Press Release 14-035
New strategic plan guides NSF through 2018
Plan released concurrently with FY 15 budget request
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The strategic goals enable NSF to link investments to longer-term outcomes. |
March 13, 2014
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a new strategic plan in concert with the President’s Budget Request to Congress for NSF in fiscal year 2015.
The plan, titled, “Investing in Science, Engineering and Education for the Nation’s Future,” sets goals to guide the agency through 2018.
This is the first year that all federal agencies were required to simultaneously submit revised strategic plans to Congress, covering the next four years, under the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010.
NSF’s plan sets out three strategic goals, each of which encompasses two or more objectives:
- Transform the Frontiers of Science and Engineering. Invest in fundamental research to ensure significant continuing advances across science, engineering, and education. Integrate education and research to support development of a diverse STEM workforce with cutting-edge capabilities. Provide world-class research infrastructure to enable major scientific advances.
- Stimulate Innovation and Address Societal Needs through Research and Education. Strengthen the links between fundamental research and societal needs through investments and partnerships. Build the capacity of the nation to address societal challenges using a suite of formal, informal, and broadly available STEM educational mechanisms.
- Excel as a Federal Science Agency. Build an increasingly diverse, engaged, and high-performing workforce by fostering excellence in recruitment, training, leadership, and management of human capital. Use effective methods and innovative solutions to achieve excellence in accomplishing the agency’s mission.
“The plan is intended to guide us through a very dynamic environment in science and engineering research and education,” said NSF Acting Director Cora Marrett. “It allows us to maintain a strong focus on our mission but also be flexible in meeting the changing requirements of the research and education enterprise along with emerging and pressing societal challenges.”
The strategic goals enable NSF to link investments to longer-term outcomes. The plan also sets out core approaches NSF will use to measure agency performance.
The plan, along with a summary document, is accessible on the NSF website.
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Media Contacts
Maria C. Zacharias, NSF, (703) 292-8454, mzachari@nsf.gov
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2014, its budget is $7.2 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 50,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards about $593 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
Useful NSF Web Sites:
NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov
NSF News: http://www.nsf.gov/news/
For the News Media: http://www.nsf.gov/news/newsroom.jsp
Science and Engineering Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards Searches: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/
