The Office of Management and Budget is telling agencies to
“vigorously evaluate” current research and development
programs when developing their fiscal 2007 budget requests
to look for ways to modify, redirect, reduce, or terminate
them wherever possible to respond to tight budgets and
pressing priorities.
Among the numerous investment aims listed in a budget
guidance memo that would be given priority consideration
are those addressing societal and environmental impacts of
science and technology, including ethical, national security
and homeland security issues, advancing fundamental
scientific discovery to improve future quality of life,
and ensuring a scientifically literate population and a
supply of qualified technical personnel.
Interagency R-and-D priorities should receive special focus
in budget requests, said the memo, and agencies should be
prepared to take part in interagency coordination groups to
define program activities and priorities, develop an
inventory of the programs in the baseline budget, and come
up with an interagency implementation plan, among other
