19 October 2016 19 October 2016
GEOSCIENCE CURRENTS
No. 114 No. 114 Federal Funding for the Geosciences, 1970-2015
From 1970-2015, the geoscience share of federal research funding dropped from 10% to 7%. However, the actual amount of federal research funding spent on the geosciences has increased from 1970-2015. In 2013, $4 billion of federal research funding was spent on the geosciences, and $1.1 billion of that was given to universities for geoscience research.
The graphs show the amount of federal research funding given to universities for the geosciences and the total amount of federal research funding spent on geoscience research over time. They also show the percentage of that funding spent on the geological sciences, environmental sciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences through 2013, the latest reported disciplinary breakdown of funding levels. The spike of funding in 2009 was a result of the stimulus funding bill passed that year.
The amount of federal geoscience funding for the environmental sciences increased over this time period as research focus has shifted. This led to a drop in the percentage of geoscience funding directed at the geological sciences. However, it is important to remember that the absolute spending continued to increase. In 2013, the majority of federal funding for the geosciences went to the atmospheric sciences, but the majority of federal spending by universities is within the environmental sciences and ocean sciences.
The data were gathered from NSF’s Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development. The federal funding to the geosciences in this dataset was distributed by the U.S. Depart- ments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, and Homeland Security, along with the EPA, NASA, and NSF.
Total Federal Research Funding of the Geosciences
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
$0.0 $0.5 $1.0 $1.5 $2.0 $2.5 $3.0 $3.5 $4.0 $4.5 $5.0
Geoscience Research Funding ( $USD) Geological Science (%)
Environmental Science (%) Federal Research Funding Given to Universities
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
- Carolyn E. Wilson
www.americangeosciences.org/workforce/ workforce@americangeosciences.org
$0.0 $0.2 $0.4 $0.6 $0.8 $1.0 $1.2 $1.4
Atmospheric Science (%) Oceanography (%)
Percent of Geoscience Funding
1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013
Billion ($USD)
1970 1972
1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014
Billions ($USD)
Percent of Geoscience Funding
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