Congress has often boosted into the double-digits already hefty increases recommended by the administration. The laboratories, universities, institutes and companies, both large and small, doing research have enjoyed a windfall, actually straining the infrastructure at some universities built for more modest work. It s unparalleled in the government and perhaps in history. It s an extraordinary multiyear commitment to making medical research a priority, said Michael Werner, director of federal government relations at the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a trade group in Washington. We re going to be healthier, we re going to have a better quality of life, and we re going to reap the rewards of the investment, he said.
Some scientists worry, though, that they are missing out on the government s investment.
When it comes to funding, they say, a software breakthrough will never seem as compelling as a cure to diabetes. The proposed hike next year was just 1 percent, actually a cut when inflation is taken into account. Smaller agencies are facing even bleaker futures. Stagnant budgets have made it difficult to modernize monitoring equipment for earthquakes, water quality, and rivers, said Bob Hirsch, the agency s associate director for water. Staff has suffered, too.