For my Competitive Intelligence course, I am investigating research funding. One aspect of my research has been to determine how the various departments of the U.S. Federal Government financially support research. The following is some of what I found about how American dollars are supporting the advancement of American and international living:
The Department of Agriculture funds projects that
- enhance crop quantity and quality (this link has an interesting interactive graphic with links to each state’s research projects)
- promote international collaborative research on agriculture
- promote food safety and nutrition
- promote natural resource management
The Department of Commerce funds projects that
- enhance small business and technology innovation
- support research that enhances local economies
The Department of Defense funds projects that
- “expand the horizon” of aerospace engineering (Air Force)
- “provide warfighters with the capabilities with which to execute full-spectrum operations” (Army)
- assist the Navy in enhancing its operations, such as the new partnership with Google Earth for enhanced weather data
- are the product of recently graduated Ph.D. scientists
- enhance the capabilities of the decision-makers of the Navy
The Department of Education funds projects that
- enhance the education of the disabled
- promote collaboration between nations
- enhance career and technical education
- promote safe schools
The Department of Energy funds projects that
- improve energy efficiency and renewable energy
- are innovative as to the use of fossil energy
- pertain to nuclear energy (this is a link to an organizational chart for the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology – which is the closest I came to finding out any specifics on how this department funds research)
- are innovative as to the uses of science
The Department of Transportation funds projects that
- promote safe and efficient travel
- “improve understanding of the complex relationship between surface transportation, planning and the environment”
- promote innovation in energy resources that can be used for travel
Linda Summers
While researching another aspect of research funding, I came across the following website authored by Lana May, with Research Projects Administration at John Hopkins University. It contains a far more indepth list of Federal Agencies that fund research than the one I created: http://jhuresearch.jhu.edu/funding.htm