Claims

Factual · Economics and markets

“Research funding in general and funding for these types of efforts in particular dropped off in the early '90's.”

Marc Andreessen, Netscape founder · June 1995 · Smithsonian Oral and Video Histories: Marc Andreessen (Smithsonian)

Research funding in general, and for efforts like Mosaic in particular, dropped off in the early 1990s.

Unresolvable The public record could not settle it.

The second judge would not resolve this claim; the verdict shown is the first judge's.

What would count as true or false

The claim has two parts: (a) research funding in general and (b) funding for efforts like Mosaic (networking, internet and software research such as NCSA or HPCC-type programs) both dropped off in the early 1990s (roughly 1990–1995, as known in June 1995). True: data such as NSF, NCSA or federal R&D budget data show declines in both general research funding and funding for this type of work over that period. Mostly true: both broadly declined, but with a small timing mismatch, or the decline was in real terms only. Mixed: one part holds and the other does not, for example general federal R&D fell but HPCC and networking funding rose. Mostly false: there was only a narrow or local decline (one agency or one program) and it is stated as general. False: both general research funding and funding for Mosaic-type efforts clearly rose in the early 1990s (for example, HPCC Act funding growth together with flat or rising overall R&D).

Evidence

1. Read National Academies (Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy study) · 30 October 2001

   “In the early 1990s, shifting national priorities stemming from the end of the Cold War and strong pressures to eliminate the federal budget deficit began to reduce federal funding of research and development in real terms.”

2. Read National Academies (Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy study) · 30 October 2001

   “especially trends after 1993, when pressures to reduce the federal budget deficit and reductions in the defense budget had stopped real growth in federal research budgets for a 5-year period.”

3. Read National Academies (Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy study) · 30 October 2001

   “Before 1993 there had been a long period of real growth in research funding overall if not in all research fields or by all federal agencies supporting research.”

4. Read National Academies (Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy study) · 30 October 2001

   “Exceptions were computer science and materials engineering, whose support increased 39.4 and 12.6 percent, respectively.”

Reasoning

On general research funding the evidence conflicts: E1 describes a real-terms reduction beginning in the early 1990s, while E2 and E3 place the halt in real growth after 1993. On Mosaic-type work, E4 reports that support for computer science increased but does not say over what period, so it does not show whether this funding rose or fell in the early 1990s.

Cite this claim

Marc Andreessen, “Research funding in general, and for efforts like Mosaic in particular, dropped off in the early 1990s.” (said June 1995). Verdict: unresolvable. Reliability API, claim c_52da45af1f73, method 0.1.0+c876030c. https://epistacklabs.com/claims/c_52da45af1f73