROELECTRONICS AND SEMICONDUCTORS

Microelectronics and Semiconductor Funding1

(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024
Current FY 2025 FY 2026
Plan (TBD) Request
CISE $35.99 $12.60
EDU - 2.00
ENG 38.00 22.60
MPS 33.20 -
TIP 35.38 28.55
Total $142.57 $65.75
1
Funding displayed may have overlap with other topics and programs.

Semiconductors and microelectronics are critical components enabling cell phones, personal
computers, cars, appliances, and many other technologies we rely upon every day. They underpin
transportation, communications, cybersecurity, healthcare, manufacturing, information technology,
and other preeminent U.S. industries. They are also essential to U.S. leadership in areas such as
artificial intelligence and quantum computing. NSF investments in Microelectronics and
Semiconductor research and education help grow U.S. innovation and keep the nation competitive
and secure.

NSF’s overarching objectives are to develop new paradigms in semiconductor capabilities and to grow
the corresponding national workforce necessary to keep pace with industrial and research needs. Our
approach in Microelectronics and Semiconductors will help overcome scientific barriers in essential
technologies such as advanced computing; artificial intelligence; distributed mobile processing
platforms; internet of things; quantum communication, computing, and sensing; advanced
communications; advanced manufacturing; and biological-semiconductor interfaces.

NSF has four goals in Microelectronics and Semiconductors:

• Support research and development of new, secure, high-performance devices and systems that
offer improved security, functionality, and energy-efficiency and enable AI, computing, quantum,
and other key technologies.
• Investigate and implement methods and techniques to integrate new classes of devices into
microelectronic circuits for diverse platforms. Microelectronic devices are fabricated by
integrating transistors with numerous other components that work with different physical
principles. The need to bring various components—electrical, optical, magnetic, and quantum—
into a microelectronic circuit necessitates the investigation of new co-design, packaging, and
testing methodologies.
• Create a semiconductor and microelectronics R&D ecosystem. This ecosystem will enable
researchers and trainees to fabricate novel transistors and devices and to integrate component
technologies into systems using heterogeneous integration techniques. The ecosystem will
connect user facilities to fabricate devices in the laboratory, advanced methods for semiconductor
manufacturing, and partnerships with industry to translate laboratory-generated ideas into
foundry-fabricated prototypes.

NSF-Wide Investments - 12
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

• Grow a competitive workforce across the U.S. and provide experiential learning and training
opportunities in partnership with industry to support the ecosystem, from researchers to
technicians, theorists to experimentalists, and entrepreneurs to practitioners.

In FY 2026, NSF’s Microelectronics and Semiconductors investment will support:

• Research in foundational principles: NSF will invest in multidisciplinary research using novel and
sustainable materials with specially designed physical properties to create new classes of high-
performance semiconductors for microelectronic devices.
• Methods for integrating devices into diverse platforms: NSF will invest in fundamental and use-
inspired research, as well as research infrastructure, to investigate and implement new methods
for device integration and novel architectures, including the integration of classical computing
with quantum computing and other paradigms.
• Microelectronics ecosystem: NSF will invest in semiconductor manufacturing and lifecycle
optimization research, lab-to-fab opportunities, and research infrastructure to translate benchtop
microelectronics and semiconductors research into fabrication and manufacturing.
• Workforce development: Across the U.S. NSF will invest in STEM education at all levels and across
settings. These investments include curriculum development and faculty training, infrastructure
access, recruitment and retention efforts, expanding pathways to careers in semiconductor
manufacturing and design, and coordination and facilitation of partnerships.

NSF-Wide Investments - 13
SPECTRUM INNOVATION INITIATIVE (SII)

1
Spectrum Innovation Initiative Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024
Current FY 2025 FY 2026
Plan (TBD) Request
$15.30 $3.00
1
Funding displayed may have overlap with other topics
and programs.

SII drives cutting-edge research and development that will prepare the next generation of American
talent to maintain U.S. leadership in this critical economic sector. SII builds upon NSF's long history of
funding groundbreaking spectrum-related advancements by making spectrum science investments in
cross-cutting, multidisciplinary, and translational areas. SII is designed to "fill the gaps" in driving more
efficient, intelligent, and dynamic use of the limited spectrum resource that is essential to a wide range
of critical sectors, from national security to billion-dollar industries. SII leverages formal partnerships
with regulatory agencies and center-scale efforts on transformational issues and technologies,
including artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML)-native next-generation mobile devices and
networks, edge AI, distributed learning, and integrated sensing and communication. SII has served as
an important means to bring together government, academic, and commercial stakeholders toward
developing mutually beneficial solutions on multiple spectrum coexistence issues.

In FY 2026, SII will continue to evaluate national priorities and direct programmatic efforts toward the
highest-impact activities. SII will enable use of the electromagnetic spectrum for science purposes,
including passive/receive-only uses of the spectrum such as weather forecasting, space weather
monitoring, and observations used for maintenance of the Celestial Reference Frame underpinning
high-precision GPS. SII will continue to strengthen academic spectrum innovation and education with
a focus on AI-driven spectrum management. Further integration of AI will enable dynamic sharing and
access of limited spectrum, resolve interference problems automatically, and drive other use-inspired
technological innovations in response to national challenges. SII will also further other aspects of
fundamental research in spectrum science and engineering.

NSF-Wide Investments - 14
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION CENTERS

NSF supports a variety of centers programs that contribute to the Foundation’s mission and vision.
Centers exploit opportunities in science, engineering, and technology in which the complexity of the
research program or the resources needed to solve the problem require the advantages of scope,
scale, duration, equipment, facilities, and students. Centers are a principal means by which NSF
fosters interdisciplinary research.

NSF Centers
Dollars in Millions

Number of FY 2024 Change over

Program Centers in Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Initiation FY 2024 Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes 2020 22 $52.28 $40.88 -$11.40 -21.8%
Biology Integration Institutes 2020 18 39.54 10.00 -29.54 -74.7%
Centers for Analysis & Synthesis 1995 3 6.28 4.75 -1.53 -24.4%
Centers for Chemical Innovation 1998 8 26.80 14.00 -12.80 -47.8%
Engineering Research Centers 1985 20 82.58 37.68 -44.90 -54.4%
Materials Centers 1994 20 57.31 30.00 -27.31 -47.7%
NSF Regional Innovation Engines 2023 10 43.45 13.88 -29.57 -68.1%
Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes 2020 5 14.57 25.00 10.43 71.6%
Science & Technology Centers 1987 18 70.89 24.49 -46.40 -65.5%
Spectrum Innovation Initiative Centers 2021 1 4.28 - -4.28 N/A

About NSF Centers Programs

Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes – multi-directorate

The FY 2026 Request of $40.88 million will support 22 AI Institutes, five AI Institutes awarded in FY
2020, nine in FY 2021, six in FY 2023 and two in FY 2024. In addition, five AI Institutes (two awarded in
FY 2020, two in FY 2021, and one in FY 2023) are wholly funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). Each institute is typically funded at up to $4.0
million per year for up to five years. The National AI Research Institutes program, a multisector
collaboration among government, industry, and academia, supports multidisciplinary advances on
challenges in both foundational and use-inspired AI research. Each funded institute has three
missions: (1) to advance fundamental knowledge of AI; (2) to advance use-inspired work on using AI
to solve real-world problems of importance to the U.S. economy; and (3) to grow the U.S. AI workforce
and build pathways for students. They serve as nexus points for academic, government, and industry
interaction, and integrate research with the development of the next-generation AI workforce. A key
motivation for the program is to maintain and grow U.S. leadership and competitiveness in AI at a
time when other nations are making significant investments in the field.

The National AI Research Institutes program is led by CISE and includes contributions from all NSF
directorates along with external partners, including federal agencies and industry.

NSF-Wide Investments - 15
NSF Centers

Biology Integration Institutes – BIO

The FY 2026 Request of $10.0 million is expected to support up to 8 Biology Integration Institutes (BII).
The BII program supports collaborative teams of researchers investigating frontier questions about
life that span multiple disciplines within and beyond the biological sciences. The goal is to foster
creative integration of fields using innovative experimental, theoretical, and modeling approaches,
including those that make use of artificial intelligence, to discover underlying principles operating
across multiple levels of living systems. Each institute focuses on a central, compelling biological
question and addresses that question through unique research themes that include fundamental and
use-inspired work. This research advances discovery and understanding in the life sciences and
expands capabilities in biotechnology to modify and utilize living systems. Outcomes from BII awards
will foster innovation and applications that benefit U.S. national security and health and inspire new
biotechnologies and applications to drive economic growth.

Centers for Analysis and Synthesis – BIO

The FY 2026 Request of $4.75 million for Centers for Analysis and Synthesis is expected to provide
continuing support ($2.25 million) for a center in environmental data science and (ESIIL), awarded in
FY 2022 and ($2.50 million) for a center in molecular and cell biology (NCEMS), awarded in FY 2024.
ESIIL develops teams, concepts, resources, and expertise to enable effective and coordinated efforts
to answer broad scientific questions that emerge at interfaces between biological and environmental
sciences, including natural hazards, invasive species, land use change, biodiversity loss, and
ecosystem services. The center leverages data provided by the National Ecological Observatory
Network (NEON), Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER), and other observatories and databases.
NCEMS plays a catalytic role in advancing integrated knowledge on the workings of cells, metabolism,
information processing, growth, senescence, proliferation, and differentiation by analyzing and
synthesizing diverse molecular and cellular data. The center investigates questions including those
about disordered and misfolding proteins, neurodegenerative processes, and genomic adaptation.
Both centers involve the application of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) and other
computational tools and provide training in AI/ML to enable the future workforce to use these tools.

Centers for Chemical Innovation – MPS

The FY 2026 Request of $14.0 million will fund up to six Phase II Centers for Chemical Innovation (CCI).
The multi-institutional research centers are designed to respond rapidly to emerging research
opportunities and national priorities. They produce transformative research and new innovations and
tackle major long-term chemical research challenges in the process. The CCIs also serve as a nexus
for industry, higher education, and national laboratories, and effectuate knowledge transfer to
industry and the commercialization of their discoveries and new technologies. The themes of the CCIs
are varied and include Administration priorities such as AI, QIS, biotechnology, and advanced
manufacturing.

Engineering Research Centers – ENG

The FY 2026 Request for $37.68 million will partially support the 16 current Engineering Research
Centers (ERC). The ERC program establishes collaborative, ground-breaking research partnerships
between universities and industry to push the frontiers of engineering research, accelerate
technological development, and cultivate a globally competitive engineering workforce. The centers
advance AI, biotechnology, quantum technology, manufacturing, microelectronics and
semiconductors, and other national priorities.

NSF-Wide Investments - 16
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

ERC technologies spearhead new products, fields and industries that benefit U.S. security, prosperity,
and quality of life. For example, past ERCs pioneered disk drives, cloud computing, robotic surgery,
synthetic biology, and chip fabrication, and current ERCs are building the quantum internet, turning
waste into fertilizer, and developing smart, localized manufacturing.

Since 1985, ERCs have produced more than 2,800 invention disclosures, 47,500 publications, 950
patents, 1,400 licenses, and 250 spinoffs. Providing hands-on, real-world experience, they have
educated nearly 15,000 students for the technology workforce.

Materials Centers – MPS

The FY 2026 Request level of $30.0 million is expected to support up to 10 Materials Research Science
and Engineering Centers (MRSEC). MRSECs function as hubs for solving complex grand-challenge
materials problems requiring broad multidisciplinary expertise within the physical sciences and
engineering to understand materials phenomena, exploit materials properties, and to create and
discover new materials. Research in materials science is inherently interdisciplinary and the MRSEC
program is a prime example of convergent research encompassing physics, chemistry, mathematics,
biology, materials science, and engineering. Through collaborative efforts involving academics,
industry, national laboratories experts, and international and educational partners, MRSECs advance
materials research and education in the United States, and in many cases are international leaders.

NSF Regional Innovation Engines – TIP

The FY 2026 Request level of $13.88 million will support a portfolio of about 10 NSF Regional
Innovation Engines (NSF Engines). The NSF Engines program constitutes a bold new initiative that is
catalyzing regional innovation ecosystems throughout the United States, spurring economic growth
and job creation by bringing together the science and technology research enterprise with regional-
level resources, experts, and populations to accelerate key technologies. NSF is investing in use-
inspired research, translational research, entrepreneurship, and workforce development to nurture
and grow new regional industries, positioning regions as national and global leaders in specific areas.
This initiative, the single largest broad investment in place-based research, innovation, and workforce
development in generations, will ensure America’s competitiveness and security for decades to come.
Each NSF Engine is anticipated to be funded at up to $160 million over up to ten years, subject to
progress relative to performance milestones and availability of funds; the funds requested here are
to provide essential services to maintain the program as a whole, not to invest in the NSF Engines
themselves.

NSF Engines are actively advancing key technologies such as advanced manufacturing, advanced
wireless, AI, biotechnology, QIS, and semiconductors, including the intersection of food and
agriculture, critical infrastructure, and water management. They are bringing together multiple
disciplines, institutions, and sectors, including organizations and industries that have not previously
engaged with NSF. They are balancing technical and geographic (i.e., local and regional challenges,
capabilities) innovation; incentivizing partnerships between NSF, other federal agencies, academia,
industry, nonprofits, state, local, and tribal governments, civil society, and communities of practice;
and serving as hubs for NSF’s broader portfolios of investment in their respective areas of focus. In
just the first year of the inaugural cohort of 10 NSF Engines spanning more than 450 distinct
organizations, an NSF investment of $150 million has been matched by more than $1 billion in
commitments by state governments, the private sector, and other investors.

NSF-Wide Investments - 17
NSF Centers

Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes – MPS

The FY 2026 Request level of $25.0 million will support up to five Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes
(QLCI). The QLCIs are large-scale interdisciplinary research projects motivated by major challenges at
the frontier of quantum information science, engineering and technology (QISET). Each Institute is
expected to catalyze breakthroughs on important problems underpinning QISET, including quantum
computation, quantum communication, quantum simulation and/or quantum sensing. These rapidly
developing fields have seen several discoveries and breakthroughs. However, many foundational and
technological challenges must be overcome before the full potential of QISET can be realized. The
QLCI’s goal is to support timely and bold research agendas aimed at making breakthroughs on one of
these clearly identified and compelling challenges within a five-year period. QLCIs are expected to:
engage an intellectually diverse community in the pursuit of identified challenges; develop cohesive,
collaborative, and national-scale approaches to research in quantum information science,
engineering and technology; and enable the development of a well-trained workforce with strong
cross-disciplinary skill sets needed for American Leadership in Quantum.

Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships – multi-directorate

The FY 2026 Request level of $24.49 million will support between 13 and 14 existing Science and
Technology Centers (STC). These include STCs from the FY 2016, FY 2021, and FY 2023 cohorts.
Currently, STC awards are for five years, with possible renewal for an additional five years, or ten years
total. In FY 2024, a solicitation for a new STC class was issued to replace the sunsetting 2016 cohort.

The STC program advances interdisciplinary discovery by integrating cutting-edge research, education
and workforce development, and targeted knowledge transfer. STCs help place the U.S. at the
vanguard of S&E discovery by pursuing exceptionally innovative, complex projects that require large-
scale, long-term awards. STCs create new scientific paradigms, establish new scientific disciplines, and
develop transformative technologies with the potential for broad scientific and societal impact.

Administration priorities are supported through existing STC awards including quantum acoustics
(NewFoS), optoelectronics (IMOD), the design and manufacturability of complex, nanostructured
materials (COMPASS), the application of AI to Earth system modeling (LEAP), developing more efficient
management of phosphorous in agriculture (STEPS), and combining synthetic biology, advanced
imaging, and computational modeling to develop a predictive model of a whole cell (QCB).

NSF-Wide Investments - 18
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Spectrum Innovation Initiative: National Center for Wireless Spectrum Research (SII-Center) – MPS
The FY 2026 Request level of zero dollars will conclude operations of the SII-Center program. See the
full Spectrum Innovation Initiative narrative in the NSF-Wide chapter for more information.

Estimates for Centers Participation in 2024

Number of NSF Leveraged
Participating Number of Current Plan Support Number of
Institutions1 Partners2 ($ in millions) ($ in millions) 3 Participants4
Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes 326 547 $52.28 $41 N/A
Biology Integration Institutes 827 286 39.54 N/A 5,573
Centers for Analysis & Synthesis 160 95 6.28 N/A 545
Centers for Chemical Innovation 74 80 26.80 8 670
Engineering Research Centers 665 278 82.58 86 3,409
Materials Centers 155 110 57.31 18 3,000
NSF Regional Innovation Engines 90 478 43.45 1,000 N/A
Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes 117 63 14.57 - 965
Science & Technology Centers 297 325 70.89 45 2,643
Spectrum Innovation Initiative Centers 31 57 4.28 - 1,129
1
Academic institutions participating in activities at the centers.
2
Number of non-academic participants, including industry, states, and other federal agencies at the centers.
3
Estimated of funding for centers from sources other than NSF.
4
Estimated number of people who use center resources, not just persons directly support by NSF.

NSF-Wide Investments - 19
 NSF Centers

Centers Supported by NSF in FY 2024

Center Institution State
Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes
Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Sciences (AI2ES) U of Oklahoma OK
Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning U of Texas, Austin TX
Institute for Student-AI Teaming U of Colorado, Boulder CO
Molecule Maker Lab Institute (MMLI): An AI Institute for U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign IL
Molecular Discovery, Synthetic Strategy, & Mfg.
AI Research Institute for Fundamental Interactions MIT MA
AI Institute for Collaborative Assistance and Responsive Georgia Tech GA
Interaction for Networked Groups (AI-CARING)
AI Institute for Learning-enabled Optimization at Scale U of California-San Diego CA
AI Institute for Advances in Optimization Georgia Tech GA
AI Institute for Intelligent CyberInfrastructure with Ohio State OH
Computational Learning in the Environment (ICICLE)
AI Institute for Future Edge Networks and Distributed Ohio State OH
Intelligence (AI-EDGE)
AI Institute for Edge Computing Leveraging Next Duke NC
Generation Networks (Athena)
AI Institute in Dynamic Systems U of Washington WA
AI Institute for Engaged Learning North Carolina State NC
AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education Georgia Tech GA
AI Institute for Inclusive Intelligent Technologies for U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign IL
Education (INVITE)
AI Institute for Transforming Education for Children with SUNY at Buffalo NY
Speech and Language Processing Challenges
AI Institute for Agent-based Cyber Threat Intelligence and U of California, Santa Barbara CA
Operation
AI Institute for Societal Decision Making (AI-SDM) Carnegia-Mellon PA
Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law and Society (TRAILS) U of Maryland, College Park MD
AI Institute for Artificial and Natural Intelligence Columbia U NY
NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins U of Texas, Austin TX
NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI Institute) Northwestern IL
Biology Integration Institutes
Behavioral Plasticity Research Institute (BPRI) Baylor College of Medicine TX
Emergent Ecosystem Responses through Genes-to- Ohio State OH
Systems Institute (EMERGE)
Advancing Spectral biology in Changing Environments to U of Minnesota, Twin Cities MN
understand Diversity (ASCEND)
Genomics and Eco-evolution of Multi-scale Symbioses U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign IL
Institute (GEMS)
Host-Virus Evolutionary Dynamics Institute (HVEDI) U of Arkansas AR
Mechanisms of Cellular Evolution Arizona State AZ
New Roots for Restoration Donald Danforth Plant Sci. Ctr. MO

NSF-Wide Investments - 20
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Uncovering mechanisms of amphibian resilience to global U of Pittsburgh PA

change from molecules to landscapes
Emergent Mechanisms in Biology of Robustness, Purdue IN
Integrations & Organization (EMBRIO)
Regional OneHealth Aerobiome Discovery Network Colorado State CO
Institute for Symbiotic Interactions, Teaching, and U of California, Merced CA
Education in the Face of a Changing Climate (INSITE)
Life without water: protecting macromolecules, cells, and Carnegie Institution of DC
organisms during desiccation and rehydration across Washington
kingdoms of life
Discovering the mechanisms and evolution of aging U of Alabama, Birmingham AL
differences between females and males (IISAGE)
Predicting the global host-virus network from molecular Georgetown DC
foundations
Integrative Movement Sciences Institute U of California, Irvine CA
Integration Across Scales and Biological Systems U of Florida FL
Embedding Molecular Biology in Ecosystem Research in an U of Idaho ID
era of increasing wildfire and drought (EMBER)
Evolving Meta-Ecosystems in the Arctic Woodwell Climate Res. Ctr. Inc. WA
Centers for Analysis and Synthesis 1

Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) U of Maryland MD

Enviro. Data Science Innovation and Inclusion Lab (ESIIL) U of Colorado, Boulder CO
National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular Pennsylvania State U PA
and Cellular Sciences (MCB SC)
Centers for Chemical Innovation (Phase II awards only) 2
NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (CSN) U of Wisconsin WI
NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers (CSP) U of Minnesota MN
NSF Center for Aerosol Impacts on the Chemistry of the U of California, San Diego CA
Environment (CAICE)
NSF Center for Genomically Encoded Materials (CGEM) U of California, Berkeley CA
NSF Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry (CSOE) U of Utah UT
NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Duke NC
Networks (MONET)
The Center for Computer Aided Synthesis (C-CAS) U of Notre Dame IN
The NSF Center for the Mechanical Control of Chemistry Texas A&M TX
(CMCC)
Engineering Research Centers
Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors North Carolina State NC
and Technologies (ASSIST)
Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (CBBG) Arizona State AZ
Engineering Research Center for Innovative and Strategic Purdue IN
Transformation of Alkane Resources (CISTAR)

1 SESYNC is operating on no-cost extensions. No funds were obligated for the centers in FY 2024.
2 Smaller, developmental Phase I awards do not meet the criteria as formal NSF Centers and so are not captured here.

NSF-Wide Investments - 21
 NSF Centers

Engineering Research Center for Precise Advanced Texas A&M TX

Technologies and Health Systems for Underserved
Populations (PATHS-UP)
Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Directed Boston College MA
Multiscale Assembly of Cellular Metamaterials with
Nanoscale Precision (CELL-MET)
Nanotechnology Enabled-Water Treatment System Rice TX
ERC for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) Georgia Institute of Tech GA
Optimization for Electro-thermal Systems (POETS) U of Illinois IL
ERC for Human Augmentation Via Dexterity (HAND) Northwestern IL
ERC for Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology U of Kansas KS
Hub (EARTH)
ERC for Transformation of American Rubber through Ohio State OH
Domestic Innovations for Supply Security (TARDISS)
ERC for Carbon Utilization Redesign through Washington University MO
Biomanufacturing-Empowered Decarbonization (CURB)
ERCfor Quantum Networks (CQN) U of Arizona AZ
ERC for the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture U of Pennsylvania PA
(IoT4Ag)
ERC for Advancing Sustainability Through Powered Utah State U UT
Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification (ASPIRE)
ERC for Adv Tech for Preservation of Biological Systems U of Minnesota MN
(ATP-Bio)
ERC for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr) Duke NC
ERC for Smart Streetscapes (CS3) Columbia NY
ERC for Advancing Sustainable and Distributed Fertilizer Texas Tech TX
Production (CASFER)
ERC for Hybrid Autonomous Manufacturing Moving from Ohio State OH
Evolution to Revolution (ERC-HAMMER)
Materials Centers
Brandeis Bioinspired Soft Materials Center Brandeis MA
Center for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing U of Tennessee TN
Center for Complex and Active Materials U of California, Irvine CA
Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials U of Texas, Austin TX
Center for Emergent Materials Ohio State OH
Center for Hybrid, Active and Responsive Materials U of Delaware DE
Center for Materials Innovations at Michigan U of Michigan MI
Center for Multifunctional Materials Northwestern IL
Center for Nanoscale Science Pennsylvania State PA
Chicago Materials Research Centers U of Chicago IL
Columbia Center for Precision Assembly of Superstratic Columbia NY
and Superatomic Solids
Harvard Materials Research Center Harvard MA
Illinois Materials Research Center U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign IL

NSF-Wide Investments - 22
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter U of Pennsylvania PA

Materials Research Science and Engineering Ctr at UCSB U of California, Santa Barbara CA
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center U of California, San Diego CA
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center U of Minnesota MN
Princeton Center for Complex Materials Princeton NJ
UW Molecular Engineering Materials Center U of Washington WA
Wisconsin Materials Research Center U of Wisconsin WI
NSF Engines
Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine ICAMR, Inc. FL
NSF ASCEND Engine in Colorado and-Wyoming Rocky Mtn Innovation Init. Inc. CO
Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine Current IL
Louisiana Energy Transition Engine Louisiana State LA
North Carolina Textile Innovation and Sustainability Industrial Commons NC
Engine
North Dakota Advanced Agriculture Technology Engine North Dakota State ND
Paso del Norte Defense and Aerospace Innovation Engine U of Texas, El Paso TX
Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine Wake Forest U NC
Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine Arizona State AZ
Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine SUNY, Binghamton U NY
Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes
Quantum Systems through Entangled Science and U of Colorado, Boulder CO
Engineering
Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign IL
Challenge Institute for Quantum Computation U of California, Berkeley CA
Quantum Sensing for Biophysics and Bioengineering U of Chicago IL
Robust Quantum Simulation U of Maryland, College Park MD
Science and Technology Centers
Biology with X-Ray Free Electron Lasers SUNY, Buffalo NY
Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science U of Massachusetts, Amherst MA
Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines: The Science and MIT MA
the Technology of Intelligence
Center for Bright Beams Cornell NY
Center for Cellular Construction U of California, San Francisco CA
Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet Woods Hole Ocean. Inst MA
Center for Complex Particle Systems U Michigan MI
Center for Engineering MechanoBiology U of Pennsylvania PA
Center for Integrated Quantum Materials Harvard MA
Center for Integration of Modern Optoelectronic Materials U of Washington WA
on Demand
Center for Learning the Earth with Artificial Intelligence Columbia NY
and Physics
Center for New Frontiers of Sound (NewFoS) U of Arizona AZ
Center for OLDest Ice EXploration Oregon State U OR
Center for Quantitative Cell Biology U of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign IL

NSF-Wide Investments - 23
 NSF Centers

Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems Cornell NY

Center for Science of Information Purdue IN
S&T Center on Real-Time Functional Imaging U of Colorado CO
S&Ts for Phosphorus Sustainability Center North Carolina State NC
Spectrum Innovation Initiative
Spectrum X – An NSF Spectrum Innovation Center U of Notre Dame IN

NSF-Wide Investments - 24
MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION $251,000,000
ACCOUNT (MREFC)

Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction Funding

(Dollars in Millions)
Change over
FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Enacted
FY 2024 Estimate Request Amount Percent
$234.00 - $251.00 $17.00 7.3%

Overview

The MREFC account supports the acquisition, construction, and commissioning of major facilities and
larger mid-scale research infrastructure that provide unique capabilities at the frontiers of science
and engineering. Initial development and design of potential future major facilities and post-
construction operations and maintenance are funded through the R&RA account.

MREFC Account Funding, by Project

(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2026
Request
Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization (AIR) $24.00
Leadership-Class Computing Facility (LCCF) 201.00
Mid-scale Research Infrastructure, Track 2 25.00
Dedicated Construction Oversight 1.00
Total $251.00

Modern and cutting-edge research infrastructure is critical to maintaining U.S. international

leadership in science and engineering. The future success of entire fields of research depends upon
access to new generations of powerful research tools. Over time, these tools are becoming larger and
more technically complex and often have significant information technology or cyberinfrastructure
components. To be considered for MREFC funding, NSF requires that a major multi-user research
facility (major facility) project represent an exceptional opportunity to enable research and education.
The project should be transformative in nature, with the potential to shift the paradigm in scientific
understanding. The major facility projects included in this budget request meet these criteria as
affirmed by NSF and National Science Board review. The mid-scale research infrastructure projects
funded through this budget line are evaluated separately from major facilities as described in a
distinct section below.

MREFC - 1
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction Account

The graphic above summarizes NSF’s centralized instrumentation and infrastructure programs.
Information presented in this chapter focuses on the items funded at levels above $20.0 million,
through the MREFC account. All Mid-scale Research Infrastructure (RI) – Track 2 (Mid-scale RI-2)
investments are managed as a single portfolio, with projects selected from submissions to a dedicated
program solicitation that are evaluated using NSF’s merit review process. The NSF-established funding
envelopes for Mid-scale RI-2 projects and major facilities construction projects are consistent with
definitions in the 2017 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA), as amended by the
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2021.

In FY 2026, NSF requests a total of $251.0 million to support mid-scale research infrastructure, and
continued construction on two ongoing major facility projects: Antarctic Infrastructure
Recapitalization (AIR) and the Leadership-Class Computing Facility (LCCF). For more information on
each major facility project, see the individual narratives later in this chapter.

Major Facilities

Since FY 2009, major facility projects funded through the MREFC account have been subject to NSF’s
"no cost overrun" policy. To implement this policy, NSF processes and procedures assure the
development of realistic and well-supported total project cost estimates so that approved budgets for
the award recipient are sufficient to accomplish the project’s scientific objectives. The current policy,
as published in NSF’s Research Infrastructure Guide (RIG), requires that: (1) the total project cost
estimate when exiting the preliminary design phase includes adequate contingency to cover
foreseeable risks manageable by the recipient; (2) any cost increases not covered by contingency be
accommodated first by reductions in scope, with any significant scope reductions reviewed by NSF
prior to implementation; and (3) if the project is approved to continue and further scope reductions
become too detrimental to science, then the first 10 percent of any cost increase must be covered by
the sponsoring directorate through R&RA funding. NSF holds the risk to total project cost for
unforeseen events that are beyond the recipient’s control. The COVID-19 pandemic, for example,
constituted such an unforeseen event for all major facility construction projects. NSF policy allows for
both authorization of management reserve and re-baselining, with a subsequent increase in total
project cost, to address the consequences of such unforeseen events.

Mid-scale Research Infrastructure

AICA required the agency to develop a strategy for supporting research infrastructure with a total
project cost above the upper limit for the MRI program ($6.0 million including cost sharing) and below
the lower threshold for a major facility project, which was then $70.0 million. NSF assessed community

MREFC - 2
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

demand via a Request for Information 1 that resulted in the submission of approximately $10 billion
in ideas for projects in the cost range of $20.0–$100.0 million. After evaluating that community input,
existing funding (or award) mechanisms, and implementation options, NSF included a dedicated
funding line within the MREFC account beginning in FY 2020 for research infrastructure projects in the
$20.0–$70.0 million range. Projects between $6.0 and $20.0 million in total project cost are addressed
by individual directorates and through an NSF-wide program (Mid-scale RI-1) that draws its heritage
from the NSF-wide MRI program. The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 waives the required cost-sharing
for the MRI program for a period of five years, effectively lowering the maximum award amount to
$4.0 million. Thus, NSF has lowered the threshold for Mid-scale RI-Track 1 proposals to $4.0 million in
response, starting with solicitation NSF 22-637. The upper limit for Mid-scale RI-2 was increased to
$100.0 million in FY 2021 to align with the lower threshold for a major facility project, as specified in
the FY 2021 NDAA that amended the original AICA definition. This funding line supports upgrades to
major facilities as well as stand-alone projects. A more detailed description of Mid-scale RI-2 can be
found in the dedicated narrative.

Dedicated Construction Oversight

All major facility projects funded through the MREFC account undergo periodic cost, schedule, and
risk reviews as required by the RIG and the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreements or
contracts governing the projects. NSF policies and routine reporting are designed to ensure timely
and reliable tracking of progress, including monitoring of project schedule and cost (via Earned Value
Management metrics) and use of contingency, ensuring that program managers and recipients have
timely information to provide sufficient oversight and management authority, respectively, to meet
project objectives.

Enhanced oversight of the construction stage includes mandatory incurred cost audits, Earned Value
Management System surveillance, and independent cost estimates of re-baseline proposals, as well
as other audits and reviews based on NSF’s annual major facility portfolio risk assessment. These
efforts are conducted by NSF and are generally not attributable to a specific project at the time of
budget formulation, nor are they part of the total project cost developed and managed by the
recipient. To properly support and transparently account for these efforts, actual costs and future
estimates for Dedicated Construction Oversight are shown separately from the costs of individual
projects in the MREFC account table above.

Oversight of the mid-scale research infrastructure portfolio is more flexible and is tailored to the
technical nature and complexity of each project. All mid-scale research infrastructure projects funded
through the MREFC account are required to provide a detailed Project Execution Plan for review. The
RIG discusses the detailed oversight requirements, and available range of oversight practices, which
depend on characteristics such as the technical scope, type and mix of work performed, and
assessment of the technical and programmatic risks.

1
NSF 18-013: Dear Colleague Letter: Request for Information on Mid-scale Research Infrastructure. Available at
nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18013/nsf18013.jsp

MREFC - 3
ANTARCTIC INFRASTRUCTURE RECAPITALIZATION (AIR) $24,000,000

Requested MREFC Funds

(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2026
Request
Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization $24.00

Brief Description

The AIR program is a portfolio of investments in facilities and infrastructure across U.S. Antarctic
Program (USAP) stations and gateways that will assure safety, enhance efficiency, increase resilience,
and support USAP’s continued scientific leadership on the continent. As discussed below, FY 2022
funding supported the newly re-baselined Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization for Science project
(AIMS) and initial activities within the broader recapitalization portfolio of NSF’s Antarctic
infrastructure under the AIR program.

Previously funded AIMS construction continues, with a focus on meeting the most critical near-term
need, the Lodging Building. The $60.0 million enacted in FY 2023 and FY 2024 and the $24.0 million in
the FY 2026 Request are exclusively for funding of activities within the AIR program.

Baseline History

In 2011, the Office of Science and Technology Policy and NSF convened a Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) to
conduct a review of NSF facilities and operations supporting science in Antarctica to ensure that those
facilities could enable scientific opportunities articulated by an earlier National Research Council
(NRC) report, Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. 1 The BRP report, More
and Better Science in Antarctica Through Increased Logistical Effectiveness, 2 made numerous
recommendations to maintain and enhance USAP’s ability to support world-class science in Antarctica.

NSF responded to the BRP report by immediately addressing issues of safety, implementing
operational efficiencies that resulted in a rapid return on investment, and developing long-term
infrastructure plans for each of the three year-round U.S. stations: Palmer, Amundsen-Scott South
Pole, and McMurdo. The AIMS project resulted from recommendations in the McMurdo Station
Master Plan. The AIR program will continue to refine and carry forward long-term plans for all three
USAP stations.

The AIR program will meet critical science needs while engaging the research community and other
stakeholders broadly in an ongoing infrastructure renewal program that will keep the U.S. at the
forefront of Antarctic research. AIR will assure safety, enhance efficiency and sustainability, increase
resilience, and fulfill NSF’s mandate to facilitate continued U.S. leadership on the continent.

The AIR program comprises a portfolio of investments that improve general-purpose USAP

1
www.nap.edu/catalog/13169/future-science-opportunities-in-antarctica-and-the-southern-ocean
2
www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/usap_special_review/usap_brp/rpt/index.jsp

MREFC - 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

infrastructure including facilities, utilities, equipment, and vehicle fleet equipment. This critical
infrastructure supports all fields of science. Investments are prioritized across all USAP locations, and
acquisition strategies are tailored to individual activities.

Project Status

Construction of the Vehicle Equipment and Operations Center (VEOC) and Lodging facility resumed in
the FY 2023 field season under the newly revised AIMS baseline schedule, following significant delays
resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In FY 2024, NSF placed construction of VEOC on hold and
required that the construction site be placed in a safe and stable condition, allowing a focus on
completing the Lodging facility. Unfunded components of the original AIMS project will be evaluated
and considered for inclusion in the AIR program in future years. Construction of the Lodging facility
has progressed steadily, with enclosure of the building achieved in January 2025. Interior work will be
conducted during the Austral winter of 2025, with beneficial occupancy of the building anticipated in
March 2026.

The AIR program is being managed as a portfolio of investments guided by station master plans
developed with robust engagement from across the science community and with inter-agency
partners. Activities are prioritized by a Capital Investment Review Board (CIRB) as conditions and
requirements change, which allows the program to be responsive to the research community,
proactive in mitigating risks, and well-positioned to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
Details for individual AIR projects, including status, are outlined in the Cost and Schedule section below.

Meeting Intellectual Community Needs

• The need for upgrades in many components of Antarctic infrastructure was informed by the 2011
NRC report and the 2012 BRP report. Additionally, the critical need to flexibly support a broad
range of Antarctic research was further affirmed in a 2015 NRC report, A Strategic Vision for NSF
Investments in Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research and in the 2022 follow-on mid-term
assessment. 3,4
• Members of the research community participated in development and refinement of
requirements during the planning and design stages for AIMS, as well as in design reviews.
• Community engagement was intrinsic to the development of the McMurdo and Palmer Station
master plans—critical documents that describe the future desired state of the respective stations
and inform the AIR Program—and will again be sought in routine updates to the plans for each
station. Similarly, community input is being integrated into the development of the South Pole
master plan, which was completed in draft form for public comment in Spring 2024 and is
anticipated to be final by summer 2025.
• The research community, through the proposal submission and merit review process, informs
focus areas for logistics support. For example, through this process, the case was made to defer
closing the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide field camp until the completion of the Thwaites
Glacier project, from which it was based.

3
www.nap.edu/catalog/21741/a-strategic-vision-for-nsf-investments-in-antarctic-and-southern-ocean-research
4
nap.nationalacademies.org/read/26338/chapter/1

MREFC - 5
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction

Governance Structure and Partnerships

NSF Governance Structure

The AIR program is managed by GEO and implemented by the OPP Antarctic Infrastructure and
Logistics (AIL) section. NSF tailors oversight of AIR to the scope and complexity of the individual project
based on the best practices outlined in NSF’s Research Infrastructure Guide, which includes the use
of independent cost estimates where appropriate, routine status reports at the program and activity
level, and periodic reviews of the portfolio by internal and external experts. The AIR program is
overseen by NSF’s Chief Officer for Research Facilities and by a CIRB that includes representatives
from OPP’s AIL, Antarctic Sciences section, Polar Safety and Occupational Health group, and NSF’s MPS
directorate, as well as representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and military partners.

Partnerships and Other Funding Sources

NOAA is partnering with NSF to support upgrading satellite weather/communications data
down/uplink facilities. That project is separate from, but will complement, AIR in modernizing
McMurdo Station and facilitating future communication improvements.

Cost and Schedule

The table below shows active and near-term planned investments in the AIR program portfolio, not in
any implied order of importance. These investments are multi-year projects that are in different stages
of implementation. The projects and their respective stages of implementation will be updated in
future budget narratives as appropriate. Scheduling these investments will be dynamic, depending on
a combination of CIRB prioritization and complex logistical considerations.

McMurdo Pier Project Status: Execution

Mission Need: McMurdo, South Pole Station, and field camps are all reliant on resupply vessels
that bring food, fuel, equipment, and materials each January. Vessels have historically offloaded at
McMurdo via an ice pier in Winter Quarters Bay where materials are then trucked, traversed, or
flown to their destination. The ice pier has failed five times in the past 10 years, requiring the last-
minute deployment of temporary offload solutions that are costly and inefficient.

Project Scope: This project will construct and deploy a barge-type structure that will be moored off
McMurdo and can be used reliably and efficiently year after year, significantly reducing program
risk.

Project Status: In FY 2024, a rebaseline review of the McMurdo Pier Project was held after the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers presented higher-than-anticipated bids for the project. During the FY
2025 season, in collaboration with Antarctica New Zealand and the U.S. Navy, pile templates were
anchored and all 12 pile holes were drilled and secured. Piles, pile caps, and pre-cast concrete for
bridge ramps were delivered to McMurdo. The project will be completed in FY 2027.

MREFC - 6
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

South Pole Critical Infrastructure Remediation- Phase 1 Status: Execution

Mission Need: Ice shelf movement and snow accumulation are crushing utilities supporting the
vehicle maintenance facility and the safety escape hatches in the long underground utility tunnel
at the South Pole Station. In addition, the fresh water well is coming to the end of its useful life.

Project Scope: Phase 1 remediates garage arches being crushed by the weight of snow. This
project will extend the useful lifespan of the garage by an estimated six years.

Project Status: Work began in FY 2023 and is planned for completion in FY 2026.

McMurdo Power Plant Switchgear Controls Upgrade Status: Execution

Mission Need: Control systems manage eight generators and three wind turbines that provide
power for McMurdo Station as well as New Zealand’s Scott Base. The system has no redundancy,
is unreliable, and has frequent outages.

Project Scope: New software will eliminate outages related to control errors and support future
generator replacements. The upgrade will enable an increase in monitoring and remote
diagnostics and will resolve information technology security vulnerabilities.

Project Status: Work began in FY 2023 and is planned for completion in FY 2027.

South Pole Blue Building Lifting System and the Status: Execution
Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) Raise

Mission Need: South Pole Station’s Blue Buildings (the IceCube Lab, the Dark Sector Lab that
houses the South Pole telescope, Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory (MAPO) with its attached
Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization (BICEP) array, and the ARO) are being
buried in snow and, without action, will become unusable.

Project Scope: This project will lift ARO and provide a “proof of principle” for lifting the remaining
structures. Lifting the buildings will extend their useful lifespan by 20 years and drastically reduce
annual snow management workload.

Project Status: Work began in FY 2024 and is planned for completion in FY 2027.

Traverse Improvements and Expansion – Phase 1 Status: Execution

Mission Need: The South Pole Traverse (SPoT) delivers approximately 100,000 gallons of fuel to
the South Pole Station each year at a fraction of the cost of airlifting the fuel. SPoT-2 modules,
such as the mobile kitchen and crew quarters, were acquired in 2003, have traveled over 60,000
miles, and are failing structurally and electrically.

Project Scope: Phase 1 refreshes the SPoT operational traverse modules to ensure continued fuel
and cargo delivery to South Pole Station.

MREFC - 7
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction

Project Status: Work began in FY 2024 and is planned for completion in FY 2026.

Fleet and Equipment Refresh Status: Execution

Mission Need: More than two-thirds of the USAP fleet, which includes cargo and passenger
transport vehicles, snowmobiles, loaders, light tracked utility vehicles, and light trucks, is beyond
end-of-life, in some cases by decades. Air Traffic Control and mobile communications equipment
is also aging and at increasing risk of failure.

Project Scope: This first investment makes upgrades to operational equipment, such as cranes,
forklifts, and fire apparatus, as well as replaces the fleet of science-support snowmobiles with
newer, more fuel-efficient models.

Project Status: Work began in FY 2024 and is planned to continue with annual investments.

Doppler Weather Radar Status: Execution

Mission Need: Successful and safe flight operations rely on accurate and timely weather
information. McMurdo does not have any Doppler weather radar capabilities.

Project Scope: This project will deploy Doppler weather radar to McMurdo, greatly enhancing
weather forecasting capabilities which, in turn, improve the level of science support possible with
USAP flight operations.

Project Status: Work began in FY 2024 and is planned for completion in FY 2028.

Tactical Air Navigation Upgrade Status: Execution

Mission Need: Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) systems are critical for providing bearing and
distance guidance and non-precision landing approach capability at McMurdo. The current TACAN
is beyond end-of-life, and parts are no longer available, so refurbishment is not possible.

Project Scope: This project will replace the McMurdo TACAN with a new, modern system.

Project Status: Work began in FY 2024 and is planned for completion in FY 2028.

South Pole Critical Infrastructure Remediation – Phase 2 Status: Execution

Mission Need: Ice shelf movement and snow accumulation are crushing utilities supporting the
vehicle maintenance facility and the safety escape hatches in the long underground utility tunnel
at the South Pole Station. In addition, the fresh water well is coming to the end of its useful life.

Project Scope: Phase 2 installs a new rodwell fresh water well and outfall, required for water
production and waste storage, respectively.

Project Status: Work began in FY 2024 and is planned for completion in FY 2030.

MREFC - 8
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Station and Field Communication Improvements Status: Planning

Mission Need: USAP uses a combination of mobile radios and HF radios for on-station and
station-to-field communication including emergency and flight operations.

Project Scope: This project replaces these systems to better support science and operations.

Environmental Satellite Ground System Status: Planning

Mission Need: Environmental satellite ground systems are crucial for weather forecasting and
flight planning. They are also essential for safe aviation, station operations, and science support.
The current McMurdo and Palmer Station systems, Tera Scan, are at or beyond end-of-life.

Project Status: This project will replace the McMurdo and Palmer systems, providing modern
weather forecasting tools that ensure compatibility with new and future weather satellites.

McMurdo Airfield Power System Status: Planning

Mission Need: More efficient airfield equipment and facilities have lowered power demand,
making the existing generators oversized, inefficient, and obsolete.

Project Scope: This project replaces generators with more efficient units that are easier to
maintain, and for which spare parts are readily available.

Heavy Science Traverse Platform Status: Planning

Mission Need: The existing Heavy Science Traverse, used to haul scientific drilling equipment to
remote areas of Antarctica, is aging and difficult to maintain.

Project Scope: This project will deploy new, more efficient, and reliable traverse equipment with
expanded geographic reach, reducing reliance on costly airlift.

McMurdo Station Utility Modernization Status: Planning

Mission Need: Existing McMurdo Station outside plant infrastructure (e.g., potable and fire
protection water requirements, electrical, heat loop, sewer, fuel services, IT communications cable
and conduits) is degraded, prone to failure, costly to maintain, and will not support future
facilities.

Project Scope: This project upgrades outside plant utilities, builds a new water storage tank, and
installs a fire-water booster pump.

MREFC - 9
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction

South Pole Satellite Communications Upgrade Status: Planning

Mission Need: The mainland link to South Pole Station satellite communication has restricted
access to the currently available and future satellites.

Project Scope: This project replaces that ground station with a new antenna, tripling bandwidth.

South Pole Satellite Communications Transformation Status: Planning

Mission Need: The mainland link to South Pole Station satellite communication has restricted
access to the currently available and future government owned and operated satellites.

Project Scope: This project installs infrastructure to capitalize on commercially available

proliferated low earth orbit satellite constellations serving the Antarctic continent.

Ross Island Wind Energy Feeder Status: Planning

Mission Need: As New Zealand upgrades the wind turbines at nearby Scott Base from 990 kW
production to 3 MW production, McMurdo Station has an opportunity to capitalize on excess
production on the combined McMurdo/Scott Base grid when available.

Project Scope: This project installs appropriately sized resilient infrastructure to carry greater
electrical supply directly to the McMurdo power plant.

Sea Ice Infrastructure Modernization and Upgrade Status: Planning

Mission Need: Sea ice is the defining feature of polar marine systems. Existing sea ice equipment
and infrastructure is too heavy to safely operate on changing sea ice conditions. Lighter and more
flexible sea ice infrastructure will allow US scientists to continue conducting important research in
and around McMurdo sound.

Project Scope: This project will replace the existing sea ice platforms with new lighter and more
versatile infrastructure.

McMurdo Aquarium Infrastructure Improvements Status: Planning

Mission Need: The McMurdo Aquarium in the Crary Lab facility supports aquatic research. The
existing aquarium infrastructure has failed to provide adequate sea water to support the needs of
marine scientists.

Project Scope: This project will improve the seawater delivery system and controls.

MREFC - 10
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Replace Structures at Dry Valleys and Ross Island Status: Planning

Mission Need: Dry Valley facilities support annual research to include Long Term Ecological
Research network science. Existing facilities are out-of-date and do not provide the necessary
support needed for modern scientific research.

Project Scope: This project will replace existing facilities with newer, more efficient infrastructure.

Raise Martin A Pomerantz Observatory (MAPO) Building Status: Planning

and BICEP Array Replacement Tower (BART)

Mission Need: South Pole Station’s Blue Buildings are being buried in snow and without action,
will become unusable.

Project Scope: This project will utilize the lifting system employed by the ARO project to raise the
MAPO building. A new telescope tower will be constructed prior to the raise to ensure continuity
of scientific observations.

New Dark Sector Electrical Substation (Building 61) Status: Planning

Mission Need: All power and communications to the South Pole Station’s Dark Sector labs (the
IceCube Lab, the Dark Sector Lab that houses the South Pole telescope, Martin A. Pomerantz
Observatory (MAPO) with its attached BICEP array) are fed through building 61. Building 61 is
buried and if not replaced could fail and jeopardize the dark sector science.

Project Scope: This project will replace the infrastructure in Building 61.

Complete IT&C Primary Addition Facility Status: Planning

Mission Need: COVID-19 disrupted construction of the McMurdo Information Technology &
Communication (IT&C) Addition. Completion of the IT&C Addition is necessary to support the
NOAA mission and is an integral part of the McMurdo Master Plan.

Project Scope: This project will complete the construction of the addition and facilitate the
movement of the USAP, NOAA, and NASA McMurdo-based data centers.

Palmer New Fuel Tank Installation Status: Planning

Mission Need: Palmer Station fuel is supplied from a single above-ground steel tank built in 1967.
The existing tank is a single point of failure and does not meet current standards for fuel spill
containment.

Project Scope: This project will replace the existing tank with multiple new tanks.

MREFC - 11
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction

South Pole Arch Replacements Phase 1 - 4 Status: Planning

Mission Need: Critical infrastructure supporting the South Pole Station is housed within buried
steel arches. The arches will begin to crush the infrastructure underneath them within the next
decade due to snow accumulation. The arches protect the station power and water plants, fuel
storage, logistics warehouse, and vehicle maintenance garage.

Project Scope: This project will replace the arches and infrastructure with new construction in a
location identified by the South Pole Master Plan.

Reviews

Conceptual Design and Preliminary Design Reviews for AIMS were passed successfully in FY 2015 and
FY 2017, respectively, resulting in a National Science Board (NSB) resolution (NSB-2017-20) authorizing
NSF to include AIMS in a future budget request. The AIMS Final Design Review (FDR) was conducted in
October 2018. The Independent Panel Review found that the project execution plan was well-
developed for the FDR and recommended that the project proceed to the Construction Stage; AIMS
was awarded in FY 2019.

In addition to daily and weekly communications with the Antarctic Support Contractor’s (Leidos) AIMS
project management, NSF conducts a formal monthly project management review. This review covers
progress described in the monthly project management report produced by Leidos. In addition,
annual Construction Reviews are conducted by OPP, the Research Infrastructure Office, and an
external panel, with the first one having occurred in November 2020. The most recent construction
review was conducted in July 2024. The panel report was delivered in August 2024 and the panel’s
recommendations were incorporated into the Prime Contractor’s FY 2025 construction and quality
plans. NSF has monitored progress through the routine Project Management Reviews and by
increasing Government oversight at the project site. The next Construction Review is planned for the
fourth quarter of FY 2025.

Extensive engagement with the National Science Board took place in FY 2023 and resulted in a formal
recommendation from the Board to move forward with the AIR portfolio of work. The CIRB meets on
a quarterly basis to prioritize activities within the AIR Program. Readiness reviews for AIR activities are
conducted based on the scale and complexity of individual projects.

Risks

If the infrastructure that enables U.S. access to the Antarctic is not kept robust and efficient, USAP is
at risk of losing science capabilities year over year as facilities, utilities, equipment, and the vehicle
fleet degrade.

As described above, ongoing and planned near-term activities in the AIR program will mitigate critical
risks facing USAP, including some that represent single points of failure to the mission. In executing
the projects, NSF has implemented a rigorous risk management approach that includes the
identification of risks and mitigation strategies. Robust risk management will also be required of
contractors and awardees. In all cases, NSF holds the risk of cost and schedule increases that are

MREFC - 12
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

beyond the control of the contractor or awardee, including events such as pandemics, unpredictably
severe weather, icebreaker and supply vessel availability, and macroeconomic changes.

MREFC - 13
LEADERSHIP-CLASS COMPUTING FACILITY (LCCF) $201,000,000

Requested MREFC Funds1

(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2026
Request
Leadership-Class Computing Facility $201.00
1
The previously presented Total Project Cost of $457.45
million for LCCF remains intact.

Brief Description

Computer simulation, together with artificial intelligence (AI) methods and data analytics, is critical to
enabling transformational science and engineering (S&E) research. From understanding the origin and
evolution of our universe to exploring atomic-scale biomolecular processes, computational methods
are an integral part of almost all curiosity-driven, use-inspired, and translational S&E research. LCCF,
led by the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at the University of Texas at Austin, is envisioned
as a distributed facility that will provide unique computational and data analytics capabilities, as well
as critical software and services, for the nation’s S&E research community to enable discoveries that
would not be possible otherwise. Furthermore, the project will deploy a broad portfolio of education
and outreach activities that will expand and nurture our nation’s future S&E workforce in data and
computational sciences.

LCCF’s core processing capabilities will be anchored by a computing system called Horizon, which will
represent a substantial increase over the computational and data analytics capacity of the current
NSF leadership-class computing system, Frontera. LCCF will also include four Distributed Science
Centers (DSCs), which will be located at the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC), the National
Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), and the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC). These
DSCs are designed to leverage expertise across the broader cyberinfrastructure ecosystem and to
provide critical edge-computing services to the LCCF user community. The partnership with AUCC will
leverage the consortium’s Data Science Initiative to provide workforce pathways into leadership
computing. The partnerships with NCSA and PSC will explore and provide new processor technologies
for AI, and data intensive computing and data mirrors for published archives, respectively. Finally, the
partnership with SDSC will focus on supporting Machine Learning (ML) and instrument data analytics
in scientific workflows, and methods to democratize access to LCCF.

In addition to supporting large-scale simulations and AI, LCCF will also facilitate new usage modes
such as interactive computing required by scientific tasks that involve human-in-the-loop processing,
as well as urgent computing for emergency response scenarios that will need immediate access to
computing resources and real-time data. LCCF will support the full scientific data lifecycle, which is
critical to modern S&E discovery processes and to unleashing the potential of rapid advancements in
ML and AI. The extensive LCCF Education and Public Outreach (EPO) effort will expand the learning
and workforce pipeline and aims to attract talented individuals to research computing. A key

MREFC - 14
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

component of the LCCF EPO activities will be a Visitor Center at TACC that will include virtual and
physical exhibits, along with multiple pilot activities that will be designed to engage students, teachers,
and the broader public across the nation.

Baseline History

In Fiscal Year 2017, NSF released solicitation NSF 17-558 (Towards a Leadership-Class Computing Facility
- Phase 1) 1 to support the acquisition of a Phase 1 leadership-class computing system and to initiate
the planning process for a future Phase 2 LCCF. After rigorous merit review of the submitted
proposals, NSF made an award to TACC for the acquisition of the Frontera system, the first acquisition
in the two-phase process, and to advance the planning for the Phase 2 LCCF. As noted in NSF 17-558,
and in response to the recommendations set forth in the report Future Directions for NSF Advanced
Computing Infrastructure to Support U.S. Science and Engineering in 2017-2020, 2 the goal of the LCCF
Phase 2 planning was the design of a major facility that would support all S&E research.

The Major Facilities Design Stage, as defined in the NSF Research Infrastructure Guide, 3 consists of
three phases – Conceptual Design, Preliminary Design, and Final Design. In July 2019, LCCF began the
Conceptual Design Phase following formal admission to the Design Stage by the NSF Director. The
Conceptual Design Review (CDR) was conducted in June 2020 by an external panel of experts to
evaluate the proposed, site-independent design of LCCF. A successful CDR resulted in the NSF
Director’s approval for the project to enter the Preliminary Design Phase in September 2020.

Following extensive Preliminary Design Phase planning activities, the project successfully completed
the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in January 2022. At PDR, the project was judged by an external
panel of experts to have made appropriate progress in clearly articulating a cost estimate and a near-
final project definition, as well as completing a sufficiently mature risk analysis to allow determination
of the risk-adjusted Total Project Cost (TPC) and construction duration for establishing a budget
request to Congress. As a result of the successful PDR, the project was approved by the NSF Director
to enter the Final Design Phase in August 2022.

A Final Design Review (FDR) of the project was conducted in April 2023. An expert external review
panel evaluated the readiness of the project to enter the Construction Stage and recommended that
LCCF be advanced. At its November 2023 meeting, the National Science Board discussed LCCF and
passed a resolution in favor of advancing the project to the construction stage. In December 2023, the
NSF Director authorized the advancement of the project to the construction stage. A construction
award was made for the project in July 2024.

Project Status

In August 2024, the project signed a colocation agreement with Sabey Inc. to provide 32,000 square
feet of customized datacenter space for high-density utility hosting of the primary LCCF computing
system called Horizon. Since entering into the agreement, the project has been holding weekly

1
www.nsf.gov/pubs/2017/nsf17558/nsf17558.htm
2
www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/future-directions-for-nsf-advanced-computing-infrastructure-to-
support-us-science-in-2017-2020
3
www.nsf.gov/pubs/2021/nsf21107/nsf21107.pdf

MREFC - 15
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction Account

meetings with the Sabey construction team to ensure on-time delivery of the datacenter colocation
space, expected in March 2026.

In early 2025, the project team continued with preparations for making other initial procurements,
including the Horizon system, visitor center construction, networking equipment, and the prototype
system and software that will be available for early-access user testing of the LCCF computing
environment. The Project continues to hold collaborative technology discussions with Dell, NVIDIA,
and other partners to closely monitor future technological roadmaps. No outstanding technical
issues remain.

Meeting Intellectual Community Needs

The scientific requirements for LCCF are defined by the needs of the S&E community. These include
the need to expand computation and data analytics capabilities, as well as the size and breadth of the
workforce that will use them. LCCF requirements also include agility and the ability to adapt to rapidly
changing technology, new application formulations and requirements, as well as new paradigms of
computation-based research. Furthermore, LCCF will need to enhance the broader high-performance
computing ecosystem by providing unique resources and expertise at our nation’s Institutions of
Higher Education that complement other investments made by the federal government and in
industry.

The LCCF scientific requirements were determined through a broad set of engagements with the S&E
community. These included: distillation from a wide variety of scientific community reports; analysis
of usage patterns on leadership computing systems across government; feedback from project-
organized planning meetings with the research community; 4 discussions under non-disclosure
agreements with industry vendors concerning technology roadmaps; technical evaluation of
advanced system prototypes; and direct conversations and interviews with scientists and engineers.5

During the Design Stage, LCCF augmented its gathering of science requirements by selecting twenty-
one Characteristic Science Application (CSA) teams as project partners. The CSA partners represent
applications across a broad range of S&E domains and were selected to enable the development of a
suite of science drivers that will be used to verify and validate the facility’s effectiveness. The CSA
partners also provided requirements to inform design decisions and will continue to enable the
project to acquire experience and expertise in coding/performance-tuning enhancements in
preparation for facility operations.

Finally, LCCF will be a key enabler of large-scale AI research to ensure continued U.S. world leadership
in S&E research and development. In particular, the facility will be a key element in advancing a
national research infrastructure to broaden access for the entire nation to critically-needed AI
resources, as envisioned in the White House National AI Research Resource Task Force report. 6 When

4
lccf.tacc.utexas.edu/media/filer_public/d4/e4/d4e49b4f-26b2-4065-995e-981f9e21b03f/lccf-tec-science-
requirement_workshop.pdf
5
lccf.tacc.utexas.edu/media/filer_public/24/c8/24c85369-f2ea-4e57-9647-be7ad656e361/lccf-
req001_sc19_bof_report.pdf
6
www.ai.gov/nairrtf/

MREFC - 16
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

operational, LCCF will advance U.S. dominance in AI, as envisioned by the President’s Executive Order
on Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence. 7

Governance Structure and Partnerships

NSF Governance Structure

NSF oversight of LCCF is provided by a Program Officer in the CISE Office of Advanced
Cyberinfrastructure (OAC), working cooperatively with other NSF staff through an Integrated Project
Team (IPT). The LCCF IPT includes members from OAC leadership, Research Infrastructure Office (RIO),
Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Budget Division, and Division of Acquisition and Cooperative
Support. In addition, RIO staff provides advice to OAC and assists with agency oversight and
assurance. CISE leadership and NSF’s Chief Officer for Research Facilities provide additional high-level
guidance and oversight to the project.

External Governance Structure

The LCCF Senior Management Team consists of the LCCF Project Director (PD), the Project Manager
(PM), and the Deputy Project Manager (DPM). This group is responsible for the day-to-day
management of the LCCF project. The PD serves as the primary interface between the project and
NSF’s oversight team. The Project Management office is headed by the PM and DPM, who report to
the PD. The PM has line responsibility for operations, reporting, and process management within the
project, with support from the DPM. The PD is advised by two groups: the Technology Advisory Board
and the Science Advisory Board. Each board consists of members who are leaders in their fields and
represent cyberinfrastructure providers and experts (the Technology board) and stakeholders from
the community of scientists who will be the ultimate customers of LCCF (the Science board).

Partnerships and Other Funding Sources

The LCCF project includes partnerships with more than twenty academic institutions that will
contribute to design, validation, and eventual operations. The project also has extensive industry
partnerships in various high-tech economic sectors, such as computing hardware, software, and data
center colocation.

Cost and Schedule

The project began construction in July 2024. The project construction schedule has a duration of 34
months, providing for facility acceptance in FY 2027. The project has also developed schedule
contingency of one year to allow for uncertainties in the construction process.

Future Operations Costs

Contingent on the availability of funds, NSF plans to support LCCF operations and maintenance for an
initial five years with a possibility of renewal for another five years. The current estimate is that LCCF
operations will cost approximately $40 million annually. NSF support for LCCF beyond 10 years, and
possible re-competition of the operations and maintenance award, will be informed by a planned
future study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine or other similar

7
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/removing-barriers-to-american-leadership-in-artificial-
intelligence/

MREFC - 17
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction Account

reports by community-based bodies, and will follow internal NSF procedures for renewal, competition,
and disposition.

The current estimated cost for disposition of LCCF at the end of the ten-year operations period is $0.
With the eventual discontinuation of NSF support for LCCF, the main data center will be returned to
the colocation provider, and the computing system will be repurposed by the recipient. There is no
expectation that site restoration, demolition, or modification would be needed when the facility is
decommissioned.

Reviews

Technical Reviews
The LCCF project was technically reviewed multiple times during the Design Stage by external
committees of experts. These include stage gate reviews at CDR, PDR, and FDR in FYs 2020, 2022 and
2023, respectively. The LCCF CSA program was also reviewed by a panel of external experts in FY 2021.

Management, Cost, and Schedule Reviews

In accordance with NSF’s No Cost Overrun Policy, the agency has developed a risk-adjusted TPC
estimate post-PDR (based on known risks). Using the TACC proposal as the basis, BFA employed a
series of independent cost estimate reviews to inform NSF’s post-PDR cost analysis. These included
an independent cost estimate in accordance with U.S. Government Accountability Office good
practices, conducted by an external contractor for appropriate project components, by BFA’s internal
Cost Analysis and Pre-award Branch for other elements of cost, and by RIO for assessments of budget
contingency and schedule. This information was reconciled against the original proposed budget from
TACC in determining the recommended value for inclusion in the FY 2024 Budget Request.

At the completion of FDR, a refined final risk-adjusted TPC and schedule were proposed by the project.
BFA conducted a second series of independent cost estimate reviews in accordance with NSF policies
prior to the issuance of the Construction award.

Risks

Technical
The LCCF project deploys state-of-the-art technologies and services for the Nation’s S&E research
community. Several risks related to the readiness and reliability of the future deployed systems and
services are included in the LCCF risk register. The LCCF CSA partnerships will be key in monitoring
and managing these risks as the CSA teams will be the early users of the facility and will help to identify
and remedy issues as they arise. Cost and schedule contingencies have also been factored into the
plan to mitigate these risks. In addition, a scope management plan provides options to mitigate cost
and/or schedule overruns by eliminating project scope if necessary. LCCF’s scope management plan
is arranged so that any decision to descope can be made as late as possible in the project and with
minimal impact on the science goals.

Environmental Health and Safety

The project includes several health and safety-related risks in its risk register, including events that
may have a system-wide impact on the LCCF construction schedule. Contingencies have been factored
into the construction schedule to mitigate these risks if necessary. Furthermore, an assessment for

MREFC - 18
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

compliance with National Environmental Policy Act regulations has been completed by NSF OGC.

Partnership Risk
The project has established partnerships with several technology vendors. Risks of withdrawal by
partners due to unforeseen business reasons are included in the risk register and are carefully
monitored and managed by the project. Project assessment of these partnership risks is that the
probability of their occurrence is very low. However, mitigation plans have been developed, including
vendor penalties for late delivery.

System Integration Risk

An experienced technology integrator for the core Horizon system has been identified, and overall
system integration risk is low. However, several other risks have been identified by the project related
to delays in data center access and technology roadmap changes that could impact the system
integration timeline and schedule. Cost and schedule contingencies have been factored into the plan
to mitigate these risks.

MREFC - 19
MID-SCALE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE TRACK 2 $25,000,000
(MID-SCALE RI-2)

Requested MREFC Funds

(Dollars in Millions)

FY 2026
Request
Mid-scale Research Infrastructure Track 2 $25.00

Scientific Purpose

The Mid-scale Research Infrastructure program is an NSF-wide effort to meet the research
community’s needs for modern research infrastructure to support priority science and engineering
research. Here, we describe Track 2 (Mid-scale RI-2), covering projects with individual implementation
costs between $20.0 million and $100.0 million, with funding provided from the MREFC account.

Baseline History

The scientific importance of mid-scale research infrastructure is reflected in the 2017 American
Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA), which directed NSF to “evaluate the existing and future
needs, across all disciplines supported by the Foundation, for mid-scale projects.” NSF issued a
Request for Information in late 2017 that resulted in nearly 200 ideas for research infrastructure with
project costs in the $20.0 million to $100.0 million range, amounting to a prospective demand for
approximately $10 billion in funding.

In the 2018 appropriation for NSF, report language from the House of Representatives encouraged
the NSB “to consider further changes that would bridge the gap between the Major Research
Instrumentation program and the MREFC account while also developing processes appropriate for
mid-scale infrastructure, cyberinfrastructure, and instrument upgrades to be funded through the
MREFC account.” The NSB issued a report (NSB-2018-40) 1 that made several recommendations,
including “a long-term agency-level commitment to mid-scale research infrastructure.”

NSF’s response to the NSB recommendations and the AICA mandate to develop a strategy was the
creation of a targeted Mid-scale RI program. As part of that program, funding for projects with
implementation costs greater than $20.0 million was requested in the MREFC account as Track 2 of
an NSF-wide Mid-scale RI program, and funding was appropriated in that account beginning in
FY 2020. NSF issued its first solicitation for Mid-scale RI-2 in December 2018, 2 requesting proposals
with total implementation costs between $20.0 million and $70.0 million. A second solicitation 3 with a
new upper limit of $100.0 million was issued in December 2020 and the award portfolio was approved

1
www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2018/NSB-2018-40-Midscale-Research-Infrastructure-Report-to-Congress-
Oct2018.pdf
2
www.nsf.gov/pubs/2019/nsf19542/nsf19542.htm
3
www.nsf.gov/pubs/2021/nsf21537/nsf21537.pdf

MREFC - 20
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

in February 2023, resulting in three awards in FY 2023, and a fourth in FY 2024. The third solicitation 4
for Mid-scale RI-2 was released in March 2023. The review process for that solicitation has been
completed. NSF does not anticipate making new awards in FY 2026.

Since Mid-scale RI-2 is a portfolio of implementation awards that span all NSF research communities,
it does not have a single set of a priori scientific goals. Rather, the solicitations define research
infrastructure as “any combination of facilities, equipment, instrumentation, or computational
hardware or software, and the necessary human capital in support of the same” and, consequently,
generate proposal submissions over a wide range of disciplines. As stated in the 2020 solicitation,
NSF’s intent is that “[t]he Mid-scale Research Infrastructure programs are aimed at transforming
scientific and engineering research fields as well as science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics education research by making available new capabilities, while simultaneously training
early-career researchers in the development, design, and construction of cutting-edge infrastructure.”

Management and Oversight

Mid-scale RI-2 proposals have been received from all scientific disciplines covered by NSF.
Management and oversight processes for Mid-scale RI awards have been codified in the NSF Research
Infrastructure Guide (NSF 21-107 5 and subsequent revisions). Because of the varied nature of
potential Mid-scale RI-2 awards, the Research Infrastructure Guide states the following:

“Mid-scale project oversight requirements are to be tailored based on each project’s

unique characteristics such as the technical scope, the type and mix of work
performed (e.g., standard procurement by the Recipient, software development, or
civil construction), and an assessment of the associated technical and programmatic
risks. However, NSF is committed to the principle that this flexibility does not preclude
the requirement for appropriate rigor on the part of NSF or the Recipient. Appropriate
use of NSF major facility oversight practices will be determined on a case-by-case
basis…”

Each Mid-scale project is overseen by a program officer from a relevant research directorate as well
as an awarding official from BFA. Additionally, within BFA, the Research Infrastructure Office has
designated a liaison for the mid-scale award portfolio to assure a consistent and effective approach
to project management oversight for these awards. To enable appropriate oversight, all Mid-scale RI-
2 proposals are required to include a detailed Project Execution Plan. This plan is the basis for
management requirements for the Awardee as referenced by each individual award’s Terms and
Conditions and helps NSF assess project risk and complexity to tailor the oversight needs prior to
award issuance. Portfolio-wide oversight, ensuring that the Mid-scale RI-2 program meets its overall
objectives, is led by the Deputy Chief Officer for Research Facilities in the Office of the Director.

Mid-scale RI Track 2 Status

Authorization for the current complement of Mid-scale RI-2 awards was given in May 2020 and
February 2023, respectively. The authorized awards underwent full cost analyses and final award

4
www.nsf.gov/pubs/2023/nsf23570/nsf23570.pdf
5
www.nsf.gov/pubs/2021/nsf21107/nsf21107.pdf

MREFC - 21
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction

negotiations, including Independent Cost Estimates as required under AICA. The first three Mid-scale
RI-2 awards were made from the MREFC account in October 2020, 6 and followed by two additional
awards, made in June 2021 and February 2022, respectively. These awards are listed below:
• “High Magnetic Field Beamline,” Cornell University, $32.69 million.
• “Global Ocean Biogeochemistry Array,” Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, $52.94 million.
• “Grid-Connected Testing Infrastructure for Networked Control of Distributed Energy Resources,”
University of California at San Diego, $39.47 million.
• “Network for Advanced NMR [Nuclear Magnetic Resonance],” University of Connecticut, $39.70
million. 7
• “Research Data Ecosystem: A National Resource for Reproducible, Robust, and Transparent
Social Science Research in the 21st Century,” University of Michigan, $38.36 million. 8

Four projects resulting from the second solicitation were added to the Mid-scale RI-2 portfolio, with
three awards made in FY 2023:
• “Airborne Phased Array Radar,” University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, $91.80
million. 9
• “Advanced Simons Observatory,” University of Pennsylvania, $52.70 million. 10
• “Compact X-ray Free-Electron Laser,” Arizona State University, $90.80 million. 11

An additional award from this second solicitation was made in May 2024.
• “A National Research Infrastructure for Large-Scale Learning Science and Engineering” Rice
University, $89.93 million. 12

A solicitation for a third round of proposals for Mid-scale RI-2 was released in March 2023. NSF has
completed the review of those proposals. NSF does not anticipate making new awards in FY 2026.

Future Operations Costs

The Mid-scale RI-2 solicitations specifically prohibited inclusion of operations costs in the individual
project budgets, but proposers are required to present operations and utilization plans as well as
estimates of full lifecycle costs. For each proposal considered for inclusion in the award portfolio, the
lead directorate is required to confirm the submission of adequate operational funding models for
the projects, and to estimate and commit to any additional operations costs necessary to reap the
scientific benefits of an award. At the total planned award amount of $528.40 million from the first
two solicitations and an estimated upper limit to the operations cost of 10 percent of the capital costs
per project per year, 13,14 the total operations cost impact from the current portfolio of Mid-scale RI-2

6
www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/announcements/102920.jsp
7
www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/announcements/061621.jsp
8
www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/announcements/020422.jsp
9
www.new.nsf.gov/news/nsf-announces-investment-research-infrastructure
10
www.new.nsf.gov/news/detecting-faint-traces-universes-explosive-birth
11
new.nsf.gov/news/nsf-announces-infrastructure-investment
12
new.nsf.gov/news/nsf-invests-90m-innovative-national-scientific
13
www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2018/NSB-2018-17-Operations-and-Maintenance-Report-to-Congress.pdf
14
An annual operations cost of 10 percent of the total capital costs is a typical “high-end” estimate for a major
infrastructure project. Since some of the Mid-scale RI-2 awards being made by NSF are additions to existing

MREFC - 22
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

awards could potentially ramp up to a steady state of about $52.0 million per year, spread across the
sponsoring Directorates, when implementation is complete. Given the variety of operational models
for the funded infrastructure, this cost would only be partially borne by NSF and such costs within NSF
are spread across multiple directorates and divisions. Some of the first projects funded by the Mid-
scale RI-2 program have transitioned to full operations in FY 2025, so those costs will be captured
within the budgets of the sponsoring Directorate. Operations costs of projects funded from the
second solicitation, released in FY 2021, and from subsequent solicitations, would not begin until well
after FY 2026.

Reviews

The Mid-scale RI-2 program only considers projects that have reached a high state of readiness for
implementation through previous investments in development. As a result, the multi-phase Design
Stage and accompanying reviews that are typical of major facility projects are not used. Instead, the
program has been designed to include a two-step, pre-proposal and full-proposal process to limit the
burden on the research community of both preparing and reviewing full proposals and Project
Execution Plans. Lead NSF directorates are identified to coordinate the review of each pre-proposal
and full proposal. Pre-proposals are reviewed externally according to the standard NSF merit review
criteria and solicitation-specific review criteria, with a subset of teams invited to submit full proposals
based on the outcomes of the pre-proposal reviews. Full proposals are also reviewed externally, with
a subset selected for a Site Visit. Based on the results of the site visit, a further subset of proposals is
invited to a Reverse Site Visit at NSF (or held virtually) for detailed assessment of the Project Execution
Plans.

Based on the extensive input from external merit review, the most meritorious proposals are
identified by the lead directorates and submitted to the Mid-scale RI-2 Working Group. That working
group identifies potential funding scenarios of those proposals at different levels of total funding and
forwards them to the Office of the Director for further consideration. The Deputy Chief Officer for
Research Facilities convenes an independent Portfolio Recommendation Group to evaluate the
scenarios from the working group and develop one or more final recommended portfolios that
consider agency strategy, technical and programmatic risk, projected funding availability, and overall
portfolio balance. During the portfolio construction process, NSF also conducts a rigorous cost
analysis of each candidate project to ensure compliance with Government Accountability Office good
practices, as required by the solicitation and the Research Infrastructure Guide. That analysis may
inform modifications to the requested budget if it reveals substantial deficiencies in the development
of the proposed cost of a project.

Risks

Technical risks and risk management approaches are described in each project’s Project Execution
Plan and are evaluated rigorously by an external panel of project management experts during a
Reverse Site Visit, as described above. The assembly of the final portfolio also relies significantly on
an evaluation of agency risks. These include, for example, a constraint that not all the projects should

facilities or infrastructure, the predicted increments to the operations costs are less than that high-end
estimate for several projects.

MREFC - 23
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction

have very high or very low technical risk, 15 potential cost risks identified during the review process,
assessment of any partnership risks, the risk that events outside the control of an award recipient
might significantly impact an individual project, and/or the risk of overcommitting future budgets such
that the next solicitation might be significantly delayed.

15
NSF does not want all projects to have very high technical risk because of the desire for a high probability of
very successful projects coming out of the Mid-scale program. On the other hand, NSF does not want all
projects to be “safe” projects with very low technical risk because a portfolio consisting only of such projects
might have less potential for dramatic increases in scientific knowledge.

MREFC - 24
MAJOR FACILITIES OVERVIEW

Major Facilities Funding

(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total Research and Related Activities $1,099.11 $763.00 -$336.11 -30.6%
Operations and Maintenance of Existing Facilities 736.38 527.00 -209.38 -28.4%
Federally Funded Research and Development Centers 311.64 186.00 -125.64 -40.3%
Operations and Maintenance of Facilities under Construction 17.71 32.00 14.29 80.7%
R&RA Design Stage Activities 33.38 18.00 -15.38 -46.1%
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction $233.00 $250.00 $17.00 7.3%
Total, Major Research Facilities $1,332.11 $1,013.00 -$319.11 -24.0%

NSF’s investments in major multi-user research facilities (major facilities) enable access to and the
operation of large, state-of-the-art tools for research and education. These tools can include
instrumentation networks, observatories, accelerators, telescopes, research vessels, aircraft, and
simulators. These investments support U.S. leadership in a broad swath of science, engineering and
technology, and, in many cases, are the world-leading infrastructure in their discipline. NSF’s investments are
coordinated with those of other organizations, federal agencies, and international partners to ensure
they are complementary and well-integrated. Planning for, and operations and maintenance (O&M) of
major facilities are funded through the R&RA account. Most construction is funded through the MREFC
account; projects currently supported by the MREFC account are discussed in a separate section.

In FY 2026, NSF will continue to provide O&M funding to all existing major facilities, with a focus on
maintaining unique and state-of-the-art capabilities that advance U.S. competitiveness and support
national and economic security. NSF will also continue to develop concepts for new potential research
infrastructure investments that will keep the U.S. at the forefront of global science and engineering.
Funding for logistics and infrastructure in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program and similar activities
in the Arctic will enable the U.S. to retain its influential presence through the conduct of scientific
research on the Antarctic continent and in Greenland.

At the requested FY 2026 Budget level, NSF will emphasize O&M support for its highest priority
infrastructure, including the U.S. Antarctic Program, world-leading optical (Vera C. Rubin Observatory)
and radio (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) astronomy facilities, the National
Geophysical Facility, the National Ecological Observatory Network, and some ships of the Academic
Research Fleet. Each of these facilities is a unique infrastructure that both enables cutting-edge
scientific discovery and maintains U.S. scientific and technical leadership in the global research
enterprise. A second tier of infrastructure will be supported at a substantially reduced level, which will
enable continued delivery of significant scientific outcomes, albeit at a diminished rate. A final group
of facilities will be funded at a level that enables only limited FY 2026 activity with the intent to proceed
with eventual disposition (closure or divestment) of the infrastructure.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, operated by NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research
Laboratory (NOIRLab), comprises an 8.4-meter wide-field optical telescope, equipped with a 3.2-
gigapixel camera supplied by the Department of Energy (DOE) and is the only facility of its kind in the
world. Located on Cerro Pachón in northern Chile, Rubin Observatory will commence its ten-year in-

Facilities - 1
Major Facilities

depth survey of the night sky in early FY 2026. The culmination of years of investment by NSF and
DOE, Rubin Observatory’s novel technology, coupled to the world’s largest digital camera, will not only
advance discovery in astronomical sciences but also contribute to planetary defense by cataloging
millions of near-Earth objects such as asteroids.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), part of NSF’s National Radio
Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), is the world’s most powerful radio telescope. Ongoing support for
this 66-antenna array, located on the Chajnantor Plateau in the Atacama Desert of Chile, will ensure
that continuous observations of the universe are obtained to enable ground-breaking studies of stars,
galaxies and planetary formation, leading to a deeper understanding of the origins of the cosmos.
ALMA is an international observatory, collaboratively funded and operated by NSF, the National
Institutes of Natural Sciences of Japan, and the European Southern Observatory.

Also operated by NRAO is the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), the world’s preeminent facility for
high-precision astrometric studies and high-resolution imaging. VLBA comprises ten 25-meter
diameter telescopes distributed across the U.S., from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Hawaii. The operations
of the VLBA are jointly funded by NSF and the U.S. Naval Observatory, which continues to rely on VLBA
data for mission-critical measurements of Earth orientation, data necessary for the accurate
functioning of GPS. Remaining components of NRAO, including the Very Large Array and Central
Development Laboratory, will operate at reduced levels of service at the FY 2026 Budget level.

NSF manages the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) on behalf of the U.S. government, operating three
year-round stations (McMurdo, Amundsen-Scott South Pole, and Palmer) in partnership with the U.S.
military, other federal agencies, and private contractors. The USAP maintains an active and influential
U.S. presence on the Antarctic continent while enabling cutting-edge scientific research in astronomy,
biology and glaciology, among other fields. At the FY 2026 Budget level, NSF will continue to operate
all three stations, to support the conduct of long-term research projects, and to carry out
recapitalization work that will make the USAP more efficient and effective. To focus support on the
stations and associated logistics, NSF intends to terminate the lease of the research vessel Nathaniel
B. Palmer in FY 2026.

The National Geophysical Facility (NGF), formed in FY 2025 from the consolidation of the former
Geodetic and Seismological Facilities for Advancement of Geosciences (GAGE and SAGE), enables the
study of Earth processes, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and water cycle
dynamics. Through continued operation of networks of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global
Navigational Satellite Systems (GNSS) instruments and the Global Seismological Network, in FY 2026,
NGF will address national security needs such as improved natural hazards models and earthquake
and tsunami early warning systems, in conjunction with USGS and NOAA, respectively, and nuclear
test monitoring, in partnership with the National Nuclear Security Administration. Moreover, a robust
and growing suite of private sector partnerships supports the use of GPS/GNSS data for automotive
navigation, industrial automation, precision agriculture, and wireless network infrastructure.

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is the only continental-scale biological
observing system, with infrastructure distributed across the U.S., including Alaska, Hawai’i, and Puerto
Rico. Data from NEON enable studies of the complex interactions between living organisms and
natural systems, advancing our understanding of wildfires, drought, invasive species, and infectious
diseases. In FY 2026, NEON will focus on maintaining the long-term data record generated by the

Facilities - 2
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

automated instrumentation deployed at its terrestrial and aquatic sites and gathering samples of key
plant and animal species, such as disease-transmitting species of mosquitoes.

The U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF) currently consists of 17 oceanographic vessels and various
submersibles/autonomous vehicles owned by NSF, the Office of Naval Research, and U.S. universities
and laboratories. All ARF ships and vehicles are operated by research universities and laboratories.
This fleet of technologically advanced ships and submersibles/autonomous underwater vehicles
supports research in complex ocean, seafloor and sub-seafloor environments, the Great Lakes, and
the polar regions. The FY 2026 Budget Request will enable partial support of some ships in the ARF,
with a focus on achieving adequate coverage of both the global oceans and coastal environments and
minimizing the loss of qualified crew.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is an NSF-sponsored Federally Funded
Research and Development Center (FFRDC) guided by the vision: “a world-class research center
leading, promoting and facilitating innovation in the atmospheric and related Earth Systems sciences.”
NCAR addresses this vision with integrated research and facilities organized around three overlapping
areas of activity: cutting-edge airborne and ground-based observational facilities; community weather
and climate models with thousands of users worldwide; and petascale high-performance computing.
At the FY 2026 Budget level, NCAR will curtail but continue to support research to refine weather and
earth system models and to better understand the evolution of wildland fires. Also, continued
operation of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputer Center will support the integration, analysis, and
modeling of large data sets.

NSF supports two large physics experiments – the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave
Observatory (LIGO) and the ATLAS and CMS detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). LIGO is
the most sensitive detector of gravitational waves ever built and leads the worldwide effort to study
the structure and evolution of the universe through gravitational radiation. LIGO makes use of
exquisitely sensitive optical interferometers at two sites – Hanford, Washington and Livingston,
Louisiana – to detect gravitational waves and, in collaboration with other, similar experiments in Italy
and Japan, to determine the part of the sky from which the radiation originates. Past efforts by LIGO
have led to the detection of hundreds of gravitational waves originating from the collisions of black
holes, neutron stars, and other celestial objects. In FY 2026 NSF will operate only one of the two sites
and will support a reduced level for technology development.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research
(CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. It produces the
highest energy particle beams ever created in a laboratory, making it the premier facility in the world
for research in elementary particle physics. NSF supports the participation of U.S. researchers in
experiments at CERN through the operation of two of LHC’s detectors: A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS
(ATLAS) and the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS). At the FY 2026 Budget level, NSF will provide about
60% of the prior share of support for these detectors. Participation of U.S. researchers in LHC
research will be commensurately reduced, and NSF expects similar reductions for software and
computing capability for analysis.

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), operated by a consortium of Florida State
University, University of Florida, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, is the world’s premier facility for
studies requiring high magnetic field environments. NHMFL has an extensive collection of unique

Facilities - 3
Major Facilities

magnet systems that enable research across a broad range of topics, including quantum phenomena
in many types of materials, structure of macromolecular components of life, and properties of
materials essential to energy production, storage, and use. At the FY 2026 Budget Request level,
NHMFL will support a subset of its cutting-edge facilities that includes research on the spin dynamics
of quantum particles, which informs the development of room-temperature quantum computing
devices, and access to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance technology that enables study of drug
development with microorganisms.

The National Solar Observatory (NSO), an NSF-sponsored FFRDC, provides leadership to the solar
astronomy community through operations of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (Inouye) and the
NSO Integrated Synoptic Program, which includes the Global Oscillations Network Group (GONG).
Located at the summit of Haleakala on the island of Maui, Hawai’i, Inouye is the world’s largest and
most advanced solar telescope. Once its commissioning phase is complete, Inouye will enable detailed
study of the Sun, including phenomena, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, that impact
space weather, satellite operations, and terrestrial electrical systems. Observations from GONG, a
global network of six telescopes, are essential to predictions of space weather. At the FY 2026 Budget
request level, NSF will continue the commissioning of Inouye and its data center.

In addition to Rubin Observatory, NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research

Laboratory (NOIRLab) operates the International Gemini Observatory (Gemini), optical and infrared
telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory (Arizona) and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
(northern Chile), and the Community Science and Data Center. Gemini comprises two 8-meter
telescopes: Gemini-North on Maunakea in Hawaii and Gemini-South on Cerro Pachón in northern
Chile. NOIRLab’s facilities are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional affiliation, with
services provided to over 1000 graduate and undergraduate students annually. At the FY 2026 Budget
Request level, the Gemini telescopes will operate at approximately 50% capacity and access to the
telescopes at Kitt Peak and Cerro Tololo will be phased out. NSF will begin transferring ownership and
operations of these telescopes to other agencies or academic institutions.

Located beneath the ice at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole station, the IceCube Neutrino
Observatory (ICNO) is the world’s largest high-energy neutrino detector. Over 5000 detectors are
distributed throughout a cubic kilometer of ice to observe neutrinos originating from a range of
astrophysical processes occurring in the universe. ICNO operates continuously, with data transmitted
daily to a data center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In FY 2026, operations will continue with
a reduction in staff deploying to Antarctica and minimal maintenance activities.

The FY 2026 Budget Request also provides funding for the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI),
Sub-seafloor Sampling program (S3P), and Green Bank Observatory major facilities. The FY 2026
request will support only basic services, such as minimal routine maintenance and continued
provision of data to the research community. NSF intends to pursue decommissioning and disposition
of these facilities to focus on higher priority investments as described above

Oversight
The Chief Officer for Research Facilities in the Office of the Director is the senior agency official
responsible for oversight of major facilities throughout their complete lifecycle. This individual works
cooperatively with the Research Infrastructure Office (RIO, formerly the Large Facilities Office),
Program Offices, and others across NSF to ensure appropriate oversight of the development,

Facilities - 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

construction, operations, and disposition of major facilities, as required by Section 110 of the American
Innovation and Competitiveness Act (P.L. 114-329). A Deputy Chief Officer for Research Facilities
assists in these efforts and provides oversight for NSF’s Mid-scale Research Infrastructure portfolio.

All NSF major facilities are managed by Integrated Project Teams (IPT) comprising one or more
program officers and staff from the Research Infrastructure Office and the Division of Acquisition and
Cooperative Support. Within each Directorate, a Senior Advisor for Facilities or Directorate
Representative also provides high-level guidance, support, and oversight. Each IPT meets at least once
annually with the Chief Officer for Research Facilities and more regular updates are provided through
the Directorate representatives and bimonthly written reports.

MAJOR FACILITIES FUNDING, BY PROJECT

(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Operations and Maintenance of Major Facilities $1,065.73 $745.00 -$320.73 -30.1%
National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) 78.05 47.00 -31.05 -39.8%
Biological Sciences $78.05 $47.00 -$31.05 -39.8%
Academic Research Fleet 153.06 92.00 -61.06 -39.9%
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) FFRDC 127.66 77.00 -50.66 -39.7%
National Geophysical Facility1 39.48 39.00 -0.48 -1.2%
Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) 39.34 8.00 -31.34 -79.7%
U.S. Sub-seafloor Sampling (S3P) 2 48.51 10.00 -38.51 -79.4%
Geosciences $408.05 $226.00 -$182.05 -44.6%
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - ATLAS and CMS 20.50 12.00 -8.50 -41.5%
Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) 48.00 29.00 -19.00 -39.6%
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) 38.57 23.00 -15.57 -40.4%
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) FFRDC 107.90 71.00 -36.90 -34.2%
NRAO O&M 43.59 24.00 -19.59 -44.9%
Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) O&M 54.76 44.00 -10.76 -19.6%
Green Bank Observatory 9.55 3.00 -6.55 -68.6%
National Solar Observatory (NSO) FFRDC 27.67 17.00 -10.67 -38.6%
NSO O&M 6.24 4.00 -2.24 -35.9%
Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) 21.43 13.00 -8.43 -39.3%
NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory FFRDC 66.12 53.00 -13.12 -19.8%
NOIRLab O&M (Mid-Scale Observatories & Community Science and Data Center) 23.68 6.00 -17.68 -74.7%
GEMINI Observatory O&M 24.73 15.00 -9.73 -39.3%
Vera C. Rubin Observatory O&M 17.71 32.00 14.29 80.7%
Mathematical and Physical Sciences $308.76 $205.00 -$103.76 -33.6%
Antarctic Facilities and Operations (AFO) 262.93 263.00 0.07 0.0%
IceCube Neutrino Observatory (ICNO) 7.94 4.00 -3.94 -49.6%
Office of Polar Programs $270.87 $267.00 -$3.87 -1.4%
Major Research Facilities Construction Investments $266.38 $268.00 $1.62 0.6%
3
R&RA Design Stage Activities $33.38 $18.00 -$15.38 -46.1%
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) $233.00 $250.00 $17.00 7.3%
Total, Major Research Facilities $1,332.11 $1,013.00 -$319.11 -24.0%
FFRDC is an acronym for Federally-Funded Research and Development Center.
1
FY 2024 column restated to include GAGE and SAGE, which were subsequently consolidated into a single facility, the National Geophysical Facility (NGF).
2
Formerly the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP).
3
Design Stage Activities include support for potential next generation major facilities. This line reflects FY 2024 funding amounts of $3.88 million for the Antarctic
Research Vessel (ARV), $9.5 million for Summit Station, $7.0 million for the Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), and $13.0 million for Extremely Large
Telescopes (ELT), and FY 2026 funding amounts of $12.0 million for Summit Station, and $6.0 million for ngVLA.

Facilities - 5
Major Facilities

Facilities - 6
 RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES

For definitions of common acronyms used throughout NSF’s FY 2026 Budget Request, see the
NOTES found at the beginning of the entire document on pages iii-iv.

R&RA Overview ...................................................................................................................................... R&RA - 3

Biological Sciences ................................................................................................................................ R&RA - 5

Computer and Information Science and Engineering ...................................................................... R&RA - 6

STEM Education ..................................................................................................................................... R&RA - 7

Engineering ............................................................................................................................................ R&RA - 9

Geosciences ......................................................................................................................................... R&RA - 10

Geosciences Office of Polar Programs ............................................................................................. R&RA - 11

Mathematical And Physical Sciences ............................................................................................... R&RA - 12

Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, including NCSES ....................................................... R&RA - 13

Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships ...................................................................................... R&RA - 15

Office of the Chief of Research Security and Policy ........................................................................ R&RA - 16

Office of International Science and Engineering ............................................................................. R&RA - 17

Integrative Activities Including EPSCOR ........................................................................................... R&RA - 18

U.S. Arctic Research Commission...................................................................................................... R&RA - 20

R&RA - 1
Research and Related Activities

RRA-2
RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES (R&RA) $3,276,150,000

The FY 2026 Budget Request for the Research and Related Activities account is $3,276.15 million.
Funding within the R&RA Appropriation advances U.S. economic competitiveness and national
security, invests in transformative early-stage discoveries, and complements private sector R&D
where public investment can deliver the greatest value to the American people. Investments through
R&RA also emphasize the development of a strategically prepared science and engineering workforce
capable of sustaining long-term innovation in basic science and engineering research. These efforts
focus on advancing capabilities across fields critical to U.S. leadership in science and technology,
ensuring that the workforce can meaningfully enhance the Nation’s scientific and economic vitality.

1
R&RA Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
R&RA Organization Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Biological Sciences $789.59 $224.89 -$564.70 -71.5%
Computer & Information Science & Engineering 989.35 346.27 -643.08 -65.0%
STEM Education 1,154.31 288.43 -865.88 -75.0%
Engineering 740.80 185.20 -555.60 -75.0%
Geosciences 1,577.08 873.57 -703.51 -44.6%
Geosciences: Office of Polar Programs 559.76 497.22 -62.54 -11.2%
U.S. Antarctic Logistics Activities 109.31 109.31 - -

Mathematical & Physical Sciences 1,554.21 515.28 -1,038.93 -66.8%

Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences 290.29 94.00 -196.29 -67.6%
NCSES 74.07 44.00 -30.07 -40.6%
Technology, Innovation, & Partnerships 617.90 350.00 -267.90 -43.4%
SBIR/STTR, including Operations 251.78 108.47 -143.31 -56.9%
Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy & Policy 13.50 10.00 -3.50 -25.9%
Office of International Science & Engineering 63.70 12.74 -$50.96 -80.0%
Integrative Activities 430.02 177.73 -252.29 -58.7%
U.S. Arctic Research Commission 1.75 1.15 -0.60 -34.3%
Mission Support Services 126.00 196.89 70.89 56.3%
Total $8,348.50 $3,276.15 -$5,308.27 -63.6%
1
Restatements for comparability includes the consolidation of the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) and Mission Support
Services within R&RA, and the establishment of the Office of the Chief of Research Security, Strategy, and Policy (CRSP) as a
standalone Program Activity.

Alignment and Operational Efficiency

Mission Support Services (MSS), formerly termed Program Related Administration (PRA), reflects the
consolidation of two major budgetary components: 1) Program Related Technology (PRT) investments,
and 2) Other Program Related Administration (Other PRA) investments. This funding, which was once
managed under NSF’s programmatic directorates and offices, was organized into a centralized Budget
Activity with direct funding allocated from the R&RA account in FY 2025. As part of the FY 2026
President’s Budget, NSF proposes consolidating remaining IT services and budget activities with an
agency-wide benefit and previously funded under the AOAM account into the Mission Support

R&RA - 3
Research and Related Activities

Services portfolio under the R&RA account; this will align like functions, achieve scale efficiencies,
centralize oversight, and support Administration priorities.

In FY 2026, funding for Mission Support Services is $196.89 million. Consistent with NSF’s approach,
PRT and Other PRA will continue to be the major components of MSS and will be managed as separate
investments. For additional details on these investments, please see the Organizational Excellence
Chapter of this budget submission.

In FY 2026, NSF also proposes integrating the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) into the R&RA
Account, retiring the standalone STEM Education Account. The R&RA appropriation already supports
STEM education. This consolidation brings these efforts into a single, cohesive structure. This change
enhances administrative efficiency, reduces complexity, and improves NSF’s ability to execute its
mission while aligning with administration priorities, particularly during the year of execution.

Targeted Investments in Administration Priorities

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): The FY 2026 Budget increases FY 2024 funding levels in AI, reaffirming
the administration’s commitment to securing America’s dominance in this critical field of science.
Investments will advance foundational research in machine learning, computer vision, and natural
language processing. These efforts are designed to bolster national security, drive economic
growth, and ensure that the U.S. remains at the forefront of AI innovation. By bolstering
collaborations between industry and government, NSF aims to translate AI research into practical
applications that benefit the American people and reinforce the nation's global leadership.

• Quantum Information Science (QIS): The FY 2026 Budget increases FY 2024 funding levels in QIS,
maintaining the administration’s strong support for QIS. Investments will focus on foundational
research in quantum computing to advance the Nation as a leader in Quantum technology. These
initiatives are critical for developing next-generation technologies that can revolutionize industries
and enhance national security. By prioritizing QIS investments, NSF will drive partnerships with
federal agencies, industry, private foundations, and national laboratories to improve American
innovation in quantum computing.

• Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP): The FY 2026 Budget allocates $350.0 million for
the TIP Directorate, including funds for SBIR/STTR, reinforcing this administration’s commitment
to supporting NSF in accelerating technological advancements and promoting industry
partnerships. Funding will target critical and emerging technologies with the potential to yield
tangible benefits for the American people. In line with administration priorities, emphasis will be
placed on fostering partnerships that drive innovation, support domestic manufacturing, and
enhance the Nation’s competitive edge.

• Strategic Industry Focus: The FY 2026 Budget directs research investments toward sectors vital
to U.S. economic and national security, including microelectronics and semiconductors,
biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. This aims to build the foundational science
necessary to secure supply chains, bolster domestic production capacities, and enhance
industrial competitiveness. In FY 2026, NSF will advance administration initiatives to guarantee
that federal investments foster innovation, generate high-quality jobs, and strengthen America’s
industrial leadership in key technological domains.

R&RA - 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (BIO)

BIO Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $789.59 $224.89 -$564.70 -71.5%
Research 613.59 167.61 -445.98 -72.7%
Education 34.60 2.43 -32.17 -93.0%
Infrastructure 141.40 54.85 -86.55 -61.2%

BIO supports fundamental research, human capital, and physical and cyber infrastructure that
enhance our understanding of living systems at all scales. The knowledge gained helps to advance the
U.S. bioeconomy and drives technology and innovation in agriculture, health and medicine, materials,
and energy. In FY 2026, as part of this mission-driven strategy to fully support the Administration's
priorities, BIO will focus on expanding existing investments in prioritized industry investments,
including biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and quantum information science.

In FY 2026, BIO will prioritize:

• Advancing innovative biotechnology research to increase our ability to use, harness, modify,
and/or strengthen living systems and how they have adapted to a myriad of needs, environments,
and changes. Novel biotechnologies that use life to improve life will stimulate the U.S. economy
and help develop innovative solutions in health care, agriculture, manufacturing, and energy.
Investments will include those in the research, data, and infrastructure necessary to facilitate
these advances.
• Enhancing support for research at the intersection of biology and artificial intelligence (AI). This
support will include investments in tools and experiments necessary to generate and maintain
the data required for use in AI approaches, applications of existing and innovative AI methods and
tools to address biological questions, and the validation of outputs.
• Investing in educating and tooling the biotechnology workforce of tomorrow, which is estimated
to include 1 million new jobs by 2030. BIO will invest in training for these interdisciplinary jobs in
fundamental biology, data science and artificial intelligence, bioengineering and
biomanufacturing, and other related fields.

R&RA - 5
Research and Related Activities

DIRECTORATE FOR COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (CISE)

CISE Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $989.35 $346.27 -$643.08 -65.0%
Research 697.70 236.77 -460.93 -66.1%
Education 57.50 13.31 -44.19 -76.9%
Infrastructure 234.15 96.19 -137.96 -58.9%

Essentially all practical applications of today’s Information Technology are based on ideas and
concepts that emerged from investments in fundamental computing and information research, many
of them funded by CISE 1 over the last four decades. CISE investments have three intertwined
components: foundational and use-inspired research, cyberinfrastructure that supports and enables
this research, and education and training for the cyber workforce of the future. CISE supports research
across subfields in the AI and computing ecosystem, including novel algorithms, hardware and
systems, programming and software engineering paradigms, cybersecurity, advanced wired and
wireless networking, robotics, and quantum and bioinspired computing approaches. CISE
investments also include advanced cyberinfrastructure within computing and across science and
engineering, and novel educational approaches that stay ahead of fast-moving and disruptive
technologies, like AI and quantum, to effectively train students and workers for the jobs of the future.

In FY 2026 CISE will support research on critical technologies to fuel economic growth, unleash
American prosperity, and bolster national security. CISE will:
• Advance AI through support for foundational and use-inspired research, education, and
infrastructure in strong alignment with the priority areas identified in the Request for Information
on the Development of a 2025 National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research and Development (R&D)
Strategic Plan 2 and the White House Executive Order on Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education
for American Youth. 3 Key investments will include the National AI Research Institutes and the
National AI Research Resource.
• Support research and education that advance the foundations of quantum information science
and technology, including through novel approaches for building the quantum computing stack
as well as hybrid approaches that combine quantum and classical computing, and high-
performance post-quantum cryptographic algorithms and implementations that are secure
against attacks from both classical and quantum computers.
• Support other areas critical to U.S. technological leadership, such as advanced wireless
communications technologies, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors and microelectronics,
biotechnology, and cybersecurity.

1
www.nap.edu/catalog/25961/information-technology-innovation-resurgence-confluence-and-continuing-
impact
2
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/29/2025-07332/request-for-information-on-the-development-of-
a-2025-national-artificial-intelligence-ai-research
3
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/advancing-artificial-intelligence-education-for-american-
youth

R&RA - 6
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

DIRECTORATE FOR STEM EDUCATION (EDU)

EDU Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $1,172.00 $288.43 -$883.57 -75.4%
Research 512.10 110.32 -401.78 -78.5%
Education 659.90 178.11 -481.79 -73.0%

EDU’s work closely aligns with the Administration’s priorities of building a workforce for the needs of
industries today and in the future, in order to strengthen the economy and maintain global
competitiveness in emerging technologies. Both STEM education and STEM education research play
a central role in advancing excellence in U.S. STEM education at all levels and in all settings, supporting
preK-12 students and teachers, reskilling/upskilling of adult learners, learning at institutions of higher
education, and STEM learning for the American public. This support encourages the development of
a well-prepared workforce and a well-informed citizenry.

In FY 2026, EDU will continue to support the translation of research findings into practical STEM
education applications through investments in STEM education R&D, which supports critical
technologies that fuel economic growth and bolster national security, including:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

EDU supports fellowships, scholarships, research, and workforce development opportunities across
all learning settings in two AI fields: 1) AI in Education, which uses AI to enhance teaching and learning,
and 2) AI Education, which prepares the workforce for the AI-driven economy. EDU funds research
and development of AI-enabled pedagogy and tools that support personalized learning, teacher
effectiveness, and student engagement, as well as curriculum innovations and research experiences
that integrate AI with domain knowledge in cybersecurity, energy, and manufacturing. EDU supports
the April 2025 E.O. on Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth.

Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE)

EDU supports efforts to promote awareness, understanding, and development of skilled professionals
in QISE. By its very nature, QISE requires innovations and collaborations across multiple STEM fields.
These investments contribute to the Nation’s understanding of the potential benefits of QISE research
and shape the development of a cadre of preK-12 educators who will provide instruction in QISE and
related topics in ways that will have a positive impact on students’ STEM interests and career choices.

Biotechnology and Nuclear Sciences

EDU’s investments in STEM education at all levels better prepare students to enter careers in
biotechnology or nuclear fields, working to expand and grow the workforce to support the nation’s
leadership in the biotechnology and nuclear industries and strengthen U.S. national security and
global competitiveness. For example, EDU funding helps to prepare graduate students to conduct
research in convergent areas and acquire skills that allow them to succeed in school and in the
workforce.

R&RA - 7
Research and Related Activities

H-1B NONIMMIGRANT PETITIONER FEES

In FY 2026, H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Fees are projected to be $150.46 million.

H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Fees Funding

(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Fees Funding $138.93 $150.46 $11.53 8.3%

Beginning in FY 1999, Title IV of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act
(ACWIA) of 1998 (P.L. 105-277) established an H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Account in the general
fund of the U.S. Treasury for fees collected for each petition for alien nonimmigrant status. The
Congressional statute requires that a prescribed percentage of funds in the account be made available
to NSF for scholarships to low-income STEM students; grants for mathematics, engineering, or science
enrichment courses; and systemic reform activities. In FY 2005, Public Law 108-447 reauthorized H-
1B funding. NSF was provided with 40 percent of the total H-1B receipts collected. Thirty percent of
H-1B receipts (75 percent of the receipts that NSF receives) are to be used for a low-income
scholarship program, NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-
STEM). Ten percent of receipts (25 percent of the receipts that NSF receives) are designated for
support of private-public partnerships in K-12 education through Innovative Technology Experiences
for Students and Teachers (ITEST). NSF will work to ensure that these programs are in alignment with
Administration policies and executive actions.

H-1B Financial Activities from FY 2015 - FY 2024

(Dollars in Millions)
FY FY FY FY FY FY FY FY FY FY
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Receipts $143.00 $138.80 $141.07 $155.99 $156.72 $153.03 $213.50 $189.94 $134.94 $158.87
Annual receipts due to NSF $153.50
DOL 2020 temporary rescission to NSF $60.00
Unobligated Balance start of year $111.39 $116.02 $74.63 $96.86 $64.68 $77.47 $124.67 $141.77 $51.14 $80.04
Appropriation Previously $9.54 $7.30 $6.80 $9.73 $10.30 $9.72 $9.03 $8.75 $10.83 $7.69
unavailable (Sequestered)
Appropriation Currently -$7.30 -$6.80 -$9.73 -$10.30 -$9.72 -$9.03 -$8.75 -$10.83 -$7.69 -$9.06
unavailable (Sequestered)
Rescission -$60.00
Obligations incurred:
Scholarships in Science, Technology, 109.34 140.54 84.38 156.40 114.76 79.91 94.70 243.69 83.99 75.67
Engineering, and Mathematics
Private-Public Partnership in K-121 29.83 44.35 35.11 35.86 34.24 34.87 51.81 34.79 31.98 29.65
Total Obligations $139.17 $184.89 $119.49 $192.26 $149.00 $114.78 $146.51 $278.47 $115.97 $105.32
Unallocated Recoveries 4.95 1.60 3.58 4.66 4.49 8.26 5.30 -0.01 6.79 9.32
Unobligated Balance end of year $122.41 $72.03 $96.86 $64.68 $77.47 $124.67 $137.24 $51.15 $80.04 $141.56
1
P.L. 108-447 directs that 10 percent of the H-1B Petitioner funds go toward K-12 activities involving private-public partnerships in a range of areas such as materials development, student externships,
math and science teacher professional development, etc.

R&RA - 8
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

DIRECTORATE FOR ENGINEERING (ENG)

ENG Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $740.80 $185.20 -$555.60 -75.0%
Research 699.17 179.05 -520.12 -74.4%
Education 17.30 4.10 -13.20 -76.3%
Infrastructure 24.33 2.05 -22.28 -91.6%

The Directorate for Engineering (ENG) supports investments that spur breakthroughs to help ensure
future U.S. prosperity, resilience, security, health, and technological leadership. ENG will invest in
groundbreaking fundamental engineering research that advances key Administration and NSF
research priorities. Strategic ENG support will strengthen the engineering workforce and accelerate
the development of technological innovations to increase U.S. global competitiveness.

In FY 2026, ENG will invest in research and education that advance national priority areas:
• Artificial intelligence (AI): Fundamental engineering AI research; chip, computing, and
sensor technologies that enable AI; and safe and secure AI-enabled systems for healthcare,
independent aging, manufacturing, robotics, transportation, civil infrastructure, and more.
• Quantum information science and engineering: Design and manufacturing of devices,
networks, and systems for quantum computing, encryption, sensing, and communication that
empower U.S. security and global leadership.
• Energy and other key technology areas: Advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless,
biotechnology, energy grid resilience, and microelectronics and semiconductors research to
increase U.S. prosperity, security, and economic growth.
• Student and early-career faculty development: Hands-on research experiences for
students and support for new faculty to grow a competitive future engineering workforce
across the U.S.

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Research and Related Activities

DIRECTORATE FOR GEOSCIENCES (GEO)

GEO Funding1
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $1,017.32 $376.35 -$640.97 -63.0%
Research 503.32 125.10 -378.22 -75.1%
Education 40.42 3.68 -36.74 -90.9%
Infrastructure 473.58 247.57 -226.01 -47.7%
1
Not included in this display is funding for the Office of Polar Programs (OPP), a division within the Geosciences Directorate.
Due to the nature of the activities funded by OPP, this division is provided a separate writeup in NSF's Congressional Budget
Submission.

GEO invests in critical scientific research and infrastructure that drives discovery, enables
technological innovation, and advances our understanding of the global environment. GEO studies
the complex geologic, marine, atmospheric, and hydrologic processes that sustain life and support a
thriving society. GEO supports vital research on understanding and predicting natural hazards such
as earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and solar storms. Such knowledge improves
preparedness, decision-making, and mitigation strategies. These investments are essential to our
national security as they help save lives, protect property, and support economic growth.

In FY 2026, GEO will support the following priority investments:

• Artificial Intelligence: GEO will prioritize AI investments to advance the development and
adoption of innovative methods to increase scientific understanding of the Earth Systems.
• Innovating the Future: GEO will support innovative research that advances the Nation’s energy
strategy and propels the bioeconomy and technology sectors into the future. GEO investments
will help restore American dominance in critical minerals through research, new technology, and
AI methods to improve mineral exploration as well as mining and processing efficiency and
productivity. GEO will also support biotechnology research to spur innovation and advances in the
marine and earth sciences.
• National Security Strategies: GEO will help to strengthen national security through critical
mineral research and continued investment in the prediction of natural hazards, which safeguards
stability, supports defense operations, and enables resilient strategies for a secure future.
Research in natural hazards such as wildfires, earthquakes, and windstorms will improve the
Nation’s ability to respond to such occurrences, build our knowledge and understanding of
disasters, including their interplay with the natural environment and built infrastructure. This work
will inform the development of new technologies and systems to mitigate risks and manage the
impacts of such disasters.

R&RA – 10
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

GEOSCIENCES: OFFICE OF POLAR PROGRAMS (OPP)

1
OPP Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $559.76 $497.22 -$62.54 -11.2%
Research 86.00 25.00 -61.00 -70.9%
Education 3.92 - -3.92 -100.0%
Infrastructure 469.84 472.22 2.38 0.5%
U.S. Antarctic Logistical Support (USALS) (054 Functional Classification) 109.31 109.31 - -
1
The Office of Polar Programs (OPP) is a division within the Geosciences Directorate. Due to the nature of the activities funded by OPP,
this division is provided a separate writeup in NSF's Congressional Budget Submission.

OPP is the primary U.S. supporter of fundamental research in the polar regions. In the Arctic, NSF
facilitates coordination of research planning as directed by the Arctic Research Policy Act of 1984, and
the NSF Director chairs the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) created for this
purpose. In the Antarctic, per Presidential Memorandum 6646, NSF manages all U.S. activities as a
single, integrated program, making Antarctic research possible for scientists supported by NSF and
other U.S. agencies. NSF’s U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) research activity also supports leadership by
the U.S. Department of State in the governance of the continent and Southern Ocean under the aegis
of the Antarctic Treaty System.

OPP’s FY 2026 Request provides research support and logistics, including infrastructure, such as
permanent stations and temporary field camps in the Antarctic and the Arctic. FY 2026 priorities
include:
• Antarctic Infrastructure: Maintaining an active operational presence at three permanent year-
round stations and field stations in Antarctica. These activities include critical infrastructure
investments to ensure a continued world-leading presence on the continent through the Antarctic
Infrastructure Recapitalization (AIR) program (discussed in more detail within the MREFC account
narrative).
• Arctic Infrastructure: Operating research stations, vessels, and other infrastructure in
Greenland, Alaska, and the Arctic Ocean. This includes continued development of modernization
and recapitalization at Summit Station in Greenland as well as coordination with other
government agencies and international partners to enhance U.S. presence in the Arctic.
• Polar Research: Targeting scientific research investments to activities that address National
priorities in the polar regions.

R&RA - 11
Research and Related Activities

DIRECTORATE FOR MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES (MPS)

MPS Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $1,554.21 $515.28 -$1,038.93 -66.8%
Research 1,102.77 273.38 -829.39 -75.2%
Education 35.77 - -35.77 -100.0%
Infrastructure 415.67 241.90 -173.77 -41.8%

Through investments in individual investigator awards, centers/institutes, and mid-scale and major
facilities, MPS supports fundamental research in astronomy, chemistry, materials, mathematics, and
physics that advances scientific knowledge and enhances our Nation's economic growth, security, and
quality of life. MPS also empowers the scientific workforce of the future through training, mentorship,
and research support across U.S. institutions and communities.

In FY 2026, MPS will continue to align its funding with NSF and Administration priorities, highlighted
but not limited to the following three areas:
• Strengthening investments under the theme of AI for Sciences and the Science of AI. MPS will
support the National AI Institutes, the development of science-driven AI technologies, and
investigate their theoretical underpinning in collaboration with other federal agencies and private
foundations.
• Sustaining investments in Quantum Information Science and Technology through supporting the
Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes, National Quantum Virtual Laboratory, research centers, and
transdisciplinary research in quantum computing, quantum materials, quantum networking,
quantum sensing, and quantum simulations. MPS will strategically invest in this research through
collaborations with other federal agencies, industry, and private foundations.
• Continuing investments towards research on the chemical, mathematical, and physical
foundations of biotechnology and their applications, in collaboration with other federal agencies,
industry, and private foundations.

R&RA - 12
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

DIRECTORATE FOR SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES (SBE), including the
NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING STATISTICS (NCSES)

SBE Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $290.29 $94.00 -$196.29 -67.6%
SBE Programs 216.22 50.00 -166.22 -76.9%
NCSES 74.07 44.00 -30.07 -40.6%
Research 193.77 41.11 -152.66 -78.8%
Education 7.00 2.89 -4.11 -58.7%
Infrastructure 89.52 50.00 -39.52 -44.1%

SBE supports fundamental research on people and society, including the study of human behavior,
systems, and dynamics. SBE research advances Administration priorities by funding discoveries that
fuel American productivity, empower America's industries, advance American entrepreneurialism,
strengthen American safety, and reinforce America’s global advantage. SBE researchers examine
fundamental questions about the dynamic abilities of humans and human systems; human
interactions with physical and built environments; the creation of jobs and industries; impacts of
critical and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnologies; national
security; and finding new ways to improve quality of life for Americans. SBE research empowers
America’s private, philanthropic, and public sectors to grow the economy; secure the homeland;
enhance the health and safety of American families; strengthen decision making; and increase the
competitiveness of farms, factories, and offices across the Nation.

In FY 2026 SBE will:

• Support the sciences of AI, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and other critical and
emerging industries. SBE-funded foundational research enables discoveries that inform and
improve critical and emerging industries and technologies. SBE-funded researchers also measure
the impacts of these on individuals, communities, and the workforce.
• Contribute to the science of national security, secure borders, and public safety. SBE-supported
awards enable decision-makers to better understand and anticipate matters of security and
safety, excellence and readiness of our military, and disaster response.
• Fund the sciences of economic prosperity and innovation. SBE-supported researchers contribute
to our fundamental knowledge of economics and prosperity; of the human aspects of energy,
technology, health, and other infrastructures; spectrum sciences; and the future of digital assets;
among other topics.
• Enable and support the science of a 21st-Century American education. SBE sciences inform how
students of all levels can enjoy better educational outcomes and emerge from their education
prepared for modern demands of the 21st century workforce and jobs in critical and emerging
industries.
• Contribute to the Nation’s understanding of efficiency and oversight, freedoms and liberty, and
other priorities of the Administration as indicated through the Administration’s Presidential
Actions.

R&RA - 13
Research and Related Activities

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)

SBE is home to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) at NSF. NCSES is
one of the Office of Management and Budget’s 16 recognized statistical agencies and units in the
Federal statistical system and has the statutory mandate to collect, acquire, analyze, report, and
disseminate objective, policy-relevant information regarding the science and engineering enterprise
in a global context. NCSES provides policymakers, researchers, and the public with high-quality data
and analysis on research and development (R&D), innovation, the education of scientists and
engineers, and the science and engineering workforce. NCSES supports research on statistical
methodology and data quality improvement efforts, the education and training of researchers, and
information compilation and dissemination to meet statistical and analytical needs. NCSES also plays
a critical role in government-wide shared services for evidence building.

The FY 2026 request for SBE funds NCSES at $44.0 million and supports the following activities:
• Data collection and analytic activities, which provide key evidence used widely in policy discussions
and evidence-based decision making. The request will support nationally representative surveys:
on U.S. investment in R&D and innovation from the private and public sectors; and surveys on the
education and career pathways of scientists and engineers. The request will also fund rescoped
information available for the science and engineering workforce that will ensure continued
measurement of the nation’s scientific talent and the businesses that support it.
• Investments to modernize surveys by assessing the feasibility of leveraging administrative data
sources, data linkage opportunities, survey integration efforts, and new approaches to reduce
costs and respondent burden while maintaining high-quality and objective data.
• Continued efforts to measure Administration priority topics, including the use and impact of
critical and emerging technologies.
• Analysis and dissemination of data on scientific progress and technological innovation, including
the statutorily mandated reports: Indicators of the State of Science and Engineering in the U.S.
and Statistical Information on Individuals in Science and Engineering.
• Implementation of a data tool to improve access to and timeliness of statistical information for
the National Science Board.
• Internationally comparable data to assess U.S. science and technology global competitiveness.
• Maintenance of IT infrastructure needs and security requirements including the NCSES data tools,
website publication infrastructure, and other dissemination tools for continued data accessibility
and stakeholder engagement.
• Continued leadership of government-wide evidence-building activities such as management of
the Standard Application Process portal for applying to access restricted-use data from all OMB-
recognized statistical agencies and units, including expansion of this portal in features, usability,
agency participation, and datasets.
• The National Secure Data Service demonstration project and related statistical system-wide
efforts with an emphasis on using AI techniques to create efficiencies and reduce administrative
barriers in data discovery, acquisition, and use; testing of a secure computing space to promote
innovative research and development; and establishing a comprehensive data concierge service
to streamline data discovery and access for evidence building.

R&RA - 14
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

DIRECTORATE FOR TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIPS (TIP)

TIP Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $617.90 $350.00 -$267.90 -43.4%
Research 593.78 345.88 -247.90 -41.7%
Education 24.12 4.12 -20.00 -82.9%
Infrastructure - - - N/A

TIP is ushering in the golden age of American innovation by accelerating research and development
through strategic investments in key technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), quantum information
science and technology (QIST), and biotechnology. TIP is well-positioned to advance American
technological supremacy, national security, and community flourishing with investments that support the
nation’s top innovators and entrepreneurs, fuel the advancement of critical and emerging technologies,
and prepare all Americans for tomorrow’s jobs. TIP is pursuing new, data-driven funding mechanisms that
stage technology investments to out-compete foreign adversaries, incentivize new performers across the
nation to engage in science and technology development, reduce the time from idea generation to
funding, and leverage partnerships with other federal agencies, industry, and philanthropy to tap into new
capital and talent pools – thereby transforming the composition, capacity, and pace of the American
innovation enterprise. TIP is unlocking technological innovation from frontier research with focused
investments that integrate public funding with significant private investment or revenue streams to
translate technologies to market faster, closing the so-called “valley of death.”

In FY 2026, TIP will:

• Continue to speed the advancement of key technologies in partnership with the private sector,
particularly in AI, QIST, and biotechnology. For example, TIP will accelerate the development of AI test
beds enabling researchers to prototype new AI capabilities in secure, real-world environments;
establish programmable cloud labs that will transform entire fields of science through automation;
advance protein design and cell-free systems for radically new bioengineering applications; support
the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory to enable experimentation in next-generation QIST; and
form Translation Accelerators to accelerate the movement of ideas from lab to market. TIP will also
continue proven initiatives, such as the Small Business Innovation Research program, which has seen a
$1.60 billion investment in startups over the last decade yield more than $32.0 billion in follow-on
capital.
• Further economic growth nationwide through the NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines)
program. In just the last year, an initial investment of $150.0 million in 10 NSF Engines has yielded
more than $1.0 billion in matching commitments from private industry, nonprofits, and state
and local governments.
• Grow the workforce through continued investment in upskilling and reskilling for all Americans,
including with private sector and philanthropic co-investment and input.

R&RA - 15
Research & Related Activities

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF RESEARCH SECURITY STRATEGY AND POLICY (CRSP)

1
CRSP Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $13.50 $10.00 -$3.50 -25.9%
Research 13.50 10.00 -3.50 -25.9%
Education - - - N/A
Infrastructure - - - N/A
1
Office of the Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy acronym changed from “OCRSSP” to “CRSP” in FY 2025.

CRSP leads NSF's efforts to safeguard the research enterprise by developing policies and practices
that balance the security of federally funded research with initiatives that maintain an open and
collaborative international research environment. In addition to leading internal strategy for the
agency, CRSP collaborates with federal partners and the White House to coordinate efforts aimed at
improving research security and integrity at the federal level. CRSP also engages with international
partners to ensure current and future international collaborations continue to uphold core values
such as transparency and accountability.

In FY 2026, CRSP will:

• Continue to support the SECURE (Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research
Ecosystem) Program to address foreign threats to the security and integrity of the U.S. research
enterprise, as required by Section 10338 of the CHIPS and Science Act. The SECURE Center, run by
a non-government entity through a cooperative agreement, will empower the research
community to meet research security requirements by providing information, tools, and other
services. The SECURE-Analytics award supports the analytics needs of the broader research
community and works in close coordination with the SECURE-Center.
• Support the Research on Research Security (RoRS) Program, which will advance the understanding
of the full scope, potential, challenges, and nature of the research on research security field
through scholarly evidence.

R&RA - 16
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (OISE)

OISE Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $63.70 $12.74 -$50.96 -80.0%
Research 51.60 12.71 -38.89 -75.4%
Education 12.00 - -12.00 -100.0%
Infrastructure 0.10 0.03 -0.07 -70.0%

OISE is the focal point for NSF’s international science and engineering activities and promotes an
integrated Foundation-wide international engagement strategy. The Office manages and coordinates
catalytic internationally focused programs and advances international activities that offer
opportunities for U.S. researchers through active engagement and outreach with international
counterparts.

In FY 2026, OISE will invest in research related to critical and emerging technologies that align with
Administration priorities through the Global Centers (GC) program and bilateral partnerships, notably
in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Information Science (QIS), biotechnology, and
translational research.

Within the framework of OISE’s FY 2026 Request, the Office will continue contributing to strengthening
the U.S. science and engineering enterprise, advancing innovation in emerging technologies, and
furthering U.S. leadership in the global research, innovation, and technology ecosystem. OISE will also
continue the development of a technology-savvy U.S. workforce for U.S. economic prosperity and
promotion of U.S. technological leadership.

R&RA - 17
Research and Related Activities

INTEGRATIVE ACTIVITIES (IA)

IA Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $430.02 $177.73 -$252.29 -58.7%
EPSCoR 250.00 107.70 -142.30 -56.9%
Compliance in Research 3.00 2.34 -0.66 -22.0%
Evaluation & Assessment Capability 6.40 - -6.40 -100.0%
Facility Operations Transition [12.00] - N/A N/A
Growing Convergence Research 15.77 - -15.77 -100.0%
GRANTED 34.50 - -34.50 -100.0%
HBCU Excellence in Research 25.00 20.00 -5.00 -20.0%
Major Research Instrumentation 31.17 20.00 -11.17 -35.8%
Mid-scale Research Infrastructure 40.05 - -40.05 -100.0%
Modeling and Forecasting 3.46 - -3.46 -100.0%
Planning & Policy Support 5.96 - -5.96 -100.0%
Research Investment Communications 8.77 - -8.77 -100.0%
STC Admin 0.59 - -0.59 -100.0%
Science & Technology Policy Institute 5.35 2.30 -3.05 -57.0%
Strategic Initiatives Resources [30.00] 25.39 -4.61 -15.4%

IA invests in activities that support transformative advances in science and technology by incubating
new ideas and communities, supporting innovation in research and in NSF’s own processes, and
promoting the integration of research, training, and partnerships. They enhance the competitiveness
of the Nation’s research through activities that build capacity and competitiveness for science and
engineering (S&E), especially along organizational and geographic axes.

IA provides funding for innovative programs designed to enhance the ability of jurisdictions and
institutions to conduct globally competitive research. In FY 2026, IA’s programs will include Established
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Historically Black Colleges and Universities -
Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR), and Major Research Instrumentation (MRI).

In FY 2026, IA investments may support Administration priorities across the following activities,
including:
• Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR):
• EPSCoR investments uses three strategic investment tools to contribute to NSF in its statutory
function “to strengthen research and education in the sciences and engineering, including
independent research by individuals, throughout the United States, and to avoid undue
concentration of such research and education.” EPSCoR investment tools are Research
Infrastructure Improvement (RII) awards, Co-Funding, and Outreach/Workshops.
• At the FY 2026 Request level, EPSCoR funding will support EPSCoR’s active RII awards made in
prior years, which will build and strengthen research capacity in Administration and
jurisdictional science and technology priorities.
• Compliance in Research: In FY 2026, NSF will continue to support its ability to maximize program
delivery, to include strategic planning and implementation, training, stakeholder engagement,

R&RA - 18
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

complaint processing, partnership engagement, proactive compliance and recruitment and

outreach activities. These activities respond to the need to ensure compliance and address Sexual
Assault/Harassment Prevention & Response (SAHPR) related concerns and requirements. These
efforts support the requirements to address sexual harassment as outlined in Section 10536 of
the CHIPS and Science Act.
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR): The HBCU-EiR
program focuses on improving the research capacity and competitiveness of HBCUs by supporting
new research opportunities at these institutions. In FY 2026, investments in HBCU-EiR will fund up
to 40 HBCU-EiR research grants managed by NSF research and education directorates. NSF will
provide supplemental support to HBCU-EiR research activities involving postdoctoral researchers,
graduate and undergraduate students.
• Major Research Instrumentation (MRI): MRI invests in shared-use S&E research instrumentation.
Such instrumentation is vital for progress in many fields; for example, cyberinfrastructure is
important for AI research and research training, analysis and fabrication tools are necessary for
quantum, microelectronics, and other nanotechnology-based research, and a range of types of
sophisticated instruments are needed for research in to advance the bioeconomy. Approximately
30-40 new awards will support instrument and equipment acquisition and development across
NSF’s S&E domains.
• Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI): STPI is a Federally Funded Research and
Development Center sponsored by NSF on behalf of the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy (OSTP). STPI provides analysis of significant domestic and international science
and technology policies and developments for OSTP and other federal agencies.
• Strategic Initiatives Resources: Through the Strategic Initiatives Resources, NSF will support
activities responding to national priorities that may not align with a specific disciplinary focus or
project scope.

EPSCoR Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total, EPSCoR $268.24 $107.70 -$160.54 -59.8%
Research Infrastructure Improvement 201.22 107.70 -93.52 -46.5%
Co-funding 66.64 - -66.64 -100.0%
Outreach and Workshops 0.38 - -0.38 -100.0%

R&RA - 19
Research and Related Activities

UNITED STATES ARCTIC RESEARCH COMMISSION (USARC)

USARC Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
$1.75 $1.15 -$0.60 -34.3%

USARC was created by the Arctic Research and Policy Act of 1984, (as amended, P. L. 101-609), to
establish the national policy, priorities, and goals necessary to construct a federal program plan for
basic and applied Arctic scientific research. USARC advises the Interagency Arctic Research Policy
Committee in developing national Arctic research projects and a five-year plan to implement those
projects. USARC also supports interaction with Arctic residents, international Arctic research programs
and organizations, and local institutions, including regional and local governments, to obtain the
broadest possible view of Arctic research needs. USARC is an independent federal agency, funded
through NSF’s appropriation, specifically as an activity in the R&RA account.

The FY 2026 Request for USARC is $1.15 million and will help to advance Arctic research and to
recommend Arctic research policy that is consistent with the Administration’s priorities.

The FY 2026 Request will fund offices in Virginia and Alaska that support eight presidentially appointed
commissioners, and two full-time equivalent (FTE) staff tasked with duties defined in the Arctic
Research and Policy Act (ARPA) of 1984, as amended.

US Arctic Research Commission

Personnel Compensation and Benefits and General Operating Expenses
(Dollars in Thousands)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Personnel Compensation & Benefits $1,008.34 $894.00 -$114.34 -11.3%
Travel & Transportation of Persons 77.50 20.00 -57.50 -74.2%
Advisory & Assistance Services 386.50 66.00 -320.50 -82.9%
Rent 147.66 150.00 2.34 1.6%
Information Technology 22.00 5.00 -17.00 -77.3%
Communications, Supplies, Equipment, and Other 108.00 15.00 -93.00 -86.1%
Total $1,750.00 $1,150.00 -$600.00 -34.3%
Full-Time Equivalents (FTE) 3 2 -1 -33.3%

R&RA - 20
 ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE

For definitions of common acronyms used throughout NSF’s FY 2026 Budget Request, see the
NOTES found at the beginning of the entire document on pages iii-iv.

Organizational Excellence Portfolio ................................................................................. OrgEx - 3

Office of Inspector General ................................................................................................. OIG - 1

Office of the National Science Board ................................................................................ NSB - 1

Organizational Excellence - 1
Organizational Excellence

Organizational Excellence - 2
ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE $622,910,000

Organizational Excellence Funding Summary 1

(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
$753.26 $622.91 -$130.35 -17.3%
1
The above levels include estimated Administrative Cost Recoveries
(ACRs) of $5.0 million for the FY 2024 Current Plan and $2.02 million for
FY 2026 Request.

NSF’s FY 2026 Request funding for the Organizational Excellence portfolio is $622.91 million, about 16
percent of the total NSF FY 2026 Request. The Organizational Excellence portfolio underpins the
agency's programmatic activities and is critical to the accomplishment of NSF's mission, “to promote
the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national
defense…” The FY 2026 Request represents NSF's commitment to organizational excellence, illustrates
the agency’s needs, and reflects the agency’s RIF and Reorganization Plans (ARRP) submitted to OMB.
The following chapter begins with a section that presents the FY 2026 funding for the Organization
Excellence portfolio by appropriation and is followed by a section presenting the same information
but organized by Major Component.

Organizational Excellence by Appropriation

The following presentation details NSF’s Organizational Excellence portfolio by appropriation, which
is funded through all of NSF’s appropriation accounts.

Organizational Excellence by Appropriation

(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Agency Operations & Award Management
1
$463.00 $355.00 -$108.00 -23.3%
Research and Related Activities
2 251.92 243.89 -8.03 -3.2%
Office of Inspector General 24.41 18.00 -6.41 -26.3%
Office of the National Science Board 5.09 3.00 -2.09 -41.1%
Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction 1.00 1.00 - -
Subtotal $745.42 $620.89 -$124.53 -16.7%
Administrative Cost Recoveries (ACRs) 5.00 2.02 -2.98 -59.6%
FY 2023 R&RA Carryover into FY 2024 2.84 - -2.84 -100.0%
Total Organizational Excellence $753.26 $622.91 -$130.35 -17.3%
1
FY 2024 Current Plan includes the $15 million transfer of FY 2023 appropriated funding from R&RA to AOAM.
2
FY 2024 Current Plan restated for comparability with the FY 2026 Request to show consolidation of NSF mission
support activities and reflect the consolidation of EDU directorate within R&RA.

Organizational Excellence - 3
Organizational Excellence Portfolio

Agency Operations and Award Management (AOAM)

The AOAM account provides the fundamental framework through which the Foundation’s science and
engineering research and education programs are administered. This account funds the essential
services NSF needs to operate, and investments in the AOAM account continue to be an NSF priority.
As such, in FY 2026, NSF proposes to shift the AOAM account from one-year to two-year budget
authority to bring the availability of funds into alignment with the program funds in the R&RA account.

At the FY 2026 Request level, AOAM funding is $355.0 million representing 57 percent of the
Organizational Excellence portfolio but just nine percent of the total NSF FY 2026 Request. For
information on NSF's AOAM account by object class, see the AOAM by Object Class table within this
narrative.

Research and Related Activities (R&RA)

Funding from the R&RA ($243.89 million) program account covers approximately 39 percent of the
total Organizational Excellence portfolio. In FY 2026, NSF proposes to move all activities funded by the
EDU account into the R&RA account and eliminate the EDU account.

This account supports Mission Support Services (MSS), formerly termed Program Related
Administration (PRA). Two major components are included in the MSS investment: 1) Program Related
Technology (PRT) investments and 2) Other Program Related Administration (Other PRA) investments.
In FY 2026, to align with the Administration’s priorities, funding that supports budget activities with an
agency-wide benefit, including IT, were shifted from the AOAM account to the R&RA account under
MSS.

As has been NSF’s practice, PRT and Other PRA will continue to be the major components of MSS and
will be managed as separate investments.
• Program Related Technology: PRT investments support NSF’s programmatic activities and
associated services, are mission-related IT, and include Data Management investments that
support the merit review process. FY 2026 reflects the centralization of all IT funding from the
AOAM account into the R&RA account under PRT within MSS, so all IT funding resides in one
budget account.

• Other Program Related Administration: NSF’s Other PRA investment includes funding for the
following Foundation-wide activities: 1) NSF support for federal E-Government initiatives that are
mission-related; 2) mission-related program administration activities that are managed by BFA;
and 3) general planning and evaluation activities that support investments on broad
programmatic and strategic matters of NSF-wide scope and benefit, and externally mandated
Foundation-wide activities. FY 2026 reflects the centralization of budget activities with an agency-
wide benefit from the AOAM account to the R&RA account under Other PRA within MSS, so these
activities reside in one budget account.

Organizational Excellence - 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Office of Inspector General

FY 2026 funding for the OIG is $18.0 million. The staffing and operations of the OIG are supported
through a separate OIG appropriation. Details about the OIG FY 2026 Request can be found in the OIG
narrative.

Office of the National Science Board

FY 2026 funding for the NSB is $3.0 million. The staffing and operations of the NSB office are supported
through a separate NSB appropriation. Details about the NSB FY 2026 Request can be found in the
NSB narrative.

Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction

The FY 2026 Request includes $1.0 million within the MREFC account for oversight of NSF’s major
facility projects. For more information on this activity, see the MREFC narrative within the Research
Infrastructure section of the NSF-Wide Investments chapter.

Organizational Excellence - 5
Organizational Excellence Portfolio

AOAM by Object Class

AOAM by Object Class

(Dollars in Thousands)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
1
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Personnel Compensation $242,750 $209,242 -$33,508 -13.8%
Personnel Benefits 83,590 70,392 -13,198 -15.8%
Travel and Transportation of Persons 6,104 7,500 1,396 22.9%
Transportation of Things 769 300 -469 -61.0%
Rental Payments to GSA 25,000 26,000 1,000 4.0%
Rental Payments to Others 875 450 -425 -48.6%
Communications, Utilities and Misc. Charges 1,100 1,500 400 36.4%
Printing and Reproduction 140 - -140 -100.0%
Advisory and Assistance Services 54,554 20,450 -34,104 -62.5%
Other Services 27,165 10,450 -16,715 -61.5%
Purchases of Goods & Srvcs from Gov't. Accts 17,000 7,864 -9,136 -53.7%
Operations and Maintenance of Equipment 3 2 -1 -33.3%
Supplies and Materials 450 400 -50 -11.1%
Equipment 3,500 450 -3,050 -87.1%
Total $463,000 $355,000 -$108,000 -23.3%
1
Includes the $15 million transfer of FY 2023 appropriated funding from R&RA to AOAM.

Personnel Compensation and Benefits: Personnel compensation funds payroll, awards/bonuses,

reimbursable details to NSF, overtime, and terminal leave. Personnel Benefits include the
Government’s contribution towards retirement systems, health and life insurance, thrift saving plans,
special overseas allowances, unemployment insurance, transit subsidies, and employee relocations.

Travel and Transportation of Persons: These resources fund travel required for planning, outreach,
and the increased oversight of existing awards recommended by the agency’s Inspector General.

Transportation of Things: This category consists of household moves associated with bringing new
staff to NSF.

Rental Payments to GSA: This category includes the rent charged by GSA for NSF's facility in
Alexandria, Virginia.

Rental Payments to Others: This category includes rent paid for the parking structure to the owner
of the new headquarters building in Alexandria.

Communications, Utilities, and Miscellaneous Charges: This category includes all costs for
telephone and other communication lines and services, both local and long distance, and postage.

Organizational Excellence - 6
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Printing and Reproduction: This category includes contract costs of composition and printing of
NSF’s publications, announcements, and forms, as well as printing of stationery and specialty items.

Advisory and Assistance Services: This category includes development, learning, and career
enhancement opportunities offered through the NSF Academy; contracts for human capital
operational activities, work life initiatives, outreach, and related services; assistance in award
oversight and monitoring; and support for OMB Circular A-123 reviews.

Other Services: This category includes warehousing and supply services, mail handling, equipment
repair and maintenance, building-related costs, furniture repair, contract support for conference
room services, security investigations, and miscellaneous administrative contracts.

Purchases of Goods and Services from Government Accounts: This category includes
reimbursable services purchased from other government agencies. Examples include Department of
Homeland Security/Federal Protection Agency for security guard services; General Service
Administration for some electrical upgrades and modest renovation services; and Department of the
Interior for payroll services.

Operation and Maintenance of Equipment: This category includes operation, maintenance, repair,
and storage of equipment, when done by contract with the private sector or another Federal
Government account.

Supplies and Materials: This category includes office supplies, library supplies, paper and supplies
for the NSF central computer facility, and miscellaneous supplies.

Equipment: This category includes new and replacement computing equipment, desktop computers,
data communications equipment, video-teleconferencing equipment, office furniture, filing cabinets,
and support equipment such as audio-visual equipment.

Appropriations Language and Explanation of Carryover

For more information on AOAM appropriations language see the Technical Information chapter.

Organizational Excellence - 7
Organizational Excellence Portfolio

Organizational Excellence by Major Component

The following narrative focuses on the four main components of Organization Excellence – Human
Capital, Information Technology, Administrative Support, and Travel.

Human Capital

The Human Capital component of Organizational Excellence includes personnel compensation and
benefits (PC&B) of NSF’s federal employees and reflects the guidance provided in Executive Order
14210, Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization
Initiative 1 and OMB’s subsequent memorandum. 2 The FTE level reflects the ARRP submitted to OMB.

Personnel Compensation and Benefits (PC&B)

Personnel Compensation & Benefits
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Base Salary 1 $232.24 $198.47 -$33.77 -14.5%
2
Other Compensation 2.80 2.27 -0.53 -18.9%
Awards 9.77 8.50 -1.27 -13.0%
Subtotal, FTE Compensation $244.81 $209.24 -$35.57 -14.5%
Benefits 82.21 68.94 -13.27 -16.1%
3
Other Benefits 1.38 1.45 0.07 5.3%
Subtotal, Benefits $83.59 $70.39 -$13.20 -15.8%
Total, PC&B $328.40 $279.63 -$48.77 -14.9%
1
FY 2024 Current Plan and FY 2026 Request include student salaries.
2
FY 2024 Current Plan includes reimbursable details to NSF and terminal leave.
3
Includes Federal Employee's Compensation Act (FECA) funding and transit subsidies.

The FY 2026 Request for PC&B is $279.63 million and will support 1,227 regular FTE employees, as
reflected in the ARRP submitted to OMB, associated cost of benefits, general workforce performance
awards (GWFPA), and Senior Executive Service (SES) bonuses.

Management of Human Capital

NSF will provide budgetary resources in the FY 2026 Request and contractual support activities for
human capital initiatives while reducing its federal workforce. These budgetary resources reflect
reductions and contract cancellations in alignment with Executive Order 14210, Implementing the
President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative. NSF’s FY 2026 Management
of Human Capital investments support Learning and Development Programs, Operations, Strategic

1
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/14/2025-02762/implementing-the-presidents-department-of-
government-efficiency-workforce-optimization-initiative
2
www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/latest-and-other-highlighted-memos/guidance-on-agency-rif-and-
reorganization-plans-requested-by-implementing-the-president-s-department-of-government-efficiency-
workforce-optimization-initiative.pdf

Organizational Excellence - 8
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Human Capital, Workplace and Work-Life, and Human Resource Systems and Shared Services.

Intergovernmental Personnel Act Costs

A portion of NSF’s workforce consists of temporary staff hired through the Intergovernmental
Personnel Act (IPA) authority. The agency uses IPA science and engineering staff to help ensure that
the Foundation’s funding decisions are based on the best input from the field and reflect fresh ideas
and creativity. The expertise provided by these IPAs is essential to help shape the NSF research
portfolio and support transformational advances across the frontiers of all fields of science,
engineering, and education. In FY 2026, NSF plans to reduce the number of IPAs to better support the
Administration’s priorities in artificial Intelligence, biotechnology, nuclear energy, quantum science,
and translational science.

NSF Workforce
In FY 2026, NSF plans to hold its regular FTE to 1,227 in alignment with the ARRP submitted to OMB.
The OIG and NSB sections of this chapter and the U.S. Arctic Research Commission section of the
R&RA chapter include a discussion of their respective workforces.

NSF Workforce
Full-Time Equivalents (FTE)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
AOAM Regular FTE 1,435 1,227 -208 -14.5%
Office of Inspector General 92 66 -26 -28.3%
Office of the National Science Board 18 13 -5 -0
Arctic Research Commission 3 2 -1 -0
Total, Federal Employees (FTE) 1,548 1,308 -240 -15.5%
IPAs (FTE) 300 70 -230 -76.7%
2
Total, NSF Workforce (FTE) 1,848 1,378 -470 -25.4%
1
AOAM Regular FTE excludes Pathways interns.
2
Total NSF Workforce excludes detailees.

Organizational Excellence - 9
Organizational Excellence Portfolio

Information Technology (IT)

NSF’s IT is funded at $176.28 million in the FY 2026 Request. In FY 2026, NSF proposes to centralize all
IT funding from the AOAM account into the R&RA account under Program Related Technology (PRT)
within Mission Support Services (MSS), so all IT funding resides in one budget account. This was done
to meet the agency’s reduced AOAM funding level and is aligned with operational efficiency and to
streamline oversight and reporting.

In FY 2024, NSF established the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), which has provided
increased coordination of NSF’s internally focused IT initiatives and will allow NSF’s IT functions to
work even more effectively and efficiently. In FY 2025, PRT was consolidated under MSS.

NSF IT Portfolio Investments by Appropriation

IT Investments by Appropriation
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan Funding
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent Source
Program Related Technology (PRT)1,2 $165.72 $176.28 $10.56 6.4% R&RA
1
FY 2024 Current Plan restated for comparability with the FY 2026 Request to show all IT funding in the R&RA account.
2
FY 2026 Request reflects the centralization of all IT funding from the AOAM account into the R&RA account under Program Related
Technology (PRT).

IT investments support all mission-related program and administrative activities. These investments
ensure delivery of high-quality, secure, and reliable IT infrastructure and services across the agency.
They enable essential functions such as administrative support, pre- and post-award processes,
proposal review, award management, data dissemination, and overall mission delivery.

In alignment with Administration’s Priorities, NSF's IT priorities for FY 2026 reflect NSF’s commitment
to delivering effective and secure Federal services and digital experiences in accordance with the
Foundation's mission. FY 2026 IT priorities will enable NSF to continue its shift to a resilient and secure
data-centric technology base while maintaining critical cybersecurity capabilities.

In FY 2026, NSF will preserve secure, reliable information technology operations of the IT
infrastructure and systems that support the business and mission operations of the agency,
facilitating innovation and adoption of advanced technologies to support NSF's strategic objectives,
promote the nation’s economic competitiveness, and maintain national security. Advances supported
by this submission include IT initiatives to: (1) Support NSF-wide priorities that accelerate technology
and innovation, enabling science to advance society and solve problems through better technology
and data; (2) Enable data-driven decision making to augment IT services with intelligence using
predictive and prescriptive technologies; (3) Adapt IT at speed by leveraging commercial user-driven
capabilities to ensure an effective and engaged workforce; and (4) Integrate artificial intelligence (AI)
into NSF business processes, increasing the use of AI capabilities to support NSF business processes.

In FY 2026, NSF proposes to move all non-central ("distributed") IT investments into the R&RA account,
as part of the funding centralization mentioned earlier, so all IT funding resides in one budget account.

Organizational Excellence - 10
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

These IT costs are included in the FY 2026 IT Portfolio summary reporting.

NSF IT Portfolio Investments by Category

Investments in NSF’s IT Portfolio can be grouped across five main categories: Administrative
Applications Services and Support; Mission-Related Applications and Services; IT Operations and
Infrastructure; IT Security and Privacy; and IT Management. FY 2026 funding for the activities under
these investment categories is entirely provided by the R&RA account under PRT within MSS.

Administrative Applications Services and Support

Investments in this category support mission-related administrative applications, such as the NSF
website, NSF’s human resources management systems, and NSF's financial management system.

Mission-Related Applications and Services

Investments in this category fund the applications and services that support the end-to-end merit
review process and associated activities including solicitations, proposal submission, reviews and
reviewer management, and award management.

IT Operations and Infrastructure

Investments in this category support NSF's capabilities related to network, infrastructure, computing
power including data center and cloud, customer support, and database administration.

IT Security and Privacy Services

Investments in this category support the portion of NSF’s IT security program which provides security
and compliance oversight for NSF's administrative applications and mission support systems.
In FY 2026, NSF will continue to support secure, reliable operations and monitoring and fund modern
cybersecurity measures to protect agency systems and sensitive information.

IT Management
Investments in this category support the functions that support NSF IT management, including the
NSF Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, Chief Data
Officer, Chief AI Officer, and Senior Agency Official for Privacy. In FY 2026, investments in this category
will enable NSF to continue support for policy and compliance efforts associated with IT management,
as well as continued implementation of the Technology Business Management (TBM) framework, as
required by OMB.

NSF Funding for E-Government Initiatives

The table below show NSF's contributions and service fees for various E-Government and Line of
Business (LoB) initiatives. These costs are not part of the IT budget discussed in this narrative but are
included in the agency's IT Portfolio summary reporting and mentioned here for transparency. The
FY 2026 levels are consistent with the funding amounts provided by the initiatives' respective
managing partners and are all funded by the R&RA account. This is a shift from previous fiscal years
in which E-rulemaking and part of Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) were funded out of the
AOAM account, is done to meet the agency’s reduced AOAM funding level and is aligned with
operational efficiency and to streamline oversight and reporting.

Organizational Excellence - 11
Organizational Excellence Portfolio

NSF FY 2026 Request Funding for E-Government and

Line of Business (LoB) Initiatives
Appropriations Account
Initiative NSF Total R&RA1
Budget Formulation/Execution LoB $125,000 $125,000
E-Rulemaking 24,385 24,385
Federal Audit Clearing House 115,080 115,080
Financial Management LoB 139,094 139,094
Geospatial LoB 25,000 25,000
Grants.gov 397,000 397,000
Human Resources Management LoB 68,478 68,478
Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE) 530,417 530,417
Performance LoB 100,000 100,000
Total $1,524,454 $1,524,454
1
FY 2026 Request reflects the centralization of all funding from the AOAM account into the R&RA account
under Mission Support Services (MSS).

Organizational Excellence - 12
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Administrative Support

The FY 2026 Request for Administrative Support includes Space Rental, Operating Expenses, Building
and Administrative Services, and Mission Support Services.

Space Rental
Space Rental
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Building Rental & Taxes $25.61 $25.89 $0.28 1.1%
Utilities 1.10 1.23 0.13 12.0%
Security 5.66 4.36 -1.30 -23.0%
1
Parking Rental 0.88 0.71 -0.16 -18.3%
Total $33.24 $32.19 -$1.05 -3.2%
2
Net adjustments for forward funding -18.61
Revised Rent Total $14.63 $32.19 $17.56 120.0%
1
Parking Rental includes parking credits.
2
Forward funding is an appropriation of budget authority that becomes available for obligation in the last quarter of
the fiscal year for the financing of ongoing contracts during the next fiscal year. The budget authority for such
contracts is included in the budget totals for the year in which it is appropriated. NSF is provided this budget
authority within its annual Appropriation for the AOAM account.

Space Rental includes services provided by the General Services Administration (GSA) related to rent
and taxes, utilities, and security provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In addition,
rent paid for the parking structure to the owner of the NSF headquarters building in Alexandria,
Virginia is included. In FY 2026, NSF will occupy over 700,000 square feet of space, primarily in one
leased office building located in Alexandria, Virginia. The FY 2026 Request for Space Rental is $32.19
million. Security, utilities, and parking estimates are derived from historical billing and actual contract
costs.

NSF continues to take steps to improve and evaluate occupancy data of the Alexandria office building
in accordance with M-2015-01, M-22-14, M-23-15, and M-25-25. These steps include monitoring
utilization to ensure space efficiency and supporting the return of NSF staff to full-time in-person work.

Operating Expenses
Operating Expenses support the agency’s operational and administrative needs. These include
funding for strategic investments in areas of science and security and strategic planning of evidence-
building activities in support of the Agency’s mission; support for a wide variety of activities focused
on continuous organizational improvement; and federal FTE training and supplies.

Building and Administrative Services

Building and Administrative Services include three broad activities: Information Dissemination;
Workplace Management; and Panel Support, Meeting Management, and Proposal Services.

Organizational Excellence - 13
Organizational Excellence Portfolio

Information Dissemination
Investments in this category fund activities that support records management; extensive web-based
and electronic information distribution tools that provide information to both NSF staff and the public;
graphic design; and regulatory reporting processing and production.

Workplace Management
Workplace Management provides funding for a wide range of core business activities and
infrastructure support related to space management and facility operations, property management,
as well as personnel security, emergency management, and information security.

Panel Support, Meeting Management, and Proposal Services

This category supports NSF’s merit review process by providing various services for NSF staff,
panelists, members of advisory committees statutorily required and associated committees of visitors
(COVs), and guests. The FY 2026 Request provides resources for these investments supporting the full
estimated cost necessary to manage current services level workload requirements and maintain
agency services.

Mission Support Services: Other Program Related Administration

Historically, Other Program Related Administration (Other PRA) investments are funded via NSF’s
program accounts under an umbrella term called Program Related Administration (PRA). In FY 2025,
Other PRA was consolidated within the R&RA account and PRA was renamed to Mission Support
Services (MSS). Beginning in FY 2025, NSF established MSS as a formal Activity line within the R&RA
account. In FY 2026, NSF proposes to centralize funding for all budget activities with an agency-wide
benefit from the AOAM account to the R&RA account under Other PRA within MSS. This was done to
meet the agency’s reduced AOAM funding level and is aligned with operational efficiency and to
streamline oversight and reporting.

In FY 2026, NSF’s Other PRA includes funding for the following Foundation-wide activities: 1) NSF
support for federal E-Government initiatives that are mission-related; 2) mission-related program
administration activities that are managed by BFA; and 3) general planning and evaluation activities
that are Foundation-wide, including externally mandated activities. As noted above, resources for
these Other PRA activities are consolidated within the R&RA account and will be funded under the
new formal R&RA activity line Mission Support Services.

Organizational Excellence - 14
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Travel

FY 2026 funding for NSF employee full-time equivalent (FTE) travel reflects the travel freeze that went
into effect in February 2025 and activity associated with mission critical travel only. Mission critical
travel includes:
(1) Travel to or from an NSF-funded facility or location that is necessary for the protection of life or
property.
(2) Travel that is required by statute, regulation, or law, or is necessary to support Administration
priorities.

Organizational Excellence - 15
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL (OIG) $18,000,000

The Appropriations Act that funds the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) contains a separate
appropriation for NSF’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). Accordingly, this FY 2026 Budget Request
identifies the resources needed to support OIG, including amounts for personnel compensation and
benefits (PC&B), contract services, training, travel, supplies, materials, and equipment.

The FY 2026 Budget Request for the Office of Inspector General is $18 million, a decrease of $6.41
million from the FY 2024 Appropriation of $24.41 million.

OIG Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $24.41 $18.00 -$6.41 -26.3%
Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) 92 66 -26 -28.3%

OIG Responsibilities and Structure

OIG provides independent oversight of NSF to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and economy of
its programs and operations and to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse. By statute, NSF OIG
is organizationally independent from the agency, with the Inspector General (IG) reporting directly to
the National Science Board and Congress. Given the geographic breadth of the projects NSF funds,
OIG must be equipped to conduct audits and investigations across the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii,
Puerto Rico, and Antarctica. To fulfill its mission OIG employs a staff of investigators, auditors,
attorneys, management analysts, data analysts, and information technology (IT) specialists. OIG’s FY
2025 appropriation was just 0.27 percent of NSF’s nearly $9.06 billion in funding and less than 0.06
percent of its approximately $41.9 billion portfolio of active awards (as of 7/31/2024).

OIG’s work is divided into two functional areas: the Office of Audits, Inspections, and Evaluations and
the Office of Investigations. These offices are supported by the OIG’s Office of Management, Office of
Counsel, and Immediate Office. Highlights of the OIG’s operational impact and FY 2026 strategic focus
by functional area follow.

Appropriations Language

For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General as authorized by the Inspector General Act
of 1978, $18,000,000, of which $1,300,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2027.

OIG - 1
Office of Inspector General

Office of Inspector General

FY 2026 Summary Statement
(Dollars in Millions)
Unobligated Unobligated Unobligated Obligations
Estimate/ Balance Available Balance Available Balance Actual/
Request Start of Year End of Year Expired Estimates
FY 2024 Appropriation $24.41 $0.40 -$1.30 -$0.03 $23.48
FY 2025 Enacted $24.41 $1.30 - - 25.71
FY 2026 Request $18.00 - 18.00
$ Change from FY 2024 Appropriation -$6.41
% Change from FY 2024 Appropriation -26.3%
Totals exclude reimbursable amounts.

Explanation of Carryover

Within the OIG two-year account, $1,299,218 was carried over into FY 2025.

Office of Inspector General

• Amount: $1,299,218
• Purpose: Funds are expected to be used for (1) travel expenses to Antarctica because the austral
summer crosses fiscal years, to address allegations of sexual assault, stalking, other
crimes related to the Special Maritime Territorial Jurisdiction, and conduct risk-based
audits of Antarctic operations; and (2) to procure performance audit services. The
selection of awards and institutions to be audited requires careful preparation and is
subject to changing circumstances and new information that may require additional
time to process.
• Obligation: Anticipated FY 2025 Quarters 1, 3 and 4.

Audit Impact and Strategic Focus

OIG’s Office of Audits, Inspections, and Evaluations (OAIE) conducts internal audits and reviews of
NSF’s programs and operations, as well as audits, inspections, evaluations, and other reviews of NSF’s
contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants to universities and other research institutions. These
audits help ensure that financial, administrative, and programmatic activities are conducted
economically, effectively, and in compliance with applicable regulations. OAIE also responds to
congressional requests and reviews hotline complaints to build a comprehensive oversight program.

Areas of Risk for Potential Audit Coverage in FY 2026

Much of OIG’s audit work is required, including the annual financial statement audit and the annual
audit of NSF’s information security program, which is required by the Federal Information Security
Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA). Additionally, in FY 2026, OIG must review NSF’s FY 2025 Agency
Financial Report for compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019.

For the remainder of the oversight portfolio, OAIE uses a risk-based approach to identify the highest
priority areas that would benefit from OIG oversight. At the FY 2026 Budget Request level, OAIE will
be able to conduct three audits from the following high-risk areas or other areas that may emerge
during the year:

OIG - 2
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

NSF’s and Award Recipients’ Compliance with Research Security Requirements

NSF and award recipients must comply with numerous requirements designed to protect federally
supported R&D against foreign government exploitation. For example, National Security Presidential
Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) requires research organizations with more than $50 million per year in
total federal research funding to have a research security program; the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022
enacted research security requirements that are applicable to both NSF and its award recipients; and
NSF‘s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) includes pre-award and post-award
disclosure requirements in addition to guidance on conflicts of interest. OAIE plans to assess NSF’s
and award recipients’ compliance with applicable research security requirements.

NSF’s Processes for the Re-competition and Management of the Antarctic Support Contract
The current Antarctic Support Contract (ASC), for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) is
nearing expiration. The ASC, NSF’s largest contract, has a total obligated amount of more than $2.6
billion and a period of performance of more than 13 years. OAIE is undertaking a series of audits
involving the closeout of the current ASC contract, and the competition for and management of the
new contract.

Information Technology Security and Controls

FISMA requires federal agencies to develop systems to ensure security of electronic data, and OIG
examines a selection of NSF’s controls through annual FISMA audits. However, those audits follow a
prescribed path, and OIG does not have additional resources to examine other issues that may arise
during the audit or review other high-risk areas in NSF’s information technology systems. At the FY
2026 Budget Request level, OAIE will continue to rely on third-party contractors with expertise in
specific risk areas to fulfill this critical oversight mission, but will explore options for building an in-
house IT audit capacity at a later date.

Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP)

NSF created the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate, which was authorized by
the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, to support use-inspired research and development (R&D), to bring
new technologies to market rapidly, and to address major economic and social challenges. In April
2024, OAIE created a division dedicated to agile oversight of NSF awards and operations. One of the
core functions of this division is ongoing monitoring and oversight of the early lifecycle of TIP’s project
portfolio, including TIP’s flagship Regional Innovation Engines Program. The goal of the Engines
Program is to promote economic growth in regions that have not fully participated in past
technological development. Each award recipient, known as an Engine, can receive up to $160 million
for up to 10 years (Type-2 awards) with a possible two years’ funding for planning (Type-1 awards).
OAIE plans to review policies and procedures for the operation and implementation of the Engines
program, the award selection process, and early-stage management of the initial Type-2 awards.

NSF’s Preparation for a Broader Use of Award Instruments

As an assistance award agency, NSF has traditionally used grants and cooperative agreements to
accomplish its mission. However, NSF is using a broader range of award instruments, including
contracts, other arrangements, and other transaction agreements, particularly in its TIP Directorate.
These funding instruments are significantly different from grants and cooperative agreements and
require stronger oversight and compliance with other federal regulations, such as the Federal
Acquisition Regulation (FAR). OAIE will review NSF’s use of these award instruments, including plans
for increased staffing, training, and modernizing its contract management system to ensure

OIG - 3
Office of Inspector General

compliance with the FAR and efficient and effective operations.

Audits of Recipients of NSF Grant Funds

Audits of NSF recipients are an essential part of OAIE’s efforts to protect NSF funds. All statutorily
mandated audits and most in-house performance audits focus on NSF’s internal operations. Because
the bulk of NSF’s funding is provided to the academic community through grants and cooperative
agreements, robust oversight of that funding is imperative. Audits of NSF recipients determine
whether awardees follow the financial and administrative terms and conditions of the awards. They
address the highest risk areas at institutions, identifying systemic issues, recapturing misused funds,
and making recommendations ensuring proper stewardship of federal funds going forward. These
audits also help identify systemic issues resulting from NSF policy and/or guidance, leading to
recommendations for NSF to make internal adjustments and improvements.

NSF award recipients often enter into agreements with other organizations to conduct portions of an
award’s objective. These agreements, known as subawards, establish a contractual relationship
between the prime recipient and subrecipient. Prior NSF OIG audits have identified subawards as a
high-risk area that is susceptible to misspending and noncompliance with federal regulations and NSF
terms and conditions. At the FY 2026 Budget Request level, OAIE will continue to conduct limited
audits of NSF award recipients’ management of their subawards and costs claimed, and may write a
capstone report summarizing common findings and/or identifying promising practices.

Historically the OIG has procured audits of NSF recipients to provide this much-needed audit coverage
over the recipient community. The coverage of each of these audits at recipients ranged from $5.3
million to $216.5 million from FY 2020 through March 31, 2025. Beyond the findings specific to the
institutions being audited, these audits may identify evidence of behavior that could violate criminal
or civil laws, which OAIE would refer to the Office of Investigations. Additionally, these audits may
identify inconsistent treatment of similar charges across the academic community, which OAIE would
share with NSF staff so they could address the inconsistencies. The impact of this work is not limited
to the entities that are audited: NSF recipients carefully monitor the results of these audits to identify
situations where they need to strengthen their own policies and procedures. OAIE will continue its
risk-based modelling to ensure our limited oversight resources are directed toward the highest-risk
grant recipients and NSF funding programs. OAIE will also continue to monitor the quality of single
audits.

Investigative Impact and Strategic Focus

OIG’s Office of Investigations (OI) investigates criminal, civil, and administrative wrongdoing related
to NSF programs and operations and research misconduct including allegations involving all entities
and individuals that receive NSF funds. OI also evaluates and investigates allegations of research
misconduct—data fabrication, data falsification, and plagiarism—related to NSF-funded research,
and allegations of whistleblower retaliation. OI’s vigilance ensures that those who seek or receive
NSF research funds are held accountable and serves as a meaningful deterrent to grant fraud,
research misconduct, and other wrongdoing.

The OIG Hotline annually receives and reviews hundreds of complaints and allegations of
wrongdoing. OI opens investigations based upon a variety of considerations, including OIG’s
strategic goals, NSF’s Management Challenges, the seriousness and magnitude of the offense, the

OIG - 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

significance of programmatic vulnerability, and the high-risk status of the program or institution. OI
also strategically leverages the use of advanced data analysis tools and techniques to design and
conduct targeted proactive investigations.

Investigative Action on Research Security Threats

OI continues to be a leader in the response to the threats to U.S. federally funded research and
development by foreign states that use “talent plans” to exploit the openness of American
universities and the federal research enterprise. OI initiated its first criminal investigations focused
on foreign talent plan members’ misuse of NSF funding in FY 2018. Since then, these cases have
become increasingly complex, and they continue to account for a significant portion of OI’s
workload.

OI’s investigative work on research security threats has resulted in award suspensions and
terminations, recoveries of NSF funds, and many referrals to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for
prosecution. In addition, OI conducts proactive investigative activities to identify previously
unidentified research security risks affecting the U.S. research enterprise. These proactive initiatives
have resulted in both civil and criminal investigations and prosecutions. Equally important, these
activities identified noncompliance with federal requirements at several major academic research
institutions and have led to both financial recoveries and major systemic changes at those
institutions. In FY 2024, for example, one of OI’s proactive efforts resulted in two significant civil
settlements with NSF awardees.

To help combat research security threats, OI delivers robust outreach and training to its
stakeholders and investigative partners. Specifically, OI:
• Founded and now co-leads a Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE)
Working Group, which informs and assists investigative colleagues with threat identification,
case predication, and best practices in conducting research security investigations.
• Collaborates with the FBI and other investigative partners to conduct outreach to internal and
external stakeholders (e.g., grantees, institutions) to explain the risks posed by foreign talent
plan membership.
• Conducts outreach and provides education to NSF, which has resulted in the issuance of new or
amended agency advisories and policies to address the threat, including an express prohibition
of talent plan members serving as federal employees or Intergovernmental Personal Act (IPA)
rotators, the requirement that IPA rotators be U.S. citizens, and increased disclosure
requirements for researchers seeking NSF funding.
• Supports the operation of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility at NSF to enhance the
efficiency and effectiveness of research security investigations by facilitating essential
communication and coordination with investigative partners across the government.

Investigative action on SBIR/STTR Program Risks

Protecting NSF’s nearly $640 million portfolio of active Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards from fraud and abuse remains a significant
priority. The intent of the SBIR/STTR program is to develop novel technologies for the betterment of
the U.S. economy and it has been deemed a national security portfolio. As a result, OI focused its
proactive investigative efforts on identifying SBIR/STTR companies performing NSF-funded research
outside of the U.S., in violation of the rules. Several of these investigations recently concluded with
civil settlement agreements and funds returned to NSF.

OIG - 5
Office of Inspector General

OI has successfully partnered with NSF program managers to greatly improve SBIR/STTR processes
and procedures to reduce the opportunity for fraud to occur. OI’s efforts have produced significant
programmatic improvements and enhanced understanding throughout the research community. OI
also contributes to SBIR/STTR-related outreach at NSF awardee workshops, which provide guidance
to the small business community on how to properly handle federal funds and the consequences of
not following the rules. Further, OI co-founded and has led a governmentwide special agent working
group focused on fighting SBIR/STTR fraud for over a decade. This group allows agents to identify
potential investigative partners, deconflict cases, and share best practices and lessons learned.

Investigative Focus on Sexual Assault Investigations in Antarctica

In response to the Sexual Assault/Harassment Prevention and Response (SAHPR) Report that was
commissioned by NSF and released in August 2022, OIG has expanded its investigative mission to
provide a criminal investigative response capability for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) in
Antarctica. The SAHPR report indicated that sexual assault and stalking are problems in the USAP
community. Sexual assault and stalking are criminal offenses. When they occur in Antarctica and are
committed by or against a U.S. national, these offenses can be prosecuted under the Special
Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction, which includes “any place outside the jurisdiction of any nation
with respect to an offense by or against a national of the United States.” Historically, NSF relied upon
the USAP McMurdo Station Manager, authorized as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal, to serve as the
on-ice law enforcement official. After conferring with NSF, the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI,
and the U.S. Marshals Service, OI assumed responsibility for investigating allegations of sexual
assault, stalking, and other crimes occurring in Antarctica. In July 2023, OI began receiving
allegations of sexual assault and stalking from current and former USAP participants and initiated
investigations into these criminal offenses. OI also hired an expert in the investigation of sexual
assault in late FY 2023.

OI was authorized to hire three additional criminal investigators specifically trained and highly skilled
in sexual assault and fraud investigations to provide an on-site law enforcement presence at
McMurdo Station. OI hired one such criminal investigator, who along with the investigator hired in
FY 2023, will travel to Antarctica for extended periods of temporary duty during austral summers
and lead remote investigations on an as-needed basis during the winter season.

To ensure the success of this new investigative mission, OI and NSF’s Office of Polar Programs and
Office of the Director formed a Coordination Group on Law Enforcement in Antarctica. The group’s
charter is to determine an appropriate and feasible law enforcement posture and develop a plan for
the longer-term posture. In addition, OI established and leads a government-wide Sexual Assault
Investigations Working Group through CIGIE. This working group enables criminal investigators
handling sexual assault cases to leverage resources and share best practices and lessons learned.

Investigating Research Misconduct

Research misconduct – plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification – damages the scientific enterprise,
is a potential misuse of taxpayer funds, and undermines the public’s trust in government-funded
research. NSF-funded researchers must carry out their projects with the highest ethical standards. In
1991, NSF delegated its authority to investigate research misconduct to OIG. As a result, OI hired
investigative scientists with the necessary scientific backgrounds to investigate these allegations.

OIG - 6
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

At the beginning of FY 2025, OI had six investigative scientists on staff responsible for investigating
research misconduct. After two staff departures for other agencies and four staff electing the
Deferred Resignation Program, OI has no investigative scientists remaining. OIG and NSF have
discussed NSF reassuming the delegated authority for research misconduct investigations; however,
NSF is unable to take the mission back in the near term. In the interim, OIG has agreed to serve as
the intermediary – OI will receive complaints and refer matters to the awardee university for
investigation, and upon receipt of the university’s report, OI will provide the report to NSF for
adjudication.

Support Offices’ Actions and Impacts

Office of Management
OIG’s Office of Management (OM) directs OIG’s human resources, information technology, data
analytics, financial management, procurement, and other critical mission support functions. Working
in partnership with the other OIG offices, OM guides the strategic vision of the OIG and ensures that
all operational needs are met. Critical functional areas include:

Human Capital
Having a strong human capital strategy is vital to the success of any organization. OIG’s competitive
advantage has long been its highly skilled staff. However, the recent loss of many tenured and highly
skilled staff and the optimization of the remaining workforce have been challenging for the OIG. As a
result, the remaining human resources staff have been focused on these challenges and the
development of plans to assist offices across OIG throughout this process. One of the priorities is, and
will continue to be, the development of additional automated tools in partnership with the IT team to
further optimize the human capital and technology resources in executing the OIG mission. The goal
is to allow OIG personnel to spend less time on administrative tasks and more on executing OIG’s
mission.

Information Technology
OM strives for continuous process improvement. Investment in IT plays a critical part in achieving that
goal. From providing recommendations to senior management on modernization to protecting OIG
information systems and data to handling day-to-day hardware and software issues, OM supports all
aspects of IT. For example, to safeguard the independence of OIG audits and investigations, OM
established a dedicated Starlink satellite network at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. This secure network
enables reliable, direct access to OIG systems in this remote environment without dependence on
NSF-controlled infrastructure. The IT team is now more than ever focused on automating processes
across the OIG enterprise to ensure OIG personnel are focused on mission execution.

Data Analytics
A robust data analytics capacity is a core component of OIG’s ability to provide effective oversight. OM
uses data analytics to streamline internal processes such as human capital, procurement oversight,
and budget execution. These applications yield great efficiency and allow OIG management to make
more informed decisions. However, because of workforce optimization efforts, personnel in OM’s
Data Operations Group were reassigned to the Office of Audits, Inspections, and Evaluations (OAIE)
as auditors. Therefore, the work performed by these data analysts across all OIG components now
falls on the existing IT team.

OIG - 7
Office of Inspector General

Budget and Financial Management

Sound budget and financial management are key to the success of the OIG. Personnel working in
these areas are responsible for developing, executing, and monitoring budgets in alignment with OIG
goals, federal regulations, and fiscal policies. By analyzing financial data, forecasting expenditures,
and assessing funding requirements, these professionals help guide strategic decision-making and
promote fiscal accountability. Their work ensures that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently, programs
are adequately funded, and financial risks are mitigated, thereby supporting the OIG’s mission and
maintaining public trust in government operations.

Office of Counsel
The Office of Counsel (OC) consists of the General Counsel to the IG, two assistant counsels, the Chief
of Staff, and a vacant Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) analyst position. OC provides comprehensive
legal advice and critical analysis to the IG and all OIG offices, including legal review of externally issued
OIG work products and correspondence. OC is responsible for the OIG Ethics and FOIA programs and
handles a myriad of subject areas, including audit-related support, ethics, appropriations law, contract
law, information disclosure, privacy, federal personnel law, and IG Act authorities. On average, OC
handles about 350 actions per year, including reviews for legal sufficiency, information security, and
information governance for reports and other externally focused documents; proposed
procurements; FOIA requests; Antarctic-focused work, which presents unique and complex issues;
and legal opinions on various matters. OC attorneys also participate in key meetings and decisions,
conduct training, and publish legal updates. This level of involvement enables the office to identify
and address potential legal issues and risk areas before they mature. OC also supports the larger IG
community through active participation in CIGIE projects and committees.

The Chief of Staff also directly supports the IG and handles all matters relating to external affairs,
including congressional relations and media contacts.

Immediate Office
The Immediate Office includes the Inspector General and Deputy Inspector General. Both positions
are vacant. The Assistant Inspector General for Investigations is performing the Inspector General’s
duties until the position can be filled.

Government-wide Impact

Though small relative to many other OIGs, NSF OIG continues to make outsized contributions to the
Inspector General community and the government at large. For example:
• NSF’s Acting Inspector General serves as the co-chair of the CIGIE AIGI Committee.
• The Assistant Inspector General for Audits serves on CIGIE’s Audit Committee, Inspection and
Evaluation Committee, and Professional Development Committee.
• The Assistant Inspector General for Management coordinates a CIGIE Management and Policy
forum and serves as the Director of the Executive Core Qualification Review Board, which is part
of CIGIE’s Professional Development Committee and Leadership Innovation Subcommittee.
• NSF OIG established five IG community working groups to:
• Prevent fraud within the SBIR/STTR programs,
• Increase the use of government-wide suspension and debarment to deter and reduce
instances of fraud, waste, and abuse,
• Foster the next generation of senior investigative leaders within the IG community,

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 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

• Address threats to research security, and

• Investigate sexual assaults occurring in federal environments.

Financial Discussion

Office of Inspector General

Personnel Compensation and Benefits and General Operating Expenses
(Dollars in Thousands)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Personnel Compensation & Benefits
1
$19,682 $16,369 -$3,313 -16.8%
Travel & Transportation of Persons 600 100 -500 -83.3%
Advisory & Assistance Services
2
2,940 1,100 -1,840 -62.6%
Information Technology 460 75 -385 -83.7%
Communications, Supplies, Equipment, and Other 728 356 -372 -51.1%
Training 350 60 -290 -82.9%
Other 3
280 224 -56 -20.0%
CIGIE Assessment 4 98 72 -26 -26.5%

Total $24,410 $18,000 -$6,410 -26.3%

Full-Time Equivalents 92 66 -26 -28.3%
1
FY 2026 PC&B includes base salary costs and anticipated within grade and promotion increases.
2
This includes the mandated annual financial statement audit and associated evaluations, and other support services.
3
Starting in FY 2025, this line includes the operations cost for the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF).
4
In FY 2024, the CIGIE assessment increased from 0.36% to 0.40% of OIG's appropriation.

FY 2026 Budget Request

The FY 2026 Budget Request for NSF OIG represents a 26.3 percent decrease and a reduction of 26
FTE from the FY 2024 Plan.

OIG’s staff on board has already been reduced to 70 through the Deferred Resignation Program,
regular attrition, and the hiring freeze. OIG will further reduce staff to reach the 66 FTE authorized by
the FY 2026 Budget Request.

Inspector General Reform Act Statement

Section 6(g)(1) of the IG Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 3, was amended by the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008
(Pub. L. 110-409) to require a summary statement concerning OIG’s annual Budget Request.

In accordance with this, OIG submits the following summary:

• FY 2026 Budget Request for NSF OIG is $18 million.
• The portion for training is $60,000.
• The portion for operation of the CIGIE is $74,000. 1

1
This is an estimate of CIGIE’s annual membership assessment, which is tied to each member OIG’s annual
appropriation.

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Office of Inspector General

The portion of the FY 2026 Budget Request for staff training is not expected to suffice for all training
needs in FY 2026.

OIG - 10
OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD (NSB) $3,000,000

The Appropriations Act that funds the National Science Foundation (NSF) contains a separate
appropriation for NSF’s National Science Board (NSB, Board). This FY 2026 Budget Submission
identifies the resources needed to enable execution of the Board’s statutory functions and ensure its
independence, including amounts for personnel compensation and benefits (PC&B), contract services,
training, travel, supplies, materials, and equipment.

The FY 2026 Budget Request for the Office of the National Science Board is $3.0 million, a decrease of
$2,090,000 below the FY 2024 Appropriation of $5.09 million. This FY 2026 Request level will allow the
NSB to fulfill its essential policymaking and oversight responsibilities for NSF and its statutory
responsibilities as outlined in the NSF Act, including Science and Engineering Indicators.

NSB Funding
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Total $5.09 $3.00 -$2.09 -41.1%
Full-Time Equivalents 18 13 -5.00 -27.8%

Appropriations Language

For necessary expenses (including payment of salaries, authorized travel, hire of passenger motor
vehicles, the rental of conference rooms in the District of Columbia, and the employment of experts
and consultants under section 3109 of title 5, United States Code) involved in carrying out section 4 of
the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1863) and Public Law 86–209 (42 U.S.C. 1880
et seq.), $3,000,000: Provided, That not to exceed $2,500 shall be available for official reception and
representation expenses.

National Science Board

FY 2025 Summary Statement
(Dollars in Millions)
Obligations
Estimate/ Actual/
Request Expired Estimates
FY 2024 Appropriation $5.09 -$0.14 $4.95
FY 2025 (TBD)
FY 2026 Request 3.00 3.00
$ Change from FY 2024 Appropriation -$2.09
% Change from FY 2024 Appropriation -41.1%

National Science Board in Context

The NSB was established by the NSF Act of 1950 with dual responsibilities: to provide national science
policy advice to the President and Congress, and to establish policies for NSF within the framework of
applicable national policies and priorities set forth by the President and the Congress. The Board

NSB - 1
Office of the National Science Board

consists of 24 presidentially appointed members, along with the Director of NSF as an ex-officio
member. Representing the broad landscape of the U.S. science and engineering (S&E) research and
education community, the Board serves as an advisory body on S&E issues critical to the Nation. Board
members serve six-year terms with staggered appointments. They are eminent researchers with
records of distinguished service in multiple sectors who ”provide representation of the views of
scientific and engineering leaders in all areas of the Nation.”

The Board convenes at least four formally scheduled public meetings per year, with additional
meetings as needed, to review and approve major NSF awards; consult with the Director on new
programs; oversee and provide policy direction and strategic guidance to NSF; oversee the lifecycle of
large facilities, including conducting site visits; and address significant S&E-related national policy
issues. The Board initiates and conducts studies and reports on a range of policy topics and engages
NSF’s stakeholders nationwide. The Board reviews NSF’s priorities to ensure progress and consistency
along the strategic direction set for NSF and to ensure balance among new investments and core
programs.

Policy Responsibilities

The Board examines issues of importance to the S&E research and education communities, in general,
and to NSF, in particular. Topics are determined through requests from Congress or the President,
and as the Board identifies in consultation with the community and NSF management. Recent NSB
reports have examined the macroscale changes to the global and U.S. S&E landscape, the skilled
technical workforce, and our dependence on foreign S&E talent.

Recognizing the imminent threat that the People’s Republic of China’s S&E investments pose to U.S.
S&E leadership and the growing share of U.S. basic research funded by industry, NSB is focused on
renewing NSF and American S&E to respond to this changed S&E landscape and ensure America’s
global scientific and technological leadership in years ahead. 1 In its NSF-facing role, NSB is focused on
fostering a nimble, results-oriented, next generation NSF that responds to national priorities
(including AI, Quantum, and biotechnology), helps the nation avoid technological surprise, and
complements other federal and non-government investments. NSB is focused on implementing the
findings of its recent reexamination of NSF’s merit review policies, especially as they relate to
strengthening the agency’s focus on the societal benefits of NSF-supported research. In its national
S&E advisory role, NSB is exploring new models to collaborate across sectors to optimize U.S. R&D
and educate domestic STEM talent with an eye toward the approaches and institutions needed to
ensure a golden era of U.S. leadership.

Structure

The Board has several standing committees to assist with its responsibilities.

The Executive Committee (EC) includes the Director of NSF, who chairs the Committee, and four
elected members from the Board, two of whom are the NSB Chair and Vice-Chair. The Committee has
been given the authority by the Board to approve awards in the rare instances when immediate action
is required between Board meetings.

1
www.nsf.gov/nsb/publications/2024/changedlandscape.pdf

NSB - 2
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

The Committee on Oversight (CO) conducts independent oversight of NSF’s operations, processes
for risk management, audit plans and results, and processes for complying with laws and regulations;
reviews Office of the Inspector General (OIG) activities and NSF management responses; monitors
audits and makes related recommendations to the Board; and oversees the Board’s compliance with
the Sunshine Act.

The Committee on Strategy (CS) provides a forum for developing the Board’s strategic discussions
of NSF’s budget, programs, organization structure and agency vision; makes recommendations to the
Board on annual Budget Requests and quadrennial Strategic Plans; and provides strategic guidance
to the Board on NSF’s programs.

The Committee on National S&E Policy (SEP) oversees development and production of the
congressionally-mandated Science and Engineering Indicators (Indicators) report in collaboration with
NSF’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES); helps ensure that the S&E
information and policy resources developed by the NSB are high-quality, policy-relevant, and
accessible in order to meet stakeholder needs; and helps fulfill the NSB’s charge to provide ongoing
information and policy advice to Congress and the President on S&E research, education, and
workforce issues.

The Committee on Awards and Facilities (A&F) addresses strategic issues and recommends policies
to the Board related to awards and MREFC projects; makes recommendations to the Board on awards
and facilities; and provides lifecycle oversight on facilities and awards.

The Committee on External Engagement (EE) leads the NSB’s communication and engagement
efforts with government, industry, the public and the research and education communities, and helps
the Board advance the pursuit of national policies for the promotion of research and education in
S&E. EE also reviews nominations for two awards established by the Board: the Vannevar Bush Award
and the Science and Society Award.

Ongoing activities of the Board include reviewing and making recommendations on:
• Large awards, MREFC projects, and other proposals, as needed;
• NSF’s Management Response to the OIG Semi-annual Reports to Congress;
• Transmittal of the NSF, OIG, and NSB budget submissions to the Office of Management and
Budget;
• Priority order of projects in the MREFC Account;
• Inclusion of new projects requiring funding under the MREFC Account;
• NSF’s financial management reports; and
• NSF’s strategic plan and longer-term budget plans, including NSF’s research infrastructure
portfolio.

Financial Discussion

This FY 2026 Submission will enable the NSB to fulfill its statutory governance responsibilities including
oversight, and to respond to Administration priorities and Congressional requests.

NSB - 3
Office of the National Science Board

Office of the National Science Board

Personnel Compensation and Benefits and Other Operating Expenses
(Dollars in Thousands)
FY 2024 Change over
Current FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2024 Current Plan
Plan (TBD) Request Amount Percent
Personnel Compensation & Benefits $3,800 $2,889 -$911 -24.0%
Staff Development & Training 21 0 -21 -100.0%
Advisory & Assistance Services 991 32 -959 -96.8%
Travel & Transportation of Persons 250 74 -176 -70.4%
Communications, Supplies, & Equipment 25 2 -23 -92.0%
Representation Costs 3 3 - 0.0%
Total $5,090 $3,000 -$2,090 -41.1%
Full-Time Equivalents (FTE) 18 13 -5.00 -28%
1
PC&B includes base salary costs and anticipated within grade and promotion increases.

Personnel Compensation and Benefits

The Board’s FY 2026 Submission allows the NSBO to maintain a core of full-time policy,
communications, administrative, and legal staff. In addition to providing institutional memory for the
Board, the NSBO staff provides both the resources and expertise for coordinating and conducting
science and education policy analyses and developing and implementing broad communication and
outreach programs. Staff also advise the Board on legal aspects of its policies and activities and
provide operational and administrative support that are essential for the Board to fulfill its mission.

The Submission includes reduced staffing levels; reflects planned increases in NSBO staff pay; and
assumes two in-person Board meetings in FY 2026. This staffing level will enable the NSBO to continue
to support the NSB.

Other Operating Expenses

The Staff Development and Training budget line is eliminated.

The Board’s Advisory and Assistance Services budget line supports the Administration’s priorities,
including resources needed to produce policy products related to the Congressionally mandated
Indicators 2026 and transcription services necessary for compliance with the Government in the
Sunshine Act.

The NSB’s Travel and Transportation of Persons budget line primarily covers costs related to Board
member travel to NSF headquarters for two annual meetings.

The Communications, Supplies, and Equipment budget line funds a minimal purchase of essential
office supplies.

The Submission sets aside funds that the NSB will use, if necessary, to cover costs associated with
reception and representation activities connected to official NSF business, per GAO guidance.

NSB - 4
 PERFORMANCE AND MANAGEMENT

For definitions of common acronyms used throughout NSF’s FY 2026 Budget Request, see the
NOTES found at the beginning of the entire document on pages iii-iv.

FY 2026 Annual Performance Plan ............................................................ Performance & Management - 3

GAO-IG Act Exhibits ................................................................................... Performance & Management - 11

Performance & Management - 1

Performance and Management

Performance & Management - 2

FY 2026 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) mission is to promote the progress of science; advance
the national health, prosperity and welfare; and secure the national defense. NSF’s Annual
Performance Plan fulfills key aspects of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)
Modernization Act of 2010 by outlining the agency’s goals in four priority areas: 1) STEM talent and
capacity, 2) Tools and knowledge, 3) Societal benefit and impact, 4) NSF operations and management.

1. STEM Talent and Capacity

Annual Goal 1.1: Expand geography of STEM research

Goal statement: Increase the percentage of NSF’s research funding to institutions in Established
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) jurisdictions.
About this Goal: EPSCoR seeks to advance research capacity in jurisdictions (states and territories)
that receive relatively small proportions of the federal research budget. 1 EPSCoR invests in research
infrastructure, co-funding in partnership with NSF directorates and offices, and outreach to
investigators and institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions. NSF is developing tools and strategies to track
and achieve these targets, including prioritization of funding that enables sustainable growth in the
research competitiveness of EPSCoR jurisdictions.

FY FY FY FY FY FY FY
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Percentage of NSF Target 15.5% 16.0% 16.5% 17.0%

funding to institutions in
EPSCoR jurisdictions 2 Results 15.9% 19.6%

Discussion of FY 2026 Target: The FY 2026 target was established in statute.

1
A map of all EPSCoR eligible jurisdictions is available at www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/epscor/epscor-criteria-
eligibility.
2
Targets for FY 2023 through FY 2026 are provided in Section 10325 of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.
www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ167/PLAW-117publ167.pdf.

Performance & Management - 3

Annual Performance Plan and Report

Annual Goal 1.2: Increase utilization of NSF’s Education and Training Application (ETAP)
Goal Statement: Increase the percentage of awards utilizing ETAP within targeted programs. 3
About this Goal: ETAP provides a secure online application platform for collecting applicant level
information from individuals interested in NSF-funded education and training opportunities, such as
research experiences, scholarships, and fellowships. Greater use of ETAP will improve NSF’s data on
participants in NSF-funded education and training programs, and improve the agency’s ability to make
informed program and policy decisions. Such information enables NSF to understand each program’s
reach and to conduct evaluations with increasing levels of rigor.

Exhibit 1.2. Annual Goal: Increase utilization of the Education and Training Application (ETAP)
Annual Goal 1.2: Increase utilization of FY FY FY FY FY FY FY
ETAP 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Number of NSF programs using Target 7 14 16

ETAP
Results 4 13 14

Percentage of awards using ETAP Target 30% 33% 40% 45%

in Research Experiences for
Undergraduates (REU) Program Results 14% 27% 36%

Percentage of awards using ETAP Target 30% 30% 30% 26%

in Research Experiences for
Teachers (RET) program Results 13% 13% 23%

Discussion of FY 2026 Target: NSF anticipates restructuring programs by the start of FY 2026. Thus,
NSF plans to discontinue the target related to the number of NSF programs using ETAP and prioritize
increasing the percentage of awards using ETAP in the REU and RET areas. The NSF ETAP system has
primarily been used by research experiences programs for undergraduates and for teachers, with
most NSF divisions encouraging ETAP use for these programs. FY 2026 targets are informed by
FY 2024 and 2025 results.

3
More information on ETAP can be found at https://etap.nsf.gov.

Performance & Management - 4

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

2. Tools and Knowledge

Annual Goal 2.1: Ensure that Major Facility Infrastructure Investments are on Track
Goal Statement: Keep negative cost and schedule variance at or below 10 percent for all Major Facility
projects in the Construction Stage that are between 10 and 90 percent complete.
About this Goal: This goal helps ensure program integrity and responsible stewardship of Major
Facility investments that have a Total Project Cost (TPC) greater than $100 million. Modern and
effective research infrastructure is critical to maintaining U.S. international leadership in science and
engineering. The use of Earned Value Management (EVM) is required for all Major Facilities in the
Construction Stage. Cost and schedule variance are key EVM indicators of whether a project is on track
relative to the project plan.

Exhibit 2.1. Annual Goal: Ensure that Major Facility Infrastructure Investments are on Track
Annual Goal 2.1: Ensure that
Major Facility Infrastructure
Investments are on Track FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
Major Facility
Construction Projects: Target 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Percentage Meeting
Cost and Schedule
Targets Results 75% 40% 40% 60% 50%

Discussion of FY 2026 Target: Building on the progress and lessons learned from prior years, NSF's
objective for FY 2026 remains consistent: to maintain negative cost and schedule variances at or below
10 percent for all Major Facilities in the Construction Stage that are between 10 percent and 90 percent
complete. This continued focus ensures rigorous project management and adherence to budget and
schedule expectations.

Performance & Management - 5

Annual Performance Plan and Report

Annual Goal 2.2: Ensure that Mid-Scale Infrastructure Investments are on Track
Goal Statement: Keep negative cost and schedule variance at or below 10 percent for all Mid-Scale
Research Infrastructure projects that are between 10 and 90 percent complete.
About this Goal: NSF’s Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure programs are intended to meet the research
community’s needs for modern and effective research infrastructure at a scale that is otherwise
difficult for individual institutions to acquire. Projects tracked under this goal have costs that fall below
the $100 million threshold for a Major Facility project but exceed $20 million. 4 Tracking project
performance through EVM metrics is one method for ensuring proper NSF oversight and stewardship
of Federal funds. Use of EVM is optional for Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure projects, and nine of
the 11 mid-scale projects with costs above $20 million are using EVM.

Exhibit 2.2. Annual Goal: Ensure that Mid-Scale Infrastructure Investments are on Track
Annual Goal 2.2: Ensure that
Mid-Scale Infrastructure FY FY
Investments are on Track 2020 2021 FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026

Mid-Scale Research Track cost and

Infrastructure Projects: schedule for all
Percentage Meeting Target defined projects 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Cost and Schedule
Targets Results N/A Achieved 60% 67% 89%

Discussion of FY 2026 Target: For FY 2026, NSF aims to maintain negative cost and schedule variances
at or below 10 percent for all Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure projects that utilize Earned Value
Management (EVM) and are between 10 percent and 90 percent complete.

4
Although Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure projects begin at the threshold of $4 million, this goal tracks those
most likely to propose using Earned Value Management principles, with total project costs of $20 million or
more.

Performance & Management - 6

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

3. Societal Benefit and Impact

Annual Goal 3.1: Grow Partnerships
Goal Statements:
• 3.1a: Increase the funding invested from industry and non-profits that NSF programs leverage
to support the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enterprise, by 20
percent over the prior fiscal year.
• 3.1b: Increase the funding invested from other federal agencies that NSF programs leverage
to support the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enterprise, by five
percent over the prior fiscal year.
About this Goal: Partnerships are essential to growing research and innovation ecosystems across the
country. This goal measures NSF’s ability to leverage funding from partnerships. It focuses on
partnerships that are shaping research directions and accelerating translation of knowledge gained
through NSF’s research portfolio to address the Nation’s most pressing technological, societal, and
economic needs.
Increase funding that NSF
programs leverage to support the FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
STEM enterprise.
3.1a: obligated funds ($ Target Establish baseline $30.3 $36.3 $43.6
millions) from industry and
Result $25.2 $43.9
non-profits
3.1b: obligated funds ($ Target Establish baseline $133.6 $140.3 $147.3
millions) through
partnerships with other Result $127.3 $163.5
federal agencies

Discussion of FY 2026 Targets: The FY 2026 target for 3.1a reflects a 20 percent increase above the
prior year’s level for funding from industry and non-profits, and for 3.1b a five percent increase above
the prior year’s level for funding from other federal agencies. Funds will be attributed to the year in
which they are committed to specific NSF investments.

Performance & Management - 7

Annual Performance Plan and Report

4. NSF Operations and Management

Annual Goal 4.1: IT systems availability
Goal Statement: Ensure availability of IT resources for NSF staff and the broader research
community.
About this Goal: The availability of information technology (IT) systems is integral to delivering
excellent and secure Federal services and customer experience. NSF prioritizes the availability of its
IT services and coordinates downtime for critical maintenance and service releases to minimize
disruption. This goal measures NSF's success in keeping critical IT systems available. Unexpected
downtime due to a system issue or incident will lead to reductions in NSF's IT systems availability
percentage.

Annual Goal 4.1: Provide robust and FY FY FY FY FY FY FY

reliable IT services 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
NSF IT systems availability Target 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6
(percentage) Result 99.8 99.8 99.8 99.9 99.9

Discussion of FY 2026 Target: Consistent with prior years, NSF aims to maintain or exceed 99.6 percent
availability for IT systems, excluding planned downtime of 375 hours for maintenance and upgrades.
In FY 2026, NSF will continue to carefully plan for system upgrades and scheduled maintenance to
maintain high levels of system availability.

Performance & Management - 8

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Annual Goal 4.2: Make Timely Proposal Decisions

Time to decision or “dwell time” represents the amount of time that passes between receipt of a
proposal and notification to the proposer about the funding decision. This indicator tracks the percent
of applicants informed whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding
within 182 days, approximately six months, of the proposal deadline, target date, or receipt date. NSF
considers timeliness indicators to be in balance with review quality. A review period that is too long
inhibits the progress of research as it delays the funding process, and a review period that is too short
inhibits review quality.

FY FY FY FY FY FY FY
Make Timely Proposal Decisions
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Percent of proposals declined Re-
Target 5 75 75 75 70 70 TBD
or recommended for funding baseline
within 182 days. (percentage) Result 68 65 66 70 66

Discussion of FY 2026 Target: NSF will use the FY 2025 baseline to set targets for FY 2026 and future
years.

5
In FY 2025, reporting for this measure changed from being a targeted goal to an indicator.

Performance & Management - 9

Annual Performance Plan and Report

Annual Goal 4.3. Time to Hire (T2H)

Goal Statements:
• 4.4a: Decrease the average number of calendar days it takes to hire staff in the General
Schedule (GS) workforce to 80 days.
• 4.4b: Decrease the average number of calendar days it takes to hire staff in Administratively
Determined positions by 10 percent from FY 2025 levels.
About This Goal: Time to Hire (T2H) begins with the submission of a requested hiring need to the
human resources office and ends on the date the new employee enters on duty. Reducing the time
to hire and onboard staff improves NSF’s ability to fulfill its mission by placing qualified staff in key
roles.
NSF’s unique hiring authority supports hiring from the academic sector, where it is common to
conduct a hiring process six months or more before the anticipated start time of the new hire. In order
to take steps to improve time to hire, NSF must look at each hiring process separately to make
improvements. NSF is developing tools and strategies to empower hiring managers and provide
insight into the timing of each stage in the hiring process.

Annual Goal 4.4: Time to hire FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
Average number of days to Target Re-Baseline 80
hire a General Schedule
(GS) employee Result 124 143 142
10%
Average number of days to reduction
Target Re-Baseline
hire an Administratively from FY
Determined (AD) employee 2025
Result 153 167 158

Discussion of Targets: The FY 2026 target for hires in GS positions is 80-days, in accordance with
Executive Order Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service. The
separate FY 2026 target for hires in AD positions reflects that NSF’s unique hiring authority supports
hiring from the academic sector, where it is common to conduct a hiring process six months or more
before the anticipated start time of the new hire.

Performance & Management - 10

GAO-IG ACT EXHIBITS

Pursuant to P.L. 115-414, the Good Accounting Obligation in Government Act (GAO-IG Act), the following table includes U.S. Government
Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations open for more than one year and their associated statuses as of April 30, 2025.

Open GAO Recommendations, as of April 30, 2025

GAO Report
Report Title (Date) GAO Recommendation Timeline to Implement
Number

GAO-24-106380 National Science The Director of NSF should ensure that the NSF has provided an initial set of revised
Foundation: Additional Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization for documentation on select AIR projects to GAO to
Steps Would Improve Cost Science cost estimate meets the well- illustrate the cost estimates now meet the "well-
Estimate for Antarctic documented characteristic of a reliable cost documented" characteristic. On April 28, 2025, GAO
Research Infrastructure estimate, as defined in GAO's cost guide. indicated they have the information they need and
Project (Recommendation 1) will advise on the status of closing this
recommendation. Additional cost estimate
documentation for completion of AIMS Lodging can
be provided to GAO upon request.

Performance & Management - 11

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

GAO Report
Report Title (Date) GAO Recommendation Timeline to Implement
Number

GAO-22-104411 Research Reliability: The Director of NSF should collect information NSF continues collecting, examining, and compiling
Federal Actions Needed to on relevant indicators of rigor to assess the practices pertaining to indicators of rigor in science
Promote Stronger research projects the agency funds, and and engineering research that promote robust and
Research Practices implement steps, as needed, to promote reliable research. It is also working collaboratively
strong research practices in future work. across the agency to continue to promote
(Recommendation 3) transparency around research results by instituting
and supporting practices such as assigning
persistent identifiers (PIDs) for research products
and updating the PAPPG to reflect these practices.

GAO-22-104411 Research Reliability: The Director of NSF should take steps to collect NSF has taken steps to achieve transparency, such
Federal Actions Needed to information to determine whether current as including the NSF's Public Access Initiative to
Promote Stronger policies and requirements are adequate to develop new guidelines for required Data
Research Practices achieve transparency by ensuring research Management and Sharing Plans. These proposed
results and data are findable, accessible, and guidelines were released when the Proposal &
usable, and implement programmatic or policy Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) went
changes, if needed. (Recommendation 4) out for public comment in December 2024. The
Public Access Initiative team submitted replies to the
public comments in April 2025, which are currently
being reviewed by senior management with the goal
of releasing them with the revised PAPPG in Fall
2025.

Performance & Management - 12

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

GAO Report
Report Title (Date) GAO Recommendation Timeline to Implement
Number

GAO-22-105016 Earthquakes: The Director of NSF should, in collaboration NSF is in the process of implementing the
Opportunities Exist to with NIST, develop strategies to better recommendation. NSF officials are developing
Further Assess Risk, Build communicate NEHRP's priorities to research strategies to better communicate NEHRP priorities
Resilience, and entities. (Recommendation 4) and relevant research findings to appropriate
Communicate Research audiences. These strategies include 1) adding
information about research priorities to relevant
solicitations and program descriptions; 2) adding
information about priorities to NSF web pages; and
3) discussing the priorities during outreach events
attended by relevant research entities. NSF will
continue working towards implementation of the
recommendation with anticipated implementation in
FY 2025.
GAO-21-152 Data Governance: Agencies The Director of the National Science NSF completed the Evidence Act skill gap analysis in
Made Progress in Foundation should direct the Chief Data Officer December 2023 and has been working on a broader
Establishing Governance, to conduct a gap analysis between the current IT workforce assessment (to include a focus on data
but Need to Address Key staff's skills and the skills the agency requires, skills/literacy gaps) in light of agency staffing
Milestones and establish a baseline performance plan to changes. Based on the results of the 2023 analysis
close the identified data skills and literacy and more recent assessments, NSF still intends to
gaps. (Recommendation 9) establish a baseline performance plan to address
skill gaps and recommend approaches for closure.
NSF will continue to work toward implementation of
the recommendation, but the timeline for
completion is still to be determined.

Performance & Management - 13

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

GAO Report
Report Title (Date) GAO Recommendation Timeline to Implement
Number

GAO-19-227 National Science The Director of NSF should assess the agency's NSF completed implementation of this
Foundation: Cost and large facilities oversight workforce to identify recommendation when internal standard operating
Schedule Performance of any project management competency gaps, guidance was revised in 2023 to incorporate the
Large Facilities develop a plan to address any gaps and time latest PMIAA competency model and establish the
Construction Projects and frames for doing so, and monitor progress in cadence for future staff self-assessments. As part of
Opportunities to Improve closing them. (Recommendation 1) the implementation of the Program Management
Project Management Improvement and Accountability Act (PMIAA), NSF
has developed a competency model for staff
overseeing major facilities and mid-scale research
infrastructure, completed gap analyses through self-
assessment and supervisor surveys, and expanded
available learning options. NSF has also
implemented OPM’s new “identifier” as PMIAA-
related position descriptions were updated in 2024
and 2025 to incorporate the lasted competency
requirements. On April 28, 2025, GAO indicated they
have the information they need and will advise on
the status of closing this recommendation.
Additional PMIAA implementation documentation
can be provided to GAO upon request.

Performance & Management - 14

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

Open OIG Recommendations - Internal Audits, as of April 30, 2025

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Status as of [date] Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)

22-2-006 Audit of NSF's [NSF should] improve policies, procedures, and guidance Resolved and Open 12/31/2025
Divestment of Major to clearly define the last major facility life cycle stage and
Facilities (September 2, define how NSF will carry out these transitions. These
2022) documents should identify steps for managing the
transition, for designating and identifying internal
resources to facilitate the process, and for obtaining
required reviews and approvals.

22-3-001 Inspection of NSF's [NSF should] implement a process to monitor connections Resolved and Open 12/31/2025
Compliance with to the NSF network from outside the U.S., ensuring the
International Telework system accurately captures the user’s country location,
Requirements and take any necessary measures to protect NSF’s
(September 14, 2022) network and data when unauthorized connections are
identified.

23-2-003 Audit of NSF's Vetting [NSF should] improve the coordination and procedures Resolved and Open 12/31/2025* *
Process for Individuals for the NSF offices involved in the Intergovernmental
Assigned under the Personnel Act assignee vetting process to ensure issues
Intergovernmental identified during the process are elevated to an
Personnel Act appropriate office or position for resolution.

23-2-003 Audit of NSF's Vetting [NSF should] strengthen the vetting process for Resolved and Open 12/31/2025*
Process for Individuals Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignees to address
Assigned under the foreign influence-related issues.
Intergovernmental
Personnel Act

*
NSF's completion of the corrective actions are contingent upon the overall agency size and budget as well as agency resources to implement.

Performance & Management - 15

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

Pursuant to P.L. 115-414, the Good Accounting Obligation in Government Act (GAO-IG Act), the following table includes unresolved NSF Office
of Inspector General recommendations open for more than one year and their associated statuses as of April 30, 2025. In total, there are 66
unresolved recommendations and $1,137,609 in questioned costs.

Open OIG Recommendations - Unresolved External Audit Recommendations, as of April 30, 2025

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 1.1) Resolve the $169,950 in questioned consulting and
Incurred Costs – Oregon subaward costs and direct OSU to repay or otherwise
State University remove the sustained questioned costs from its NSF
(09/13/2019) awards.
$169,950.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 1.2) Direct OSU to establish a policy to ensure that OSU
Incurred Costs – Oregon employees are not paid as both employees and
State University independent contractors.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 1.3) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures over awarding subawards
State University
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 2.1) Resolve the $78,153 in questioned costs
Incurred Costs – Oregon
State University
(09/13/2019)

$78,512.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 16

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 2.2) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for obtaining NSF's approval
State University
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 2.3) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for allocating salary expenses to
State University sponsored projects.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 2.4) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for allocating travel expenses to
State University sponsored projects.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 2.5) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for allocating equipment to
State University sponsored projects.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 2.6) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures over use of PSC funding under
State University NSF awards.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 3.1) Resolve the $65,153 in questioned indirect costs
Incurred Costs – Oregon
State University
(09/13/2019)
$65,153.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 17

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 3.2) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for applying indirect costs to
State University Federal awards.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 4.1) Resolve $31,319 in questioned supplies, equipment,
Incurred Costs – Oregon and travel costs
State University
(09/13/2019)

$31,319.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 4.2) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for purchases at end of a
State University project's POP
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 4.3) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for travel taken within the final
State University 90 days of an award's POP.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 5.1) Resolve $10,574 in Questioned Unallocable Costs
Incurred Costs – Oregon
State University
(09/13/2019)

$10,574.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 5.2) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for allocating expenses to
State University sponsored projects.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 18

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 5.3) Direct OSU to encourage PIs to identify all award
Incurred Costs – Oregon participants.
State University
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 6.1) Resolve the $8,820 in questioned costs.
Incurred Costs – Oregon
State University
(09/13/2019)
$8,820.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 6.2) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for honorarium payments.
State University
(09/13/2019)

$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 7.1) Resolve $5,563 in questioned lodging and M&IE costs.
Incurred Costs – Oregon
State University
(09/13/2019)

$5,563.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 7.2) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for reimbursing M&IE expenses.
State University
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 7.3) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for reimbursing lodging
State University expenses.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 19

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 8.1) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for travel, procurement, PSCs,
State University effort certifications, cost transfers, fellowship
(09/13/2019) appointments, and currency conversions.

$0.00 9/30/2025
19-1-017 Performance Audit of 9.1) Direct OSU to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – Oregon management procedures for establishing indirect cost
State University rates for Federal awards.
(09/13/2019)
$0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 1.1) Resolve the $412,363 in questioned subaward costs
Incurred Costs –
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $412,363.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 1.2) Direct UF to strengthen the administrative and
Incurred Costs – management internal controls and processes over
University of Florida transferring significant parts of NSF funded research to
(01/15/2021) other organizations
$0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 2.1) Resolve the $47,226 in questioned participant
Incurred Costs – support, travel, and publication expenses for which UF
University of Florida has not agreed to reimburse NSF
(01/15/2021) $47,226.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 2.2) Direct UF to provide documentation that it has repaid
Incurred Costs – or otherwise credited the $66,590
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $66,590.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 2.3) Direct UF to establish clear guidance regarding the
Incurred Costs – use of participant support cost funding
University of Florida
(01/15/2021)

$0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 20

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 2.4) Direct UF to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – management procedures and internal controls
University of Florida surrounding the purchase of airfare and the approval of
(01/15/2021) travel expense reports
$0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 2.5) Direct UF to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – management procedures and internal controls
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 2.6) Direct UF to establish clear guidance regarding the
Incurred Costs – allowability of publication expenses
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 3.1) Resolve the $83,227 in questioned supplies, software,
Incurred Costs – severance and publication costs
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $83,227.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 3.2) Direct UF to provide documentation that it has repaid
Incurred Costs – or otherwise credited the $29,600
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $29,600.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 3.3) Direct UF to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – management procedures, internal controls, and processes
University of Florida for allocating salary, publication, material and supply,
(01/15/2021) travel, and tuition expenses
$0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 4.1) Direct UF to provide documentation that it has repaid
Incurred Costs – or otherwise credited the $1,717
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $1,717.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 21

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 4.2) Direct UF to update its current procedures and
Incurred Costs – internal controls for reviewing stipend costs charged to
University of Florida Graduate Research Fellowship Program awards
(01/15/2021) $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 5.1) Direct UF to strengthen its directives/procedures and
Incurred Costs – internal controls for procuring goods and services
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 5.2) Direct UF to strengthen its directives/procedures and
Incurred Costs – internal controls surrounding the completion of Cost
University of Florida Accounting Standards exemptions
(01/15/2021) $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 5.3) Direct UF to strengthen its directives/procedures and
Incurred Costs – internal controls for incurring travel costs
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-004 Performance Audit of 6.1) Direct UF to update its current award set-up practices
Incurred Costs –
University of Florida
(01/15/2021) $0.00 9/30/2025
24-1-004 Performance Audit of 1.1) Direct UNH to provide documentation supporting that
Incurred Costs – it has repaid or otherwise credited the $4,604 in
University of New questioned long-term visa and travel costs for which it has
Hampshire (1/26/2024) agreed to reimburse NSF.
$4,604.00 6/30/2025
24-1-004 Performance Audit of 1.2) Direct UNH to create additional resources that
Incurred Costs – provide guidance regarding the allowable charging of visa
University of New fees on NSF awards.
Hampshire (1/26/2024)
$0.00 6/30/2025

Performance & Management - 22

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
24-1-004 Performance Audit of 1.3) Direct UNH to update its travel policies and
Incurred Costs – procedures to address the allowability of early departure
University of New expenses, as well as the importance of appropriately
Hampshire (1/26/2024) allocating conference registration expenses.
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-004 Performance Audit of 2.1) Resolve the $3,150 in questioned inadequately
Incurred Costs – supported service expenses and direct UNH to repay or
University of New otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its
Hampshire (1/26/2024) NSF awards.
$3,150.00 6/30/2025
24-1-004 Performance Audit of 2.2) Direct UNH to strengthen its policies and procedures
Incurred Costs – for establishing consulting service agreements
University of New
Hampshire (1/26/2024)
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-004 Performance Audit of 3.1) Direct UNH to strengthen its internal controls to
Incurred Costs – ensure Principal Investigators approve—and UNH pays—
University of New subrecipient invoices within the 30-day requirement.
Hampshire (1/26/2024)
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-004 Performance Audit of 3.2) Direct UNH to strengthen its internal controls to
Incurred Costs – ensure: (i) Supplemental Pay Request Forms are
University of New appropriately approved prior to allowing individuals to
Hampshire (1/26/2024) earn additional salary
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 1.1) Resolve the $72,578 in questioned indirect costs for
Incurred Costs – Montana which MSU has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct
State University MSU to repay or otherwise remove the sustained
(1/31/2024) questioned costs from its NSF awards.

$72,578.00 6/30/2025

Performance & Management - 23

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 1.2) Direct MSU to provide documentation supporting
Incurred Costs – Montana that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $14,303 in
State University questioned airfare, participant support costs, and
(1/31/2024) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) expenses
for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

$14,303.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 1.3) Strengthen policies and procedures related to the
Incurred Costs – Montana capitalization of constructed equipment
State University
(1/31/2024)
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 1.4) Direct MSU to develop formal policies and procedures
Incurred Costs – Montana for reviewing subawardee invoices to verify that the
State University subawardee is appropriately applying indirect costs using
(1/31/2024) the rate(s) included in the subawardee’s approved
Negotiated Indirect Cost

$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 1.5) Strengthen procedures for booking and approving
Incurred Costs – Montana travel expenses.
State University
(1/31/2024)

$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 1.6) Direct MSU to implement additional procedures that
Incurred Costs – Montana require routine reviews of all expenses charged to NSF
State University awards as participant support costs to verify that MSU
(1/31/2024) incurred the costs to support NSF award participants.
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 1.7) Direct MSU to strengthen its procedures surrounding
Incurred Costs – Montana GRFP stipend payments. Updated procedures should
State University ensure that MSU pays GRFP stipends using the stipend
(1/31/2024) rate identified in the relevant NSF GRFP solicitation.
$0.00 6/30/2025

Performance & Management - 24

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 2.1) Resolve the $9,702 in questioned inadequately
Incurred Costs – Montana supported lodging expenses for which MSU has not
State University agreed to reimburse NSF and direct MSU to repay or
(1/31/2024) otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its
NSF awards.

$9,702.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 2.2) Direct MSU to provide documentation supporting that
Incurred Costs – Montana it has repaid or otherwise credited the $12,313 in
State University questioned airfare and internal service expenses for
(1/31/2024) which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
$12,313.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 2.3) Direct MSU to strengthen its policies and procedures
Incurred Costs – Montana surrounding the review of expense reports to require
State University reviewers to verify that travelers have supported all costs
(1/31/2024) claimed as allowable per federal and NSF regulations
before charging the costs to

$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 2.4) Develop policies for establishing internal service
Incurred Costs – Montana provider rate agreements and for verifying rate
State University agreements have been reviewed and approved
(1/31/2024)
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 3.1) Direct MSU to provide documentation supporting that
Incurred Costs – Montana it has repaid or otherwise credited the $6,439 in
State University questioned publication and tuition expenses for which it
(1/31/2024) has agreed to reimburse NSF.
$6,439.00 6/30/2025

Performance & Management - 25

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title

OIG Recommendation Costs Questioned Timeline to Implement
Number (Date)
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 3.2) Direct MSU to strengthen its policies and procedures
Incurred Costs – Montana and internal controls for allocating expenses to sponsored
State University projects.
(1/31/2024)
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 4.1) Direct MSU to provide documentation supporting that
Incurred Costs – Montana it has repaid or otherwise credited the $3,906 in
State University questioned Award Cash Management $ervice drawdowns
(1/31/2024) for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
$3,906.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 4.2) Direct MSU to strengthen the administrative and
Incurred Costs – Montana management internal controls and procedures
State University surrounding its Award Cash Management $ervice
(1/31/2024) reconciliation process.
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 5.1) Direct MSU to verify that all of its current subaward
Incurred Costs – Montana policies accurately reflect its subaward invoice approval
State University requirements.
(1/31/2024)

$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 5.2) Direct MSU to implement internal controls that
Incurred Costs – Montana require personnel to create contract service agreements
State University to support all consultant services and maintain the
(1/31/2024) agreements throughout the contract’s period of
performance and after its expiration date
$0.00 6/30/2025
24-1-006 Performance Audit of 5.3) Direct MSU to conduct annual travel expense
Incurred Costs – Montana reporting trainings for individuals who may travel for
State University sponsored projects
(1/31/2024)
$0.00 6/30/2025

Performance & Management - 26

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

Pursuant to P.L. 115-414, the Good Accounting Obligation in Government Act (GAO-IG Act), the following table includes resolved NSF Office
of Inspector General recommendations open for more than one year and their associated statuses as of April 30, 2025. In total, there are
111 resolved open recommendations reflecting $2,571,508

Open OIG Recommendations - Resolved External Audit Recommendations, as of April 30, 2025

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement

Performance Audit of 1.1) Resolve the $136,024 in questioned conference,

Incurred Costs – travel, and AURA service costs and direct UNC to repay or
20-1-004
University of North otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its
Carolina, Chapel Hill NSF awards.
(07/13/2020) $36,336.00 $99,688.00 9/30/2025

Performance Audit of 1.2) Direct UNC to provide support verifying that it has
Incurred Costs – repaid or otherwise credited the $39,389 of questioned
20-1-004
University of North equipment, internal service center, salary, and other
Carolina, Chapel Hill direct costs for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
(07/13/2020) $39,389.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

Performance Audit of
2.1) Resolve the $164,313 in questioned subaward costs
Incurred Costs –
20-1-004 and direct UNC to repay or otherwise remove the
University of North
sustained questioned costs from its NSF awards.
Carolina, Chapel Hill
(07/13/2020) $164,313.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 27

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement

Performance Audit of 3.1) Direct UNC to provide support verifying that it has
Incurred Costs – repaid or otherwise credited the $103,250 of questioned
20-1-004
University of North unsupported ACM$ cash drawdowns for which it has
Carolina, Chapel Hill agreed to reimburse NSF.
(07/13/2020) $103,250.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

4.1) Resolve the $26,505 in inappropriately allocated

Performance Audit of materials and supplies, travel, and equipment costs for
20-1-004 Incurred Costs – which UNC has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct
University of North UNC to repay or otherwise remove the sustained
Carolina, Chapel Hill questioned costs from its NSF awards.
(07/13/2020) $17,823.00 $8,682.00 9/30/2025

Performance Audit of 4.2) Direct UNC to provide support verifying that it has
Incurred Costs – repaid or otherwise credited the $61,496 of questioned
20-1-004
University of North materials and supplies, travel, equipment, and other
Carolina, Chapel Hill direct costs for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
(07/13/2020) $61,496.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

Performance Audit of 5.1) Resolve the $11,542 in meal and lodging per diem
Incurred Costs – expenses for which UNC has not agreed to reimburse NSF
20-1-004
University of North and direct UNC to repay or otherwise remove the
Carolina, Chapel Hill sustained questioned costs from its NSF awards.
(07/13/2020) $11,542.00 $11,542.00 9/30/2025

Performance Audit of 5.2) Direct UNC to provide support verifying that it has
Incurred Costs – repaid or otherwise credited the $75,065 in questioned
20-1-004
University of North pre-award, PSC, airfare, and other direct cost expenses for
Carolina, Chapel Hill which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
(07/13/2020) $75,065.00 $75,065.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 28

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
20-1-004 Performance Audit of 6.1) Direct UNC to provide support verifying that it has
Incurred Costs – repaid or otherwise credited the $65,314 of questioned
University of North indirect costs for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
Carolina, Chapel Hill
(07/13/2020)

$65,314.00 $65,314.00 9/30/2025

20-1-004 Performance Audit of 7.1) Resolve the $30,435 in questioned costs related to
Incurred Costs – inappropriately procured equipment and services for
University of North which UNC has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct
Carolina, Chapel Hill UNC to repay or otherwise remove the sustained
(07/13/2020) questioned costs from its NSF awards.

$7,957.00 $22,478.00 9/30/2025

20-1-004 Performance Audit of 7.2) Direct UNC to provide support verifying that it has
Incurred Costs – repaid or otherwise credited the $5,143 in server costs for
University of North which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
Carolina, Chapel Hill
(07/13/2020)

$5,143.00 $5,143.00 9/30/2025

20-1-004 Performance Audit of 8.1) Direct UNC to provide support to verify that it has
Incurred Costs – repaid or otherwise credited the $17,136 of questioned
University of North costs caused by accounting issues for which it has agreed
Carolina, Chapel Hill to reimburse NSF.
(07/13/2020)

$17,136.00 $17,136.00 9/30/2025

20-1-004 Performance Audit of 9.1) Direct UNC to provide support to verify that it has
Incurred Costs – repaid or otherwise credited the $9,059 of questioned
University of North costs in inappropriately treated GRFP expenses for which
Carolina, Chapel Hill it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
(07/13/2020)
$9,059.00 $9,059.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 29

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement

1.2) Direct UH to provide documentation that it has repaid

Performance Audit of or otherwise credited the $21,513 in questioned
20-1-005 Incurred Costs – conference, travel, and workshop costs for which it has
University of Houston agreed to reimburse NSF.
(07/23/2020) $21,513.00 $21,513.00 9/30/2025
Performance Audit of
Incurred Costs – 2.1) Resolve the $17,787 in questioned conference,
University of Houston supply, currency conversion, and publication expenses for
20-1-005 (07/23/2020) which UH has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct UH
to repay or otherwise remove the sustained questioned
costs from its NSF awards.
$4,402.00 $13,385.00 9/30/2025
Performance Audit of
2.2) Direct UH to provide documentation that it has repaid
Incurred Costs –
or otherwise credited the $19,790 in questioned fringe,
20-1-005 University of Houston
conference, airfare, parking, and lodging costs for which it
(07/23/2020)
has agreed to reimburse NSF.
$19,790.00 $19,790.00 9/30/2025
Performance Audit of 2.8) Direct UH to establish clear guidance regarding the
Incurred Costs – allowability of publication expenses.
20-1-005 University of Houston
(07/23/2020)
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
Performance Audit of 4.2) Direct UH to provide documentation that it has repaid
Incurred Costs – or otherwise credited the $3,306 of questioned costs that
20-1-005 University of Houston it has agreed to reimburse.
(07/23/2020)
$3,306.00 $3,306.00 9/30/2025
Performance Audit of 5.1) Direct UH to provide documentation that it has repaid
Incurred Costs – or otherwise credited the $9,954 in questioned costs for
20-1-005 University of Houston which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
(07/23/2020)
$9,954.00 $9,954.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 30

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
Performance Audit of 6.1) Direct UH to provide documentation that it has
Incurred Costs – repaid or otherwise credited the $1,707 of questioned
20-1-005 University of Houston costs for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.
(07/23/2020)
$1,707.00 $1,707.00 9/30/2025
Performance Audit of 7.3) Direct UH to strengthen its administrative and
Incurred Costs – management procedures surrounding effort reporting.
20-1-005 University of Houston
(07/23/2020)
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
Texas A&M University 1.6) Direct TAMU to strengthen its administrative and
(12/17/2020) management procedures and internal controls
21-1-002 surrounding the purchase of airfare and the approval of
travel expense reports.
$0.00 $0.00 6/30/2025
21-1-002 Texas A&M University 1.7) Direct TAMU to establish clear guidance regarding the
(12/17/2020) allowability of publication expenses, including the need to
acknowledge NSF funding sources.
$0.00 $0.00 6/30/2025
21-1-002 Texas A&M University 2.5) Direct TAMU to strengthen its administrative and
(12/17/2020) management processes and internal controls related to
establishing and documenting compensation rates for
individuals who perform additional work outside the
scope of their regular duties.
$0.00 $0.00 6/30/2025
21-1-002 Texas A&M University 3.3) Direct TAMU to strengthen its administrative and
(12/17/2020) management procedures and internal controls for
allocating expenses to sponsored projects.
$0.00 $0.00 6/30/2025

Performance & Management - 31

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
21-1-002 Texas A&M University 4.2) Direct TAMU to provide documentation supporting
(12/17/2020) that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $13,362 of
questioned indirect costs for which it has agreed to
reimburse NSF.
$13,362.00 $0.00 6/30/2025
21-1-002 Texas A&M University 4.3) Direct TAMU to strengthen its administrative and
(12/17/2020) management processes and internal controls for applying
indirect costs to Federal awards.
$0.00 $0.00 6/30/2025
21-1-002 Texas A&M University 6.3) Direct TAMU to strengthen its administrative and
(12/17/2020) management procedures and internal controls related to
procurement processes.
$0.00 $0.00 6/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 1.3) Direct Clemson to strengthen its monitoring
(4/30/2021) procedures and internal control processes for applying
indirect costs to Federal awards.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
2.1) Resolve the $20,471 in questioned unallocable
(4/30/2021)
equipment, travel, other direct cost, and publication
expenses for which Clemson has not agreed to reimburse
NSF and direct Clemson to repay or otherwise remove the
sustained QC from its NSF awards.
$20,471.00 $20,471.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
(4/30/2021) 2.2) Direct Clemson to provide documentation supporting
that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $36,847 of
questioned equipment, travel, other direct costs, and
publication costs for which it has agreed to reimburse
NSF.
$36,847.00 $36,847.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 2.3) Direct Clemson to strengthen its administrative and
(4/30/2021) management controls and processes for allocating
expenses to sponsored projects.
$0.00 $0.00

Performance & Management - 32

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
21-1-007 Clemson University
2.4) Direct Clemson to encourage Principal Investigators
(4/30/2021)
to identify and report all award-related travel in their
annual reports to NSF.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
2.5) Direct Clemson to implement a process to ensure that
(4/30/2021)
personnel review the reasonableness of all employee,
non-employee, and participant travel days and charges at
the time of reimbursement.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
(4/30/2021) 2.6) Direct Clemson’s Office of Grants and Contracts
Admin to provide training on how to assess the
methodology for allocating publication costs across each
sponsored award acknowledged in the publication and
document the justification methodology.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
3.1) Resolve the $58,000 in questioned computer cluster
(4/30/2021)
node expenses for which Clemson has not agreed to
reimburse NSF and direct Clemson to repay or otherwise
remove the sustained questioned costs from its NSF
awards.
$58,000.00 $58,000.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 3.2) Direct Clemson to periodically assess the fee
(4/30/2021) structure and period allotted for access to the computer
cluster node infrastructure. $0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
3.3) Direct Clemson to strengthen its administrative and
(4/30/2021)
management procedures and internal controls for
allocating expenses to sponsored projects.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 33

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
21-1-007 Clemson University
(4/30/2021) 4.1) Resolve the $4,396 in questioned consultant,
participant support, and service center expenses for
which Clemson has not agreed to reimburse NSF and
direct Clemson to repay or otherwise remove the
sustained questioned costs from its NSF awards.
$4,396.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
4.3) Direct Clemson to strengthen its policies and
(4/30/2021)
procedures related to creating and retaining
documentation to help ensure that it appropriately
creates and maintains all documentation to support the
allowability of expenses charged to sponsored programs
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
(4/30/2021) 5.1) Resolve the $2,151 in questioned travel and salary
costs for which Clemson has not agreed to reimburse NSF
and direct Clemson to repay or otherwise remove the
sustained questioned costs from its NSF awards.
$1,906.00 $245.00
21-1-007 Clemson University
5.3) Direct Clemson to strengthen its policies and
(4/30/2021)
procedures related to creating and retaining
documentation.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
5.4) Direct Clemson to strengthen its administrative and
(4/30/2021)
management processes and procedures surrounding the
approval of travel expense reports.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
5.5) Direct Clemson to establish clear guidance regarding
(4/30/2021)
the allowability of participant support funding for
employee travel.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University
5.6) Direct Clemson to establish procedures to ensure that
(4/30/2021)
its salary payments do not exceed the employee’s
Institutional Base Salary.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 34

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
21-1-007 Clemson University 6.2) Direct Clemson to update its current proposal
(4/30/2021) submission and award set-up practices to require that for
NSF awards, personnel ensure that the accounts apply
indirect costs as directed by the supplemental funding
letter
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 7.1) Direct Clemson to ensure that it has performed risk
(4/30/2021) evaluations for all subawards issued prior to June 2018
and that these risk evaluations remain active, to validate
the agreements in accordance with Federal regulations.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 8.1) Direct Clemson to update its current pre-award
(4/30/2021) procedures and internal controls for reviewing NSF
proposal budgets to ensure that all costs included within
the participant support cost budget comply with NSF
terms and conditions.

$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

21-1-007 Clemson University 8.2) Direct Clemson to update its current procedures and
(4/30/2021) internal controls to ensure that Principal Investigators
submit final reports to NSF in accordance with NSF’s terms
and conditions.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 9.1) Direct Clemson to strengthen its admin & mgt
(4/30/2021) procedures for equipment expenditures to ensure that
the Office of GCA approves all equipment purchased with
non-sponsored funds and subsequently transferred to
sponsored funds.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 35

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
21-1-007 Clemson University 9.2) Direct Clemson to strengthen its administrative and
(4/30/2021) management procedures to confirm it has completed the
subrecipient documentation package before approving
non-budgeted subawards.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 9.3) Direct Clemson to strengthen its administrative and
(4/30/2021) management procedures and internal controls related to
the effort certification process.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 9.4) Direct Clemson to strengthen its administrative and
(4/30/2021) management processes surrounding document retention
for purchases on sponsored awards.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 9.5) Direct Clemson to strengthen its directives,
(4/30/2021) procedures, and internal controls for obtaining approval
for foreign travel before the trip occurs.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 9.6) Direct Clemson to strengthen its directives,
(4/30/2021) procedures, and internal controls for procuring contract
services on sponsored projects.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 9.7) Direct Clemson to strengthen its procedures and
(4/30/2021) internal controls for reviewing account codes that are
required to incur indirect costs.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-007 Clemson University 10.1) Direct Clemson to update its current award set-up
(4/30/2021) practices to require that personnel ensure that the
accounts apply indirect costs using the rates that were
established in the NICRA in effect as of the date of the NSF
grant award.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 36

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
21-1-007 Clemson University 10.2) Direct Clemson to require subawardees to apply
(4/30/2021) indirect costs using the rates that were established in the
NICRA in effect as of the date the subaward was granted,
rather than using the rates included within the subaward
budget and proposal.

$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

21-1-017 Tennessee State
1.3) Direct TSU to strengthen the administrative and
University (7/20/2021)
management controls and processes over obtaining and
maintaining sufficient supporting documentation.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-017 Tennessee State
2.3) Direct TSU to strengthen its administrative and
University (7/20/2021)
management controls and processes over the proper
allocation of costs.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-017 Tennessee State 3.3) Direct TSU to update its administrative and
University (7/20/2021) management processes and internal control procedures
related to assigning participant support costs within its
accounting system. $0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-017 Tennessee State 4.2) Direct TSU to update its administrative and
University (7/20/2021) management processes and internal control procedures
surrounding the ACM$ system. $0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-017 Tennessee State 5.1) Direct TSU to strengthen the administrative and
University (7/20/2021) management procedures over certifying time and effort
reports in a timely manner. $0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
21-1-017 Tennessee State 5.2) Direct TSU to strengthen the administrative and
University (7/20/2021) management procedures to require the inclusion of
pertinent information on time and effort reports such as
fund codes, award numbers, and work descriptions.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 37

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
22-1-002 Univ. of Texas at Dallas 1.1) Resolve the $91,220 in questioned inadequately
(12/9/2021) supported subaward expenses, internal service provider
rates, and meal expenses $91,220.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-002 Univ. of Texas at Dallas 1.2) Direct UTD to provide documentation that it has
(12/9/2021) repaid or otherwise credited the $551 of questioned
travel costs $551.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-002 Univ. of Texas at Dallas 2.1) Resolve the $65,226 in questioned materials and
(12/9/2021) supplies and travel costs $65,226.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-002 Univ. of Texas at Dallas 2.2) Direct UTD to provide documentation supporting that
(12/9/2021) it has repaid or otherwise credited the $5,378 of
questioned airfare, participant, repair, and travel costs $5,378.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-002 Univ. of Texas at Dallas 3.1) Resolve the $63,753 in questioned subaward
(12/9/2021) expenses $63,753.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-002 Univ. of Texas at Dallas 4.1) Direct UTD to provide documentation supporting that
(12/9/2021) it has repaid or otherwise credited the $23,082 in
questioned fringe benefit, travel, indirect costs, and Cost
of Education allowance costs
$23,082.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-006 California Polytechnic 1.3) Direct Cal Poly to implement additional administrative
State University Fdn and management procedures surrounding the payment
(6/21/2022) of intra-Institution of Higher Education consulting
services. $0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-006 California Polytechnic 1.4) Direct Cal Poly to strengthen its processes and
State University Fdn procedures surrounding the booking and approval of
(6/21/2022) travel expenses. $0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-006 California Polytechnic 2.2) Direct Cal Poly to strengthen its administrative and
State University Fdn management controls and processes for supporting the
(6/21/2022) allocation of expenses to sponsored projects. $0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 38

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
22-1-006 California Polytechnic 3.2) Direct Cal Poly to strengthen its monitoring
State University Fdn procedures and internal control processes for applying
(6/21/2022) indirect costs to federal awards. $0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-006 California Polytechnic 4.3) Direct Cal Poly to strengthen its policies and
State University Fdn procedures for creating and retaining documentation,
(6/21/2022) including introducing additional controls, to support the
allowability of travel expenses.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-006 California Polytechnic
5.1) Direct Cal Poly to strengthen its administrative and
State University Fdn
management procedures to ensure the appropriate
(6/21/2022)
personnel complete and authorize an independent
contractor agreement before a consultant begins work on
a project.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025
22-1-006 California Polytechnic
5.2) Direct Cal Poly to (i) strengthen its admin & mgt
State University Fdn
procedures to ensure travelers submit their travel
(6/21/2022)
expense reports within 10 days of returning and/or (ii)
update its policies and procedures to reflect its current
expense policies.
$0.00 $0.00 9/30/2025

1.2) Direct EDC to provide documentation supporting that

it has reimbursed or otherwise credited the $8,375 in
22-1-008 questioned participant support, conference, and
Education
consultant travel costs for which it has agreed to
Development Center
reimburse NSF.
(6/28/2022) $8,375 $0 6/30/2025
Education
1.3) Direct EDC to establish clear guidance regarding the
22-1-008 Development Center
allowable uses of participant support cost funding.
(6/28/2022) $0 $0 6/30/2025

Education 1.4) Direct EDC to strengthen its administrative and

22-1-008 Development Center management processes related to the approval of
(6/28/2022) conference registration fees. $0 $0 6/30/2025

Performance & Management - 39

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement

1.5) Direct EDC to strengthen its administrative and

management processes to ensure advertising costs
22-1-008 associated with sponsoring conferences are not charged
Education
to federal awards unless specifically approved by the
Development Center
award sponsor.
(6/28/2022) $0 $0 6/30/2025

1.6) Direct EDC to strengthen its policies and procedures

for creating and retaining documentation, including
22-1-008 introducing additional controls to help ensure that it
Education
appropriately creates and maintains all documentation
Development Center
necessary to support the allow costs
(6/28/2022) $0 $0 6/30/2025
3.1) Direct EDC to strengthen its administrative and
management procedures for travel reimbursements to
22-1-008 Education
ensure that its employees utilize the Deltek Expense
Development Center
Report Summary for travel reimbursements.
(6/28/2022) $0 $0 6/30/2025
BSCS Science Learning 1.1) Resolve the $117,804 in questioned indirect costs,
22-1-009
(6/28/2022) travel allowances, and gift card expenses $117,804 $0 6/30/2025
BSCS Science Learning 2.1) Resolve the $39,912 in questioned inadequately
22-1-009
(6/28/2022) supported consultant and participant support expenses $40.00 $39,782 6/30/2025

22-1-009 BSCS Science Learning 3.1) Resolve the $334 in questioned salary expenses
(6/28/2022) $334 $0 6/30/2025
Computing Research
23-1-002 Association 1.1) Resolve the $209,767 in Unsupported ACM$ draws
(10/28/2022) $160,903 $101,606 6/30/2025
Computing Research
1.2) Direct CRA to provide support it has repaid $52,742 in
23-1-002 Association
agreed to questioned cost
(10/28/2022) $52,742 $52,742 6/30/2025
Computing Research
23-1-002 Association 2.1) Resolve the $24,051 in questioned meal expenses
(10/28/2022) $24,051 $24,051 6/30/2025

Performance & Management - 40

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
Computing Research
2.2) Direct CRA to provide support for the agreed-to-repay
23-1-002 Association
$1,479 in questioned meal expenses
(10/28/2022) $1,479 $1,479 6/30/2025
Computing Research
3.2) Direct CRA to provide support for the agreed-to-repay
23-1-002 Association
$991 in questioned travel
(10/28/2022) $991 $991 6/30/2025
Computing Research
4.1) Resolve the $1,928 in questioned travel and
23-1-002 Association
conference expenses
(10/28/2022) $949 $979 6/30/2025

Computing Research 4.2) Direct CRA to provide support for the agreed-to-repay
23-1-002 Association $7,010 in questioned alcohol, travel, flight upgrade, meal,
(10/28/2022) and indirect expenses $0 $7,010 6/30/2025
23-1-003 University of
1.1) Resolve the $5,000 in questioned inadequately
Mississippi
supported service expenses for which UM has not agreed
(11/18/2022)
to reimburse NSF and direct UM to repay or otherwise
remove the sustained questioned costs from its NSF
awards.
$5,000 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of
Mississippi 1.3) Direct UM to strengthen its policies and procedures
(11/18/2022) related to creating and retaining documentation, including
introducing additional internal controls to help ensure
that it appropriately creates and maintains all
documentation necessary to support
$0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of 2.2) Direct UM to strengthen its administrative and
Mississippi management controls and processes for supporting the
(11/18/2022) allocation of expenses to sponsored projects. $0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of 2.3) Direct UM to provide training on how to assess and
Mississippi document the methodology used to allocate publication
(11/18/2022) costs across each sponsored award acknowledged in the
publication.
$0 $0 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 41

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
23-1-003 University of
3.1) Resolve the $8,750 in questioned materials and
Mississippi
supplies and lodging expenses for which UM has not
(11/18/2022)
agreed to reimburse NSF and direct UM to repay or
otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its
NSF awards.
$8,750 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of
3.3) Direct UM to implement additional controls or
Mississippi
procedures that ensure costs incurred after an award’s
(11/18/2022) period of performance has expired are not charged to
NSF awards.
$0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of 3.4) Direct UM to strengthen its administrative and
Mississippi management processes and procedures surrounding
(11/18/2022) lodging reservations. $0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of
3.5) Direct UM to establish clear guidance regarding the
Mississippi allowability of publication expenses on sponsored
(11/18/2022) projects, including the requirement to acknowledge NSF
funding sources.
$0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of 3.6) Direct UM to update its grant close out procedures to
Mississippi
require that appropriate personnel verify all participant
(11/18/2022)
support cost funds were used to cover participant support
cost expenses. $0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of
4.1) Direct UM to strengthen its administrative and
Mississippi
management procedures regarding its equipment
(11/18/2022)
purchase process to ensure personnel verify, and
document that they verified, that equipment is not
otherwise available on-campus prior to purchasing new
equipment.
$0 $0 9/30/2025

Performance & Management - 42

 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
23-1-003 University of 4.2) Direct UM to provide annual training for employees
Mississippi
on travel requirements and compliance to ensure
(11/18/2022)
travelers timely complete any applicable Waiver Request
Forms reconcile travel advances as appropriate. $0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of
Mississippi 4.3) Direct UM to require annual trainings for Principal
(11/18/2022) Investigators who execute and monitor subawardees to
ensure that UM appropriately completes the Request to
Issue Subcontract Form prior to charging subawardee
costs to NSF awards and, at the end of the subaward’s
period of performance, appropriately completes and
certifies to close-out of active subawards.
$0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-003 University of 4.4) Direct UM to implement internal controls to flag
Mississippi invoices submitted by consultants with expired
(11/18/2022) agreements post-expiration of the executed agreement.
$0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-005 IRIS (EarthScope in 2.1) Direct IRIS to Meet with NSF to Establish or Update
MTS) (2/7/2023) NICRAs Related to Fringe Benefits
$0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-005 IRIS (EarthScope in 3.1) Direct IRIS to Meet with NSF to Establish or Update its
MTS) (2/7/2023) NICRA Related to Indirect Costs $0 $0 9/30/2025
23-1-006 Performance Audit of 2.1) Resolve the $5,928 in questioned inappropriately
Incurred Costs – allocated publication costs
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute (3/22/2023)
$5,928.00 $0 8/29/2025
23-1-006 Performance Audit of 5.1) Resolve the $611 in questioned inadequately
Incurred Costs – supported travel expenses
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute (3/22/2023)
$611.00 $0 8/29/2025

Performance & Management - 43

GAO-IG Act Exhibits

OIG Report Audit Report Title Costs Costs Timeline to

Number (Date) OIG Recommendation Disallowed Allowed Implement
24-1-008 Performance Audit of 1.1) Resolve the $1,124,864 in questioned subaward
Incurred Costs – expenses for which OU has not agreed to reimburse NSF.
University of
Oklahoma (03/6/2024)
$1,124,864.00 $0 5/30/2025

Performance & Management - 44

 TECHNICAL INFORMATION

For definitions of common acronyms used throughout NSF’s FY 2026 Budget Request, see the
NOTES found at the beginning of the entire document on pages iii-iv.

FY 2026 NSF Appropriations Language .............................................................................. Technical Info - 3

Summary of FY 2026 NSF Budgetary Resources by Account ........................................... Technical Info - 5

NSF by Object Classification.................................................................................................. Technical Info - 8

NSF Reimbursable Activity .................................................................................................... Technical Info – 9

Explanation of FY 2024 Carryover into FY 2025 by Account ........................................... Technical Info - 10

Technical Info - 1
Technical Information

Technical Info - 2
 FY 2026 APPROPRIATIONS LANGUAGE

National Science Foundation

RESEARCH, AND RELATED ACTIVITIES

For necessary expenses in carrying out the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1861
et seq.), and Public Law 86–209 (42 U.S.C. 1880 et seq.); services as authorized by section 3109 of title
5, United States Code; maintenance and operation of aircraft and purchase of flight services for
research support; acquisition of aircraft; and authorized travel; $3,276,150,000, to remain available
until September 30, 2027: Provided, That of the amounts appropriated under this heading, not to
exceed $500,000,000 shall remain available until expended for polar research and operations support,
and for reimbursement to other Federal agencies for operational and science support and logistical
and other related activities for the United States Antarctic program: Provided further, That of the
amounts in the preceding proviso, not less than $109,310,000 shall be for U.S. Antarctic Logistical
Support: Provided further, That receipts for scientific support services and materials furnished by the
National Research Centers and other National Science Foundation supported research facilities may
be credited to this appropriation.

MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION

For necessary expenses for the acquisition, construction, commissioning, and upgrading of major
research equipment, facilities, and other such capital assets pursuant to the National Science
Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.), including authorized travel, $251,000,000, to remain
available until expended.

AGENCY OPERATIONS AND AWARD MANAGEMENT

For agency operations and award management necessary in carrying out the National Science
Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.); services authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United
States Code; hire of passenger motor vehicles; uniforms or allowances therefor, as authorized by
sections 5901 and 5902 of title 5, United States Code; rental of conference rooms in the District of
Columbia; and reimbursement of the Department of Homeland Security for security guard services;
$355,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027: Provided, That not to exceed $8,280 is for
official reception and representation expenses: Provided further, That contracts may be entered into
under this heading in fiscal year 2027 for maintenance and operation of facilities and for other services
to be provided during the next fiscal year.

OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD

For necessary expenses (including payment of salaries, authorized travel, hire of passenger motor
vehicles, the rental of conference rooms in the District of Columbia, and the employment of experts
and consultants under section 3109 of title 5, United States Code) involved in carrying out section 4 of
the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1863) and Public Law 86–209 (42 U.S.C. 1880
et seq.), $3,000,000: Provided, That not to exceed $2,500 shall be available for official reception and
representation expenses.

Technical Info - 3
Technical Information

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General as authorized by the Inspector General Act
of 1978, $18,000,000, of which $1,300,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2027.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)

Not to exceed 5 percent of any appropriation made available for the current fiscal year for the National
Science Foundation in this Act may be transferred between such appropriations, but no such
appropriation shall be increased by more than 10 percent by any such transfers. Any transfer
pursuant to this paragraph shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds under section 504 of this
Act and shall not be available for obligation except in compliance with the procedures set forth in that
section.

The Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) shall notify the Committees on Appropriations
of the House of Representatives and the Senate at least 30 days in advance of any planned divestment
through transfer, decommissioning, termination, or deconstruction of any NSF-owned facilities or any
NSF capital assets (including land, structures, and equipment) valued greater than $2,500,000.

This title may be cited as the “Science Appropriations Act, 2026”.

Technical Info - 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

SUMMARY OF FY 2026 BUDGETARY RESOURCES BY ACCOUNT

(Dollars in Millions)
Change Over
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2025 Enacted
Discretionary Accounts Actual Enacted Request Amount Percent
RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES
Appropriation $7,176.50 $7,176.50 $3,276.15 -$3,900.35 -54.3%
Unobligated Balance Available Start of Year 405.29 -132.90 132.90
Unobligated Balance Available End of Year 132.90
Unobligated Balance Transferred to other accounts -22.99
1
Adjustments to Prior Year Accounts 29.60
Total Budgetary Resources $7,721.30 $7,043.60 $3,276.15 -$3,767.45 -53.5%
STEM EDUCATION
Appropriation 1,172.00 1,172.00 - -1,172.00 -100.0%
Unobligated Balance Available Start of Year 112.68 80.39 -80.39
Unobligated Balance Available End of Year -80.39
Unobligated Balance Transferred to other accounts -0.55
Adjustments to Prior Year Accounts1 3.48
Total Budgetary Resources $1,207.21 $1,252.39 - -$1,252.39 -100.0%
MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT & FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION
Appropriation 234.00 251.00 251.00 N/A
Unobligated Balance Available Start of Year 361.32 342.37 -342.37
Unobligated Balance Available End of Year -342.37
Adjustments to Prior Year Accounts1 0.50
Total Budgetary Resources $253.45 $342.37 $251.00 -$91.37 -26.7%

Technical Info - 5
Technical Information

SUMMARY OF FY 2026 BUDGETARY RESOURCES BY ACCOUNT

(Dollars in Millions)
Change Over
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2025 Enacted
Discretionary Accounts Actual Enacted Request Amount Percent
AGENCY OPERATIONS AND AWARD MANAGEMENT
Appropriation $448.00 $448.00 $355.00 -$93.00 -20.8%
Unobligated Balance Available Start of Year 0.02 0.04
Unobligated Balance Available End of Year -0.02
Unobligated Balance Transferred from other accounts 23.54
Adjustments to Prior Year Accounts1 0.02
Unobligated Balance - Expired 0.17
Total Budgetary Resources $471.73 $448.04 $355.00 -$93.04 -20.8%
NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD
Appropriation 5.09 5.09 3.00 -2.09 -41.1%
Unobligated Balance - Expired -0.14
Total Budgetary Resources $4.95 $5.09 $3.00 -$2.09 -41.1%
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
Appropriation 24.41 24.41 18.00 -6.41 -26.3%
Unobligated Balance Available Start of Year 0.40 -1.30 1.30
Unobligated Balance Available End of Year 1.30
Unobligated Balance - Expired -0.03
Total Budgetary Resources $26.08 $23.11 $18.00 -$5.11 -22.1%
TOTAL DISCRETIONARY, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION $9,684.72 $9,114.60 $3,903.15 -$5,211.45 -57.2%
Totals exclude reimbursable amounts.
1
Adjustments include upward and downward adjustments to prior year obligations in unexpired accounts.

Technical Info - 6
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

SUMMARY OF FY 2026 BUDGETARY RESOURCES BY ACCOUNT

(Dollars in Millions)

Change Over
FY 2025 Enacted
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
Mandatory Accounts Actual Enacted Request Amount Percent
STEM EDUCATION, H-1B
Appropriation, Mandatory (H1-B Non-Immigrant Petitioner Fees) $158.87 $138.93 $150.46 $11.53 8.3%
Unobligated Balance Available Start of Year 80.04 141.56 -141.56
Sequestration Previously Unavailable 7.69 9.06 7.92 -1.14
Sequestration Pursuant OMB M-13-06 -9.06 -7.92 -8.58 -0.66
Unobligated Balance Available End of Year -141.56
Adjustments to Prior Year Accounts1 9.32
Total Budgetary Resources $105.32 $281.62 $149.80 -$131.82 -46.8%
Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for American Workforce and Education
Appropriation, Mandatory (CHIPS H.R. 4346) 25.00 $50.00 50.00 - -
Unobligated Balance Available Start of Year - $25.00 -25.00
Unobligated Balance Available End of Year -25.00
Total Budgetary Resources - $75.00 $50.00 -$25.00 -33.3%
DONATIONS
Mandatory Programs (Special or Trust Fund) 30.87 40.00 40.00 - -
Unobligated Balance Available Start of Year 27.50 23.45 -23.45
Unobligated Balance Available End of Year -23.45
Adjustments to Prior Year Accounts1 0.00
Total Budgetary Resources $34.92 $63.45 $40.00 -$23.45 -37.0%
TOTAL MANDATORY ACCOUNTS, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION $140.24 $420.08 $239.80 -$180.27 -42.9%
Totals exclude reimbursable amounts.
1
Adjustments include upward and downward adjustments to prior year obligations in unexpired accounts.

Technical Info - 7
Technical Information

OBJECT CLASSIFICATION
NSF Consolidated Obligations
(Dollars in Millions)

Object FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026

1
Class Code Standard Title Actual Estimate Request
11.1 Full-time permanent $233 $253 $205
11.3 Other than full-time permanent 13 13 11
11.5 Other personnel compensation 9 9 8
11.8 Special personal service payment 70 69 28
Total personnel compensation $325 $344 $252
12.1 Civilian personnel benefits 87 93 75
21.0 Travel and transportation of persons 17 13 11
22.0 Transportation of things 1 1 -
23.1 Rental payments 26 33 32
23.2 Rental payments to others - - -
23.3 Communications, utilities, and miscellaneous charges 2 2 2
25.1 Advisory and assistance services 325 297 121
25.2 Other services 71 51 19
25.3 Purchases of goods and services from Government Accounts 216 210 99
25.4 Operation and maintenance of facilities 335 334 167
25.5 Research and development contracts 66 65 28
25.7 Operation and maintenance of equipment 1 1 -
26.0 Supplies and materials - - -
31.0 Equipment 9 7 2
41.0 Grants, subsidies, and contributions 7,926 7,903 3,094
99.5 Adjustment for rounding 1 - -
2
Total, Direct obligations $9,408 $9,354 $3,902
1
FY 2024 Actual obligations include $316 million from the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act.
2
Excludes obligations for reimbursable and mandatory accounts.

Technical Info - 8
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

REIMBURSABLE ACTIVITY

Funding in the table represents incoming funding NSF received and obligated under the reimbursable
authority from other agencies. Outgoing interagency agreement funding is not represented in this
table. NSF enters into agreements (including Memoranda of Understanding) with other U.S.
government agencies, as authorized by the NSF Act, 42 U.S.C. 1870 (c), and 42 USC 1873(f), under
which NSF assumes some responsibility for activities supported by these agencies. These activities
can include jointly funded projects and programs, support of research operations and logistics, and
access to NSF supported research facilities.

NSF Reimbursements by Agency

(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024
DEPARTMENT/AGENCY Actual
Defense
Air Force $16.00
Defense 9.38
Navy 6.96
Army 5.85
Subtotal, DoD $38.19
Commerce (Including Census, NOAA, & NIST) 13.09
Interior 1.45
Energy 4.74
Health & Human Services 23.70
Homeland Security 8.16
NASA 3.51
State 1.50
Education 2.37
Treasury 3.31
National Endowment for the Humanities 0.54
Other (less than $500,000) 1.19
TOTAL REIMBURSEMENTS $101.75
Totals may not add due to rounding.

Consistent with applicable legislation and GAO decisions, agreements include reimbursement for
costs that are incurred in the management and administration of these awards.

Technical Information - 9
EXPLANATION OF FY 2024 CARRYOVER INTO FY 2025 BY ACCOUNT

The National Science Foundation’s total unobligated balance of $755.97 million ($565.96 million from
Discretionary accounts, and $190.01 million from Mandatory accounts) is described below.

Discretionary (Appropriated) Accounts

Polar - Research and Related No Year Activities (OPP)

Within the R&RA account, $24.11 million was carried over into FY 2025.

OPP - Antarctic Operations Support

• Amount: $13.88 million
• Purpose: Integration award for the Arctic Research Vessel (ARV).
• Obligation: Anticipated FY 2025 Quarter 3 and Quarter 4

The remaining $10.23 million within the Polar-R&RA consists of funds for projects not funded in FY
2024.

Research and Related No Year Activities (P.L. 115-123)

Within the R&RA account, $7.98 million is estimated for carryover into FY 2025.

R&RA Emergency Fund – DEFC C

• Amount: $7.98 million

Technical Info - 10
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

• Purpose: For possible redirection of Hurricane Supplemental funding to other projects that
was returned due to the collapse of Arecibo Observatory; discussions are pending
with congressional components.
• Obligation: TBD

Research and Related Activities (R&RA)

Within the R&RA account, $109.82 million is estimated for carryover into FY 2025.

CISE - Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure

• Amount: $6.47 million
• Purpose: For an Open Artificial Intelligence Testbed for Edge Computing and Intelligent
Sensing.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 1

ENG - Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities (EFMA))

• Amount: $7.42 million
• Purpose: Funding of Engineering Research Center (ERC) increments in Emerging Industries.
The planned partnership with Intel in the area of PFAS in Semiconductors has been
delayed.
• Obligation: Approximately $355,000 remains to be obligated in FY 2025 Quarter 3

MPS - Astronomy
• Amount: $3.0 million
• Purpose: For a supplemental award to DKIST to cover instrument development needed to
complete commissioning.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 2

MPS-Astronomy
• Amount: $2.50 million
• Purpose: For a proposed supplement to support development of the NOIRLab Program
Platform (NPP), a suite of user-based IT services with integrated data management
and science data.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 2

MPS-Chemistry
• Amount: $4.0 million
• Purpose: For late-arriving proposals through an MOU with ANR related to sustainable
chemistry and catalysis with earth-abundant elements ($2.0 million) and for
Chemical Structure and Dynamics awards ($2.0 million).
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 1 and Quarter 2

TIP - Translational Impact

• Amount: $6.87 million
• Purpose: SBIR/STTR actions unable to be processed by fiscal year-end due to the late receipt
of final allocation.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 3

Technical Info - 11
Technical Information

TIP - Innovation & Technology Ecosystems

• Amount: $9.83 million
• Purpose: Convergence accelerator regionalization awards and NSF Engines that were unable
to be processed by fiscal year-end due to the late receipt of final allocation.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 2

TIP - Technology Frontiers

• Amount: $39.75 million
• Purpose: Supporting several Emerging Technology projects that were unable to be processed
by fiscal year-end due to the late receipt of final allocation.
• Obligation: $5.10 million remains to be obligated in FY 2025 Quarter 4

IA – Integrative Activities
• Amount: $12.50 million
• Purpose: Funds will support procurements and new award activities that were not ready for
obligation in FY 2024.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 2 and Quarter 3

Compliance in Research program (funds held within IA but managed by OCR)

• Amount: $2.11 million
• Purpose: For award activities that were not ready for obligation in FY 2024.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 3

Research Investment Communications (funds held within IA but managed by OLPA)

• Amount: $1.73 million
• Purpose: For NSF multimedia awards to support communications contracts that enable NSF
to engage with stakeholders including Congress, elected officials, national and
international institutions, and general public.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 3

Research Security Strategy and Policy (funds held within IA but managed by CRSP)
• Amount: $2.33 million
• Purpose: For activities to support the U.S. research community to identify and characterize
attributes that distinguish research security from research integrity; to improve the
understanding of the scale and scope of research security risks; and to develop
methodologies to assess the potential impact of research security threats.
• Obligation: Anticipated FY 2025 Quarter 4

The remaining $11.31 million within discretionary R&RA consists of cumulative funds from throughout
the Foundation carried over for unspecified projects. These balances are planned for obligation in
FY 2025 consistent with the approved FY 2024 Current Plan.

STEM Education (EDU)

Within the EDU account, $80.39 million was carried over into FY 2025.

Undergraduate Education (DUE)

• Amount: $39.97 million

Technical Info - 12
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

• Purpose: For awards in DUE programs to include the National STEM Teacher Corps program
that were delayed in starting.
• Obligation: $33.14 million remains to be obligated in FY 2025 Quarter 4

Division of Equity for Excellence in Stem (EES)

• Amount: $29.11 million
• Purpose: For awards delayed due to late solicitations.
• Obligation: $14.07 million remains to be obligated in FY 2025 Quarter 4

Division of Research on Learning (DRL)

• Amount: $1.62 million
• Purpose: To support programs where solicitation deadlines were too late in the fiscal year to
process awards.
• Obligation: Anticipated FY 2025 Quarter 4

Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce) - no year funds

• Amount: $9.69 million
• Purpose: To fund teacher preparation and/or support Noyce fellows.
• Obligation: Anticipated FY 2025 Quarter 3 and Quarter 4

Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC)

Within the MREFC account, $180.83 million was carried over into FY 2025.

Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Rubin)

• Amount: $13.78 million
• Purpose: For final obligations to Rubin Observatory
• Obligation: $7.50 million obligated FY 2025 Quarter 2; anticipate remainder FY 2025 Quarter 4.

Regional Class Research Vessel (RCRV)

• Amount: $8.53 million, including $1.55 million from Hurricane Ida supplemental funding
(P.L. 117-43)
• Purpose: For final obligations to RCRV.
• Obligation: NSF-held management reserve obligated based on need.

Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization for Science (AIMS)

• Amount: $126.34 million
• Purpose: For completion of AIMS Lodging facility; re-programming to AIR for currently
unfunded components of AIMS to be completed on future contract.
• Obligation: $12.0 million obligated FY 2025 Quarter 2; anticipate $10.0 million FY 2025 Quarter
4.

Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization (AIR)

• Amount: $1.0 million
• Purpose: For obligations, which are proceeding as anticipated
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 3

Technical Info - 13
Technical Information

High Luminosity-Large Hadron Collider Upgrade (HL-LHC)

• Amount: $23.03 million
• Purpose: For continuation of the HL-LHC projects (CMS & ATLAS)
• Obligation: $10 million obligated FY 2025 Quarter 2; anticipate remainder FY 2025 Quarter 4

Research Infrastructure Office (Advanced Oversight)

• Amount: $220,000
• Purpose: For Advanced Oversight
• Obligation: Anticipate obligation in FY 2025 Quarter 3

The remaining $7.93 million within the discretionary MREFC account consists of funds from
throughout the Foundation for projects not funded in FY 2024.

Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) Disaster Funding

Within the MREFC account, $161.54 million was carried over into FY 2025.

Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Rubin)

• Amount: $7.61 million
• Purpose: For final obligations to Rubin Observatory
• Obligation: Obligated FY2025 Quarter 2

Leadership Class Computing Facility

• Amount: $140,000
• Purpose: For continuation of LCCF
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 3

Mid-scale Research Infrastructure Track 2 (Mid-scale RI-2)

• Amount: $57.07 million
• Purpose: For obligations, which are proceeding as anticipated. This portfolio has out-year
mortgages on current awards.
• Obligation: $7.50 million obligated FY 2025 Quarter 1 and Quarter 2; anticipate additional
obligations FY 2025 Quarter 4.

Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization (AIR)

• Amount: $58.22 million
• Purpose: For the Antarctic Infrastructure Recapitalization (AIR) Program
• Obligation: $4.50 million obligated FY 2025 Quarter 1; anticipate $19.0 million FY 2025 Quarter
3 and $10.0 million FY 2025 Quarter 4.

High Luminosity-Large Hadron Collider Upgrade (HL-LHC)

• Amount: $38.0 million
• Purpose: For continuation of the HL-LHC projects (CMS & ATLAS)
• Obligation: Anticipate obligation in FY 2025 Quarter 4

Research Infrastructure Office (Advanced Oversight)

• Amount: $500,000
• Purpose: For Advanced Oversight

Technical Info - 14
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 1

Office of Inspector General (OIG)

Within the OIG two-year account, $1.30 million was carried over into FY 2025.
• Amount: $1.30 million
• Purpose: To procure financial and performance audit services.
• Obligation: Anticipate obligation in FY 2025 Quarter 3

Mandatory Accounts

Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Workforce and Education
Fund
Within the CHIPS and Science Act P.L. 117-167, Chips for America Workforce and Education Fund,
$25.0 million was carried over into FY 2025.

EDU - Undergraduate Education

• Amount: $12.50 million
• Purpose: National Network Microelectronics award
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 2

RRA - TIP – Technology Frontiers (TF)

• Amount: $12.50 million
• Purpose: National Network Microelectronics award
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarter 2

H-1B Non-Immigrant Petitioner

Within the H-1B account, $141.56 million was carried over into FY 2025.

Innovation Technology Experiences for Students (ITEST)

• Amount: $83.39 million
• Purpose: NSF receives the largest payments of H-1B visa fees in August and September,
leaving insufficient time to obligate the receipts on awards before the end of the
fiscal year.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarters 1-2

Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)

• Amount: $58.17 million
• Purpose: NSF receives the largest payments of H-1B visa fees in August and September,
leaving insufficient time to obligate the receipts on awards before the end of the
fiscal year.
• Obligation: Obligated FY 2025 Quarters 1-2

Donations
Within the Donations account, $23.45 million was carried over into FY 2025. Donations are received
from organizations and individuals to fund various cooperative efforts in science, research, and
education.

Technical Info - 15
 QUANTITATIVE DATA TABLE

National Science Foundation

Research and Development Special Analysis
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
1
Actual Estimate Request
Investment Activities

Conduct of Research and Development

Basic Research...................................................................................... 5,802.96 5,606.25 2,417.15
Applied Research................................................................................. 1,145.56 1,171.25 359.00
Subtotal, Conduct of R&D........................................................... 6,948.52 6,777.50 2,776.15

Physical Assets
Research and Development Facilities........................................... 255.37 2.00 252.00
Research and Development Major Equipment......................... 252.27 243.00 109.00
Subtotal, R&D Facilities & Major Equipment.......................... 507.65 245.00 361.00

Total, Research and Development............................................. 7,456.17 7,022.50 3,137.15

Conduct of Education and Training................................................. 785.85 735.00 118.00

Non-Investment Activities...................................................................... 1,168.78 1,128.09 698.00

TOTAL......................................................................... $9,410.80 $8,885.59 $3,953.15

1
FY 2024 Actual includes $316 million from the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act.

QDT - 1
Quantitative Data Tables

QUANTITATIVE DATA TABLE

RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES

Research and Development Special Analysis
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
1
Actual Estimate Request
Investment Activities

Conduct of Research and Development

Basic Research...................................................................................... 5,601.13 5,402.25 2,417.15
Applied Research................................................................................. 809.82 781.25 349.00
Subtotal, Conduct of R&D........................................................... 6,410.95 6,183.50 2,766.15

Physical Assets
Research and Development Facilities........................................... 1.92 2.00 1.00
Research and Development Major Equipment......................... 252.26 243.00 109.00
Subtotal, R&D Facilities & Major Equipment.......................... 254.18 245.00 110.00

Total, Research and Development............................................. 6,665.13 6,428.50 2,876.15

Conduct of Education and Training................................................. 179.72 173.00 78.00

Non-Investment Activities...................................................................... 606.48 585.00 322.00

TOTAL......................................................................... $7,451.33 $7,186.50 $3,276.15

1
FY 2024 Actual includes $222 million from the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act.

QDT - 2
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

QUANTITATIVE DATA TABLE

STEM EDUCATION
Research and Development Special Analysis
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
1
Actual Estimate Request
Investment Activities

Conduct of Research and Development

Basic Research...................................................................................... 201.83 204.00 -
Applied Research................................................................................. 335.74 380.00 -
Subtotal, Conduct of R&D........................................................... 537.57 584.00 -

Physical Assets
Research and Development Facilities........................................... - - -
Research and Development Major Equipment......................... 0.02 - -
Subtotal, R&D Facilities & Major Equipment.......................... 0.02 - -

Total, Research and Development............................................. 537.59 584.00 -

Conduct of Education and Training................................................. 606.13 522.00 -

Non-Investment Activities...................................................................... 62.49 66.00 -

TOTAL......................................................................... $1,206.21 $1,172.00 -

1
FY 2024 Actual includes $94 million from the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act.

QDT - 3
Quantitative Data Tables

QUANTITATIVE DATA TABLE

MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION

Research and Development Special Analysis
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
Actual Estimate Request
Investment Activities

Conduct of Research and Development

Basic Research...................................................................................... - - -
Applied Research................................................................................. - - -
Subtotal, Conduct of R&D........................................................... - - -

Physical Assets
Research and Development Facilities........................................... 253.45 - 251.00
Research and Development Major Equipment......................... - - -
Subtotal, R&D Facilities & Major Equipment.......................... 253.45 - 251.00

Total, Research and Development............................................. 253.45 - 251.00

Conduct of Education and Training................................................. - - -

Non-Investment Activities...................................................................... - - -

TOTAL......................................................................... $253.45 - $251.00

QDT - 4
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

QUANTITATIVE DATA TABLE

AGENCY OPERATIONS AND AWARD MANAGEMENT

Research and Development Special Analysis
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
Actual Estimate Request
Investment Activities

Conduct of Research and Development

Basic Research...................................................................................... - - -
Applied Research................................................................................. - - -
Subtotal, Conduct of R&D........................................................... - - -

Physical Assets -
Research and Development Facilities........................................... - - -
Research and Development Major Equipment......................... - - -
Subtotal, R&D Facilities & Major Equipment.......................... - - -

Total, Research and Development............................................. - - -

Conduct of Education and Training................................................. - - -

Non-Investment Activities...................................................................... 471.38 448.00 355.00

TOTAL......................................................................... $471.38 $448.00 $355.00

QDT - 5
Quantitative Data Tables

QUANTITATIVE DATA TABLE

OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD

Research and Development Special Analysis
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
Actual Estimate Request
Investment Activities

Conduct of Research and Development

Basic Research...................................................................................... - - -
Applied Research................................................................................. - - -
Subtotal, Conduct of R&D........................................................... - - -

Physical Assets
Research and Development Facilities........................................... - - -
Research and Development Major Equipment......................... - - -
Subtotal, R&D Facilities & Major Equipment.......................... - - -

Total, Research and Development............................................. - - -

Conduct of Education and Training................................................. - - -

Non-Investment Activities...................................................................... 4.95 5.09 3.00

TOTAL......................................................................... $4.95 $5.09 $3.00

QDT - 6
 FY 2026 Budget Request to Congress

QUANTITATIVE DATA TABLE

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

Research and Development Special Analysis
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
Actual Estimate Request
Investment Activities

Conduct of Research and Development

Basic Research...................................................................................... - - -
Applied Research................................................................................. - - -
Subtotal, Conduct of R&D........................................................... - - -

Physical Assets -
Research and Development Facilities........................................... - - -
Research and Development Major Equipment......................... - - -
Subtotal, R&D Facilities & Major Equipment.......................... - - -

Total, Research and Development............................................. - - -

Conduct of Education and Training................................................. - - -

Non-Investment Activities...................................................................... 23.48 24.00 18.00

TOTAL......................................................................... $23.48 $24.00 $18.00

QDT - 7
Quantitative Data Tables

QUANTITATIVE DATA TABLE

Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for American Workforce and
Education
Research and Development Special Analysis
(Dollars in Millions)
FY 2024 FY 2025 FY 2026
Actual Estimate Request
Investment Activities

Conduct of Research and Development

Basic Research...................................................................................... - - -
Applied Research................................................................................. - 10.00 10.00
Subtotal, Conduct of R&D........................................................... - 10.00 10.00

Physical Assets
Research and Development Facilities........................................... - - -
Research and Development Major Equipment......................... - - -
Subtotal, R&D Facilities & Major Equipment.......................... - - -

Total, Research and Development............................................. - 10.00 10.00

Conduct of Education and Training................................................. - 40.00 40.00

Non-Investment Activities...................................................................... - - -

TOTAL......................................................................... - $50.00 $50.00

QDT - 8