The National Science Foundation (US) published today a summary report for 2011. The report demonstrates that NSF awards dropped in number by 13.9% between FY 2010 and FY2 2011; there were 7% fewer proposals in FY 2011 relative to FY 2010 also . This was the second year of decline in number of NSF awards (2009 to 2010 decline was 11%). NSF’s funding rate for 2011 declined slightly, by 1%, relative to 2011.
The report provides additional details on the sources of NSF funding, the nature of NSF’s award portfolio (e.g., grants, cooperative agreements, contracts), the types of recipients, and the purposes of the awards (e.g., research and related, equipment and facilities, education). It also provides an overview of NSF’s progress toward meeting 2011 performance goals designed to help the Foundation achieve its three strategic goals identified in its 2011-2016 strategic plan, Empowering the Nation Through Discovery and Innovation. Director Subra Suresh’s OneNSF vision for the future is also described in the report.
