National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (National Science Foundation)

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) is a principal statistic agency located within the National Science Foundation and is authorized by Section 505 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 . NCSES's mandate is the collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of objective data on the science and engineering enterprise.

Our Mission

NCSES is responsible for statistical data on the following broad areas of interest:

• Research and Development
• The science and engineering workforce
• U.S. competitiveness in science, engineering, technology, and R&D
• The condition and progress of STEM education in the United States

Our Core Activities

As one of 13 federal statistical agencies, NCSES designs, supports, and directs periodic national surveys and performs a variety of other data collections and research. The following activities form the core of NCSES work:

• The collection, acquisition, analysis, reporting, and dissemination of statistical data related to the United States and other nations
• Support of research that uses NCSES data
• Methodological research in areas related to its work
• Education and training of researchers in the use of large-scale nationally representative data sets

Our Data Products

NCSES allows eligible individuals the opportunity to apply for access, through the ResearchDataGov site, to restricted data files for select statistical research projects at NCSES’s Secure Data Access Facility and through the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDCs). In addition, NCSES makes data available through our online data tools, data tables, data profiles, and public use microdata files. For more information about all these options, please see the Explore Data page on the NCSES website.

Researchers are often interested in matching NCSES data to other non-NCSES data sources. Individuals interested in matching data should review the NCSES Policy on Matching Non-NCSES Data to Restricted Use Data Sets (35 KB) to better understand how NCSES considers these requests. NCSES is updating their data linkage policy to better meet the data linkage needs of NCSES and external researchers. Currently, NCSES does not support researcher access to direct Personally Identifiable Information (PII). NCSES encourages researchers interested in developing an SAP application that includes linking NCSES restricted data to non-NCSES data sources to contact NCSES at NCSES_Licensing@nsf.gov to assess feasibility and appropriateness.

For more general information on National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) products and programs, email us at NCSES_Licensing@nsf.gov.