Table 1. Federal obligations for research and development, by type of R&D, and for R&D plant: FYs 1951–2016

(Dollars in thousands)

Fiscal year Total Total R&D Total research Basic research Applied research Development R&D plant
1951 1,851,571.0 1,521,527.0 NA NA NA NA 330,044.0
1952 2,216,848.0 1,909,665.0 NA 120,945.0 NA NA 307,183.0
1953 2,167,456.0 1,919,543.0 NA 115,997.0 NA NA 247,913.0
1954 1,918,046.0 1,761,840.0 NA 116,033.0 NA NA 156,206.0
1955 2,251,894.0 2,044,593.0 NA 130,068.0 NA NA 207,301.0
1956 3,266,903.0 2,988,203.0 851,947.0 206,441.0 645,506.0 2,136,256.0 278,700.0
1957 4,389,237.0 3,932,001.0 924,547.0 262,348.0 662,199.0 3,007,454.0 457,236.0
1958 4,906,015.0 4,569,722.0 1,078,807.0 334,543.0 744,264.0 3,490,915.0 336,293.0
1959 7,122,610.0 6,693,510.0 1,340,253.0 465,981.0 874,272.0 5,353,257.0 429,100.0
1960 8,080,015.0 7,551,746.0 1,872,509.0 590,374.0 1,282,135.0 5,679,237.0 528,269.0
1961 9,607,023.0 9,058,623.0 2,477,944.0 814,513.0 1,663,431.0 6,580,679.0 548,400.0
1962 11,069,059.0 10,289,947.0 3,004,795.0 986,314.0 2,018,481.0 7,285,152.0 779,112.0
1963 13,662,879.0 12,494,611.0 3,507,903.0 1,151,753.0 2,356,150.0 8,986,708.0 1,168,268.0
1964 15,323,870.0 14,225,354.0 3,874,452.0 1,303,000.0 2,571,452.0 10,350,902.0 1,098,516.0
1965 15,745,852.0 14,614,249.0 4,247,230.0 1,435,469.0 2,811,761.0 10,367,019.0 1,131,603.0
1966 16,178,640.0 15,320,334.0 4,660,247.0 1,579,181.0 3,081,066.0 10,660,087.0 858,306.0
1967 17,149,186.0 16,529,099.0 4,631,390.0 1,845,847.0 2,785,543.0 11,897,709.0 620,087.0
1968 16,525,038.0 15,921,208.0 4,781,062.0 1,840,562.0 2,940,500.0 11,140,146.0 603,830.0
1969 16,309,900.0 15,640,888.0 4,644,890.0 1,944,773.0 2,700,117.0 10,995,998.0 669,012.0
1970 15,863,385.0 15,338,937.0 4,900,798.0 1,925,908.0 2,974,890.0 10,438,139.0 524,448.0
1971 16,153,756.0 15,542,512.0 5,123,171.0 1,980,141.0 3,143,030.0 10,419,341.0 611,244.0
1972 17,097,951.0 16,495,895.0 5,547,696.0 2,186,937.0 3,360,759.0 10,948,199.0 602,056.0
1973 17,574,486.0 16,800,153.0 5,581,429.0 2,232,006.0 3,349,423.0 11,218,724.0 774,333.0
1974 18,176,457.0 17,410,128.0 6,175,240.0 2,387,681.0 3,787,559.0 11,234,888.0 766,329.0
1975 19,859,548.0 19,038,818.0 6,729,708.0 2,588,427.0 4,141,281.0 12,309,110.0 820,730.0
1976 21,616,382.0 20,779,658.0 7,619,332.0 2,767,454.0 4,851,878.0 13,160,326.0 836,724.0
1977 24,817,577.0 23,450,377.0 8,514,115.0 3,258,640.0 5,255,475.0 14,936,262.0 1,367,200.0
1978 27,140,849.0 25,845,137.0 9,606,758.0 3,698,604.0 5,908,154.0 16,238,379.0 1,295,712.0
1979 29,620,597.0 28,145,142.0 10,535,005.0 4,192,665.0 6,342,340.0 17,610,137.0 1,475,455.0
1980 31,386,095.0 29,830,432.0 11,597,378.0 4,674,156.0 6,923,222.0 18,233,054.0 1,555,663.0
1981 34,589,634.0 33,103,924.0 12,212,780.0 5,041,295.0 7,171,485.0 20,891,144.0 1,485,710.0
1982 37,822,363.0 36,432,589.0 13,022,185.0 5,481,605.0 7,540,580.0 23,410,404.0 1,389,774.0
1983 40,009,032.0 38,711,537.0 14,253,525.0 6,260,131.0 7,993,394.0 24,458,012.0 1,297,495.0
1984 44,012,149.0 42,224,865.0 14,978,773.0 7,067,359.0 7,911,414.0 27,246,092.0 1,787,284.0
1985 50,180,369.0 48,359,565.0 16,133,421.0 7,818,682.0 8,314,739.0 32,226,144.0 1,820,804.0
1986 52,951,181.0 51,412,364.0 16,502,199.0 8,153,076.0 8,349,123.0 34,910,165.0 1,538,817.0
1987 57,099,656.0 55,253,693.0 17,940,521.0 8,942,425.0 8,998,096.0 37,313,172.0 1,845,963.0
1988 58,826,512.0 56,769,425.0 18,650,145.0 9,473,618.0 9,176,527.0 38,119,280.0 2,057,087.0
1989 63,571,605.0 61,406,484.0 20,765,531.0 10,602,011.0 10,163,520.0 40,640,953.0 2,165,121.0
1990 65,831,189.0 63,559,471.0 21,622,364.0 11,285,593.0 10,336,771.0 41,937,107.0 2,271,718.0
1991 64,147,951.0 61,295,152.0 23,968,377.0 12,170,794.0 11,797,583.0 37,326,775.0 2,852,799.0
1992 68,577,184.0 65,592,590.0 24,490,598.0 12,489,864.0 12,000,734.0 41,101,992.0 2,984,594.0
1993 70,414,697.0 67,314,025.0 26,890,497.0 13,399,121.0 13,491,376.0 40,423,528.0 3,100,672.0
1994 69,450,776.0 67,235,390.0 27,411,209.0 13,523,476.0 13,887,733.0 39,824,181.0 2,215,386.0
1995 70,442,935.0 68,186,798.0 28,434,396.0 13,877,031.0 14,557,365.0 39,752,402.0 2,256,137.0
1996 69,399,164.0 67,653,047.0 28,259,764.0 14,464,035.0 13,795,729.0 39,393,283.0 1,746,117.0
1997 71,753,430.0 69,826,779.0 29,365,289.0 14,941,892.0 14,423,397.0 40,461,490.0 1,926,651.0
1998 73,913,988.0 72,100,724.0 30,922,269.0 15,613,012.0 15,309,257.0 41,178,455.0 1,813,264.0
1999 77,386,368.0 75,340,622.0 33,527,514.0 17,443,653.0 16,083,861.0 41,813,108.0 2,045,746.0
2000 80,403,169.0 75,910,322.0 38,470,630.0 19,569,849.0 18,900,781.0 37,439,692.0 4,492,847.0
2001 88,562,348.0 84,492,520.0 44,713,736.0 21,958,136.0 22,755,600.0 39,778,784.0 4,069,828.0
2002 98,013,347.0 93,708,604.0 48,006,711.0 23,668,345.0 24,338,366.0 45,701,893.0 4,304,743.0
2003 107,793,778.0 103,527,260.0 51,071,843.0 24,751,441.0 26,320,402.0 52,455,417.0 4,266,518.0
2004 116,068,604.0 112,074,452.0 53,357,811.0 26,120,663.0 27,237,148.0 58,716,641.0 3,994,152.0
2005 122,618,991.0 118,847,864.0 53,738,245.0 27,140,335.0 26,597,910.0 65,109,619.0 3,771,127.0
2006 123,854,731.0 121,729,949.0 53,535,650.0 26,584,592.0 26,951,058.0 68,194,299.0 2,124,782.0
2007 129,431,246.0 127,262,861.0 54,093,565.0 26,865,786.0 27,227,779.0 73,169,296.0 2,168,385.0
2008 129,049,527.3 127,105,666.3 53,893,678.0 27,153,966.0 26,739,712.0 73,211,988.3 1,943,861.0
2009 144,758,067.3 141,090,055.2 63,691,871.9 32,879,356.9 30,812,515.0 77,398,183.4 3,668,012.0
2010 146,967,799.9 140,354,521.1 63,727,973.3 31,795,342.2 31,932,631.1 76,626,547.9 6,613,278.8
2011 139,661,527.1 135,490,831.7 58,023,706.0 29,313,593.3 28,710,112.8 77,467,125.6 4,170,695.4
2012 140,629,126.9 138,483,451.3 61,945,193.6 30,958,892.9 30,986,300.7 76,538,257.7 2,145,675.6
2013 127,291,127.6 125,385,978.9 59,198,210.0 29,779,403.8 29,418,806.2 66,187,768.9 1,905,148.7
2014 132,496,344.7 130,278,703.1 62,908,811.2 31,587,903.1 31,320,908.1 67,369,891.9 2,217,641.6
2015 (preliminary) 132,751,800.5 129,434,962.6 63,419,868.2 31,924,865.4 31,495,002.9 66,015,094.4 3,316,837.9
2016 (preliminary) 140,479,094.9 137,658,899.5 66,169,401.1 33,042,163.0 33,127,238.0 71,489,498.4 2,820,195.4