Science funding does not carry the "obvious immediacy" that issues like defense and welfare do, and consequently is sometimes put off by government officials, Rudenstine said.

Last year Harvard received about $305 million from federal agencies and about $97,000 from non-governmental foundations--both representing increases from the year before.

And while cuts are feared in all areas, universities say they're most concerned about budget reductions in physical science research.

"In a lot of cases science funding is absolutely essential to making progress on scholarly ideas," said University Provost Harvey V. Fineberg '67. "Whereas in the humanities sometimes at least the work can be carried out on some level with more modest support."

Rudenstine said there is a push in the federal government to give more funding to agencies like NIH that work in the biological sciences and less to NSF, NASA and DoD that sponsor research in the physical sciences.

"We really can't starve the physical science, the applied sciences we need for a broad-based investment," Rudenstine said.

Harvard's Director of Federal and State Relations Kevin Casey said that Harvard's lobbyists have been emphasizing the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to science.

"Our main message is that the Congress recognize that a healthy science policy requires a broad-based portfolio," Casey said. "There seems to be broad support for health research, and members of Congress tend to think NIH takes care of that."