New survey tracks R&D spending inside federal facilities, highlighting research in government labs

A new annual survey from the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF NCSES) sheds light on research and development performed by the federal government. The survey, called the "Federal Facilities Research and Development Survey," was released in early November and reports on R&D conducted by government scientists and engineers in agencies like the Defense Department, NASA, the Agricultural Research Service and the National Institutes of Health.

In its first year, the survey identified nearly $35 billion in federal R&D performed across 470 individual research facilities in Fiscal Year 2022. Detailed data tables break down facilities' spending by scientific field, type of R&D and in some cases number of researchers, technicians and support staff employed or contracted by the facility.

The full picture of federal R&D

Federal spending can be measured in several ways, including through budget authority, obligations and outlays.

NSF NCSES's detailed data on federal R&D spending goes back to the 1950s thanks to the "Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development." However, this survey tracks obligations, or commitments to spend money, the majority of which is transferred outside the federal government to businesses, universities and other organizations in the form of grants and contracts. The new "Federal Facilities Research and Development Survey" collects information on actual expenditures (outlays) from just those agencies that perform research internally. Spending at federally-funded R&D centers (FFRDCs) like the National Laboratories, which are run by nongovernment organizations, is captured by the "FFRDC Research and Development Survey." Together, NCSES's R&D surveys paint a complete picture of the federal government's essential role in funding and conducting cutting-edge research that can help shape the nation's future.

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