We are sometimes bewildered, and sometimes awed by the national US technology strategy. However, in the case of the US Congresss most recent budget in which the National Science Foundation (NSF) has been cut, it is more the former.
Apparently, the US Congress has decided to cut $105 million from the NSFs budget from last year. While the NSFs budget will still be about $5.4 billion, can this be anything but a frightening omen of things to come when Punxsutawney Phil (that loveable and unpronounceable ground hog) gets $100,000 for the Punxsutawney Weather Museum in Pennsylvania and the NSF budget gets slashed. For a nation that has a proud history of scientific and technological innovation through the NSF, the question that strikes us over here in Europe is, Has the US lost its sense of national priorities?
This comes at a time when the UK Chancellor is staking Britains economic future on technology (OK, theres an election coming up so pass the salt, or in Harry Kroto’s case the smalling salts).
Will anyone will start quoting this $105 million budget cut of the NSF budget with the same vigour that observers have oft quoted the $3.7 billion authorized to be targeted for nanotechnology research over the next four years contained within the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act uh, probably not.