White House Outlines FY 2022 R&D Budget Priorities

On August 14, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a memorandum laying out the Trump Administration’s research and development budget (R&D) priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2022. The memo cites five key White House priorities and four “high-priority crosscutting actions” for U.S. federal agencies to consider as they develop their FY 2022 budget submissions.

While the FY 2022 memo shares similar priorities to R&D memos from previous fiscal years, a notable difference is the inclusion of public health security and innovation as a priority in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The five budgetary priorities listed in the memo are:

1. Public Health Security and Innovation
2. Leadership in the Industries of the Future and Related Technologies
3. Security
4. Energy and Environmental Leadership
5. Space Leadership

The memo also includes four “high-priority crosscutting actions” for federal agencies to better meet the budgetary priorities listed above. These four actions are:

1. Build the S&T Workforce of the Future
2. Optimize Research Environments and Results
3. Facilitate Multisector Partnerships and Technology Transfer
4. Leverage the Power of Data

Additional details can be found in the memorandum.

Back to this issue’s table of contents.