Summary of Federal Construction, Building, and Housing Related Research & Development in Fy1999

Investments in new construction and building typically represent 8 to 10 percent of the nation's GDP, with more than 40 percent of this investment being for new housing. The National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Construction and Building and the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing requested a search of RAND's RaDiUS database to identify all federally funded research and development (R&D) activities related to the fields of construction, building, and housing in fiscal year 1999. The search found that the federal government funded more than 1,600 projects representing roughly $545 million in construction and building related R&D. Energy supply and transportation-related infrastructure represented just under 50 percent of the total dollar investment. Of the total, more than 500 projects representing roughly $236 million were potentially relevant to housing. Of housing-related R&D investments, energy supply and energy efficiency represented roughly 65 percent of this funding. These activities were performed by nine departments and three independent agencies. For the broader construction and building portfolio, the Departments of Energy and Transportation together represented roughly 64 percent of the dollar investment. Of the R&D related to housing, the Department of Energy represented 71 percent of the total.Hassell, Scott is the author of 'Summary of Federal Construction, Building, and Housing Related Research & Development in Fy1999' with ISBN 9780833030313 and ISBN 0833030310.