The Defense Department must cut all of its research programs by 8 percent each for a total of $1 billion under sequestration and will include grants and contracts in the cuts.University grants will be cut by $200 million this year and the Pentagon could also eliminate all of the SMART program’s scholarships for science and mathematics students, Federal News Radio reports.
Jared Serbu writes the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and all military services are among the components who will see research program reductions under the sequester.
Alan Shaffer, acting assistant defense secretary for research and engineering, told the station the coming civilian worker furloughs will slow down the pace of getting money on contract and lower-tier suppliers would feel those effects.
The Pentagon requested $12 billion in science and technology funds for fiscal year 2014, according to the report.
