It is likely that the Academic Research Infrastructure fund of the National
Science Foundation will not exist starting in Federal FY 1997. This fund has
been at a level of $100 million, divided between facilities ("bricks and
mortar") and instrumentation, and has been, I think, the richest source of
funding for these things.
President Clinton's administration has decided NOT to fund facilities
anymore - so $50 million is gone from the budget request. The $50 million
formerly appropriated for instrumentation will go to Research and Related
Activities still to be for instrumentation but to be distributed by the
respective directorates.
The ARI fund grew tremendously as essentially the adopted child of
Representative Rick Boucher and Senator Barbara Mikulski. However, NSF
didn't want it. More than one NSF insider has told me that ARI awards were
often purely political.
Perhaps putting instrumentation money back into the directorates will ensure
its distribution on merit. Presumably that is why the Coalition for National
Science Funding (of which ALMA is a member) is endorsing this move. CNSF has
also called for Research and Related Activities to be funded at $50 million
*over* the President's request (to increase awards of research grants) for a
total NSF budget increase of 4.8% for FY 1997.
I have given CNSF permission to include ALMA as a member organization
supporting this budget request.
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William C. Stevens, Ph.D. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility
Director Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL 62901-4405
wstevens@siu.edu
http://www.siu.edu/departments/shops/bill.html
wstevens@intrnet.net voice: 618-453-6498 fax: -6408
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