National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics | NSF 26-309 44 Table 25. Federal funding for R&D and R&D plant for National defense and Civilian functions: FYs 1955–2026 (Millions of dollars and percent distribution) Fiscal year $millions % distribution Total National defense Civilian functions Total National defense Civilian functions R&D obligations 1955 2,533 2,151 382 100.0 84.9 15.1 1956 2,988 2,535 453 100.0 84.8 15.2 1957 3,932 3,327 605 100.0 84.6 15.4 1958 4,570 3,801 769 100.0 83.2 16.8 1959 6,694 5,556 1,138 100.0 83.0 17.0 1960 7,552 6,107 1,445 100.0 80.9 19.1 1961 9,059 7,005 2,054 100.0 77.3 22.7 1962 10,290 7,238 3,052 100.0 70.3 29.7 1963 12,495 7,764 4,731 100.0 62.1 37.9 1964 14,225 7,829 6,396 100.0 55.0 45.0 1965 14,614 7,342 7,272 100.0 50.2 49.8 1966 15,320 7,536 7,784 100.0 49.2 50.8 1967 16,529 8,566 7,963 100.0 51.8 48.2 1968 15,921 8,275 7,646 100.0 52.0 48.0 1969 15,641 8,356 7,285 100.0 53.4 46.6 1970 15,339 7,981 7,358 100.0 52.0 48.0 1971 15,543 8,110 7,433 100.0 52.2 47.8 1972 16,496 8,902 7,594 100.0 54.0 46.0 1973 16,800 9,002 7,798 100.0 53.6 46.4 1974 17,410 9,016 8,394 100.0 51.8 48.2 1975 19,039 9,679 9,360 100.0 50.8 49.2 1976 20,780 10,430 10,350 100.0 50.2 49.8 1977 23,450 11,864 11,586 100.0 50.6 49.4 R&D budget authority 1978 25,976 12,899 13,077 100.0 49.7 50.3 1979 28,208 13,791 14,417 100.0 48.9 51.1 1980 29,739 14,946 14,793 100.0 50.3 49.7 1981 33,735 18,413 15,322 100.0 54.6 45.4 1982 36,115 22,070 14,045 100.0 61.1 38.9 1983 38,768 24,936 13,832 100.0 64.3 35.7 1984 44,214 29,287 14,927 100.0 66.2 33.8 1985 49,887 33,698 16,189 100.0 67.5 32.5 1986 53,249 36,926 16,323 100.0 69.3 30.7 1987 57,069 39,152 17,917 100.0 68.6 31.4 1988 59,106 40,099 19,007 100.0 67.8 32.2 1989 62,115 40,642 21,473 100.0 65.5 34.5 1990 63,781 39,925 23,856 100.0 62.6 37.4 1991 65,898 39,328 26,570 100.0 59.7 40.3 1992 68,398 40,083 28,315 100.0 58.6 41.4 1993 69,884 41,249 28,635 100.0 59.0 41.0 1994 68,331 37,764 30,566 100.0 55.3 44.7 1995 68,791 37,204 31,587 100.0 54.1 45.9 1996 69,049 37,801 31,248 100.0 54.7 45.3 1997 71,653 39,591 32,062 100.0 55.3 44.7 1998 73,569 39,823 33,746 100.0 54.1 45.9 1999 77,637 41,306 36,332 100.0 53.2 46.8 R&D and R&D plant budget authority 2000 83,581 43,161 40,420 100.0 51.6 48.4 2001 91,505 46,202 45,303 100.0 50.5 49.5 2002 103,057 53,731 49,326 100.0 52.1 47.9 2003 118,065 63,708 54,357 100.0 54.0 46.0
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics | NSF 26-309 45 Table 25. Federal funding for R&D and R&D plant for National defense and Civilian functions: FYs 1955–2026 (Millions of dollars and percent distribution) Fiscal year $millions % distribution Total National defense Civilian functions Total National defense Civilian functions 2004 126,270 70,344 55,926 100.0 55.7 44.3 2005 131,259 74,641 56,618 100.0 56.9 43.1 2006 136,019 78,737 57,282 100.0 57.9 42.1 2007 141,890 82,658 59,232 100.0 58.3 41.7 2008 144,391 85,129 59,262 100.0 59.0 41.0 2009a 164,292 85,642 78,650 100.0 52.1 47.9 Non-ARRA 145,553 85,342 60,211 100.0 58.6 41.4 ARRA 18,739 300 18,439 100.0 1.6 98.4 2010 148,962 86,789 62,173 100.0 58.3 41.7 2011 144,379 83,226 61,153 100.0 57.6 42.4 2012 143,737 79,875 63,862 100.0 55.6 44.4 2013 132,477 70,781 61,696 100.0 53.4 46.6 2014 136,159 70,992 65,167 100.0 52.1 47.9 2015 138,544 72,950 65,594 100.0 52.7 47.3 2016 150,393 80,202 70,191 100.0 53.3 46.7 2017b 127,306 57,530 69,776 100.0 45.2 54.8 2018 144,459 68,916 75,543 100.0 47.7 52.3 2019 149,971 72,027 77,944 100.0 48.0 52.0 2020c 169,901 81,874 88,027 100.0 48.2 51.8 2021c 161,885 78,368 83,517 100.0 48.4 51.6 2022c 186,765 85,299 101,466 100.0 45.7 54.3 2023 198,941 102,310 96,631 100.0 51.4 48.6 2024 199,342 105,686 93,656 100.0 53.0 47.0 2025 preliminaryd 188,596 96,695 91,901 100.0 51.3 48.7 2026 proposed 153,666 93,385 60,281 100.0 60.8 39.2 ARRA = American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. a The total for FY 2009 is the sum of non-ARRA and ARRA funds. b The application of a narrowed development definition (by the Office of Management and Budget [OMB]) is shown starting in FY 2017. The previous years' numbers reflect use of the former development definition. c Agencies in several functions received emergency COVID-19 pandemic-related funding for R&D or R&D plant in FYs 2020–22. This funding may be included in this table's data; agency reporting is not clear in all cases. d The preliminary data available from the agencies for FY 2024 at the time of this report reflect mainly the annualized continuing resolution funding levels that existed through early March 2025, which were later extended by a continuing resolution to the end of FY 2025. Note(s): The National defense function includes Department of Defense military activities and Department of Energy atomic energy defense programs; some years also include defense-related R&D in the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. Civilian functions include all other federally funded R&D activities. Source(s): Agencies' submissions to OMB per MAX Schedule C, agencies' budget justification documents, supplemental data obtained from agencies' budget offices, and Executive Office of the President, OMB, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2026.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics | NSF 26-309 46 Table 26. Federal funding for R&D plus capital R&D, by GBARD socioeconomic objectives: FYs 2000–26 (Millions of dollars) Fiscal year 2000 67,764 4,917 72,681 868 537 8,437 1,710 1,031 530 18,766 2,155 NA NA NA 0 5,593 32,261 2001 73,789 4,749 78,538 896 574 8,951 1,708 1,320 468 21,741 2,452 NA NA NA 0 6,353 33,235 2002 83,232 5,433 88,665 997 592 9,227 1,939 1,332 549 24,754 2,494 NA NA NA 0 6,605 39,339 2003 93,246 5,521 98,767 989 567 9,677 1,917 1,403 463 27,335 2,303 NA NA NA 0 6,129 46,949 2004 101,843 4,403 106,246 1,027 662 9,746 1,948 1,370 479 29,346 2,466 NA NA NA 0 7,352 50,320 2005 106,674 4,658 111,332 1,053 641 9,656 1,918 1,324 468 29,871 2,646 NA NA NA 0 7,477 54,714 2006 110,047 4,395 114,442 1,045 622 10,401 1,787 1,244 459 29,702 2,670 NA NA NA 0 7,539 57,160 2007 113,888 3,803 117,691 965 738 10,988 1,436 1,922 487 31,080 2,325 449 19 769 0 8,712 57,802 2008 112,432 4,278 116,710 1,300 548 10,672 1,475 2,076 518 31,054 2,332 428 19 756 0 9,007 56,493 2009 128,316 8,283 136,599 1,677 565 9,060 1,536 3,794 963 43,926 2,629 464 25 754 0 14,128 57,046 2010 117,016 2,366 119,382 867 599 8,232 1,640 2,570 1,105 34,206 2,628 491 34 468 0 10,776 55,765 2011 111,464 1,922 113,386 1,315 584 8,658 1,518 2,265 532 33,536 2,211 546 27 585 0 10,581 51,027 2012 114,509 2,287 116,796 1,325 569 10,801 1,591 2,231 557 33,924 2,386 565 26 562 0 10,536 51,662 2013 107,992 1,616 109,608 1,282 540 10,476 1,439 2,289 596 32,454 2,160 486 25 1,283 0 9,620 46,894 2014 109,890 2,612 112,502 1,403 545 11,228 1,364 2,407 655 33,451 2,442 469 27 1,867 0 10,524 46,109 2015 112,766 2,454 115,220 1,444 528 10,928 1,479 3,173 669 33,443 2,540 525 27 1,436 0 11,088 47,927 2016 123,514 2,579 126,093 1,565 520 12,811 1,451 3,492 762 35,891 2,738 505 27 1,219 0 11,328 53,782 2017 124,709 2,597 127,306 1,653 505 10,187 1,586 3,544 750 37,862 2,668 505 27 1,289 0 11,289 55,441 2018 140,700 3,759 144,459 1,688 537 10,552 1,861 4,233 973 40,660 2,698 614 26 564 0 12,559 67,494 2019 145,615 4,356 149,971 1,799 521 10,133 1,895 4,473 763 42,568 3,086 587 27 593 0 13,165 70,361 2020 163,875 6,026 169,901 1,778 556 14,206 1,926 4,539 821 48,055 3,061 581 28 596 0 13,659 80,095 2021 157,611 4,274 161,885 2,519 574 11,566 1,911 4,529 952 44,941 3,222 588 28 521 0 14,150 76,384 2022 180,196 6,680 186,876 2,026 573 14,553 2,496 7,114 5,761 49,486 3,905 719 28 484 0 16,390 83,342 2023 193,078 5,863 198,941 2,375 624 10,920 2,038 6,460 3,000 50,453 3,442 581 28 559 0 15,701 102,760 2024 182,441 7,888 199,342 2,080 550 10,215 2,525 6,140 2,300 49,032 3,221 819 5 669 0 15,659 106,127 2025 preliminaryb 175,451 6,562 188,596 2,056 549 10,647 2,501 6,004 1,963 48,452 3,240 790 5 642 0 14,626 97,121 2026 proposed 136,900 16,611 153,666 788 378 6,822 2,066 1,964 2,140 31,908 2,521 398 1 746 0 10,147 93,787 Note: R&D funds Note: Capital R&D funds Total for all socioeconomic categories
- Exploration and exploitation of the earth
- Environment
- Exploration and exploitation of space
- Transport, telecommunication, and other infrastructures
- Energy
- Industrial production and technology
- Health
- Agriculture
- Education
- Culture, recreation, religion, and mass media
- Political and social systems, structures, and processes
- General advancement of knowledge: R&D financed from GUFa
- General advancement of knowledge: R&D financed from sources other than GUF
- Defense