Department of Energy FY 2021 R&D Budget Request Focuses on Industries of the Future

The President’s FY 2021 Budget Request for R&D activities at the Department of Energy includes significant cuts from FY 2020 enacted amounts, but a new ‘Industries of the Future’ initiative would prioritize “key technologies that promise to fuel American prosperity far into the future, while improving the security of our homeland.” The initiative includes:

• Quantum information sciences, including early stage research for a quantum internet;
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning;
• Advanced manufacturing; and
• Biotechnology.

The request provides $97M in support for a new Energy Storage Grand Challenge, $249 million for Quantum Funding, and over $200 million for Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the DOE enterprise to improve the robustness, reliability, and transparency of Big Data and AI technologies, as well as quantification and development of software tools for DOE mission applications.

The budget provides just $5.8 billion for the DOE Office of Science, a -16.6% cut from FY 2020.  The DOE Office of Science includes funding for all of the nation’s 17 national labs, and is the nation’s
largest Federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences and the lead Federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research on the future of energy.

For additional DOE FY 2021 Budget information, visit:
https://www.energy.gov/cfo/downloads/fy-2021-budget-justification