Developments in Brief : 7.4% Increase Expected in 1987 Research Funds

Total spending for research and development in the United States is expected to reach $127.4 billion this year, a 7.42% increase over the 1986 figure of $118.6 billion, according to the Battelle Memorial Institute, a nonprofit research institute in Columbus, Ohio.

Inflation will account for about 3% of the increase, so real growth will be 4.33%, slightly above the average real growth of 4.26% per year since 1976.

Industry will provide half that total while the federal government will provide 46.7%, Battelle said in a recent forecast. The rest will come from academic institutions and foundations.

Battelle’s projections seem to support the concern of many academic scientists that increased spending for defense research will come at the expense of support for biological and health sciences.

The forecast also said that the sources of government funding will “change significantly.” The percentage of federal funds provided by the Pentagon will grow from 65% in 1986 to 69.7% in 1987. This change reflects an increase in funding for the long-term acquisition of major weapons systems, including the Strategic Defense Initiative and advanced aircraft.

The percentage of funding provided by the Department of Energy and the Department of Health and Human Services will drop, offseting the increase in defense funding.

Nearly three-fourths of all research and development will be carried out by industry. Universities will conduct 12.2%, the federal government 11.5%, and nonprofit institutions the rest.