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Summary of H.R. 363, the Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act

Introduced in the House of Representatives on January 10, 2007.

H.R. 363 implements recommendations related to strengthening long-term basic research contained in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future. It authorizes 10 percent increases per year in funding for basic research in the physical sciences, mathematical sciences, and engineering at the principal federal agencies supporting such research; provides grant support through programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) for outstanding researchers in the early stages of their careers of $80,000 per year for 5 years; establishes a floor of 1.5 percent of research funding appropriated for NSF for an existing program supporting graduate students in multidisciplinary fields of national importance; establishes a presidential innovation award to stimulate scientific and engineering advances in the national interest; and establishes a national coordination office to identify and prioritize research infrastructure needs at universities and national laboratories and to help guide the investments of new infrastructure funds authorized for NSF and DOE.

The bill authorizes appropriations for basic research activities in the physical sciences, mathematics and computer sciences, and engineering at four agencies and authorizes appropriations for all basic (6.1) research at the Department of Defense. The funding levels increase by 10 percent per year:

$$ in millions
Agency	FY2008	FY2009	FY2010	FY2011	FY2012
National Science Foundation	2114.1	2325.5	2558.1	2813.9	3095.3
Department of Energy	2205.4	2425.9	2668.5	2935.4	3228.9
NASA	1669.7	1836.7	2020.3	2222.4	2444.6
National Institute of Standards and Technology	86.2	94.9	104.4	114.8	126.3
Department of Defense	1784.8	1963.2	2159.5	2375.5	2613.0

Of the amounts authorized, the bill designates 8 percent for support of high-risk, high-payoff research to be selected by technical program managers at each agency.

Click here for text of the bill (PDF)