Each year, AAU provides budget recommendations for federal investments in student aid programs and scientific research conducted at America's universities.
Without sustained federal investment growth, our country will miss out on groundbreaking innovations, new cures for diseases, and inventions that create new industries. Read AAU's budget recommendations for the federal agencies and programs that are vital to the strength of the government-university partnership that fuels our economy, creates jobs, strengthens national security, and improves health
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is the cornerstone of America’s basic research enterprise. NSF supports fundamental, interdisciplinary, and ground-breaking research and education needed to ensure that the U.S. remains at the forefront of science and innovation.
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the flagship competitive grant program for agricultural research.
Biomedical research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and performed at research universities helps ensure U.S. leadership in the life sciences revolution of the 21st Century.
The Department of Education’s Title VI (domestic) and Fulbright-Hays (overseas) programs are the federal government’s most comprehensive programs for developing national capacity in foreign language and area studies expertise. These programs support instruction in less-commonly taught languages—particularly from regions of U.S. strategic interest—and research on cultural issues important to economic and national security. These programs educate individuals whose skills help ensure the successful international engagement of the U.S. education, government, and business sectors.
AAU calls for an infusion of at least $6 billion for federal research agency programs that support scientific infrastructure at colleges and universities.