On the morning his administration unveiled its budget request forthe2012 fiscal year, US President Barack Obama was addressing students at a school with a specialized science and technology programme in Baltimore, Maryland. The choice was deliberate. Obama has made numerous public appearances in recent weeks to push his strategy of "winning the future" for an embattled US economy by investing in research, innovation and education. His latest budget, released on 14 February, puts numbers to the rhetoric, with a US$66.8-billion request for federal science spending. The total represents a 6% increase over current funding, with some agencies (see table and graph) faring even better.
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