US research facilities anticipate budget gloom

Nature : Several centralized research centers supported by NSF are facing the possibility of significant loss of funds, writes Eugenie Samuel Reich for Nature. Cornell’s High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), for example, could experience a 25% budget cut. CHESS is used by approximately 1000 researchers each year. In addition, such facilities as the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory are expecting cuts of 7.4% and 6.4%, respectively. The figures published don’t necessarily tell the whole story—they don’t take into account the discontinuance of supplemental funds such as those awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which disbursed $361 million to facilities in 2010. Hence, some research centers that look, on paper, as though they will be receiving an increase in funding will actually experience a reduction in funds.