The federal research and development budget is slated to increase in the Bush administration’s fiscal 2004 request, but members of Congress are keeping a close eye on it to make sure it grows in the right way. While appropriators are hammering out the final details of the fiscal 2003 budget — now almost six months late — the House Science Committee held its first meeting on where the administration wants to spend its R&D money next year. The committee chairman, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.), declared information security one of the top priorities. The National Science Foundation, the lead agency for information security R&D, has requested a $20 million increase in funding for its security programs, NSF Director Rita Colwell said. Full Story