UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State President Eric Barron lauded the recent passage of a federal spending agreement for the remainder of the 2017 fiscal year.
“Federal funding is vital to the University’s mission of teaching, research and service,” said Barron. “We are happy to see this agreement include continued federal support for student aid and increases in funding for scientific research. This will allow us to continue educating tomorrow’s workforce, training the next generation of scientists and engineers and serving not only the citizens of Pennsylvania, but the nation and the world. I’d like to thank the Pennsylvania members of Congress who voted in favor of this budget agreement.”
Under the new agreement, which funds the federal government through Sept. 30, 2017, Congress increased the maximum Pell Grant amount to $5,920 per student and reinstated year-round Pell Grants, which will help encourage degree completion and on-time graduation. Additionally, the agreement includes a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health, and increases for the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy’s Office of Science and Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, NASA, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, and support for key University research priorities in the Department of Defense.
Federal funding constitutes the largest portion of the University’s scientific research portfolio, which generates more than $2 billion in economic impact and supports approximately 2,000 jobs throughout the Commonwealth.