
The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) leads several cutting-edge research projects and initiatives that further our mission on collecting and disseminating objective information on the science and engineering (S&E) enterprise.
Latest News and Announcements from NCSES
America’s Data Hub Consortium Is Seeking Stakeholder Input
America’s Data Hub Consortium (ADC) has recently launched its Idea Bank and is seeking ideas! Stakeholder input may be used to inform future project solicitations and other activities that ADC will undertake, including those to inform a potential National Secure Data Service. Ideas submitted will be shared publicly, so they must be nonproprietary and non-attributional.
To submit an idea, please visit ADC’s Idea Bank and complete the form.
NCSES Launches Web Page Dedicated to the National Secure Data Service Demonstration Project
The National Secure Data Service Demonstration (NSDS-D) project is required under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act to inform a governmentwide effort on strengthening data linkage and data access infrastructure in support of increased evidence building for the American public. The goal of the NSDS-D project is to inform efforts for developing a shared services model that would streamline and innovate data sharing and linkage to enable decision-making at all levels of government and in all sectors. The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics is the responsible entity for fulfilling the NSDS-D project requirements and is partnering with several federal and state government agencies as well as other organizations to help guide its implementation of the NSDS-D project.
To learn more about the NSDS-D project and to explore a list of demonstration projects, please visit the National Secure Data Service Demonstration Project.
Save Time and Share Work with the Table Builder’s “Save and Load” Feature
Users wanted a way to preserve their work in the table builder, so the NCSES Data Team responded by adding a “Save and Load” feature. This improvement is a direct result of NCSES’s continuous collection of user feedback. “Save and Load” increases productivity by allowing users to save time and share work. Save time by storing frequently used table definitions; share work by sending those table definitions to other users to load!
Click here to see a demo of saving and loading table definitions and to download supporting tip sheets.
Federal Statistical System Adopts Standard Application Process
The Federal Statistical System has adopted a Standard Application Process (SAP) for applying for access to federal confidential data assets from any of the 16 federal statistical agencies and units, with the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics serving as the project management office for this transformational effort. The SAP aims to streamline data discovery and standardize the application process for federal confidential data assets while promoting civic engagement, increasing transparency, and supporting private-sector decision-making and policymaking at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels. Visit our Standard Application Process Web page to view information about the SAP, including benefits, phases of development, and how to get involved.
For information on each agency’s collection of confidential data assets or to begin a new application, please visit the new platform at ResearchDataGov.org.
NSF Leads Analytics for Equity Initiative
The National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and other federal agencies, is leading an exciting new initiative that aims to support social, economic, and behavioral science research that leverages federal data and scientific advances in researching equity-related topics for greater public benefit. The Analytics for Equity Initiative links researchers directly with federal agencies seeking to answer key research questions that agencies hope to answer in service of their priorities. The goal is to fund researchers to produce rigorous research and empirical evidence in equity-related topics that both federal agencies and other organizations can use to increase the impact of equity-focused evidence-based strategies.
Please visit the Analytics for Equity Initiative page for more information on participating agencies and related resources.
Ongoing Projects and Initiatives
America's DataHub Consortium
America’s DataHub Consortium (ADC) is a groundbreaking initiative sponsored by NCSES to collaborate with the Federal Statistical System. ADC advances NCSES’s mission by supporting exciting activities related to increased data access and sharing, strengthening infrastructure, and promoting innovative analysis across the S&E landscape. An article on this initiative, America's DataHub Consortium: Seeing — and Understanding — the Entire Elephant, is available through the National Science Foundation.
In 2022, the ADC awarded five projects totaling $3.5M in funding. The projects aim to provide the government with a more comprehensive understanding of the availability and demand for global science and engineering training and talent.
Interested in learning more? Please visit americasdatahub.org.
Collaboration by NCSES and the Bureau of Economic Analysis on Global Value Chains and Intangibles
NCSES and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are collaborating on a new project to better understand production and use of research and development and other intellectual property products in global value chains (GVCs). In partnership with NCSES, BEA released its first prototype of data on value added trade in December 2021. These data provide new insights into the way U.S. knowledge- and technology-intensive (KTI) industries and other sectors of the economy interact in production and trade activities involving GVCs. For more information on KTI industries, please visit Production and Trade of Knowledge- and Technology-Intensive Industries. Science and Engineering Indicators 2022.
On 16 March 2023, updated and expanded prototype statistics were published that look more deeply into U.S. exports, revealing the mix of foreign and domestic content used to make exported goods and services (also known as trade in value added; TiVA). TiVA statistics are part of a joint effort between BEA and NCSES to increase understanding of U.S. trade and global value chains—the increasingly complicated supply chains that can link multiple countries together in the stages to produce a final good or service. New TiVA data are available in BEA’s interactive tables. For more information, please visit BEA's Global Value Chains Web page. A blog article is also available that offers a closer look at these new TiVA statistics.
For more information on this project, please contact
For more information on this project, please contact
Join the Conversation around NCSES Data on the PEERS Forum
NCSES is partnering with the PEERS Data Hub (Partnership for Expanding Education Research in STEM) community to highlight NCSES STEM data and to connect with other peer researchers who are interested in exchanging ideas on various topics such as the S&E workforce, fields of study, and education. Join the conversation here.
Skilled Technical Workforce Initiative
One emerging research area for the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) is the skilled technical workforce (STW)—individuals who use science and engineering (S&E) skills in their jobs but do not have a bachelor’s degree. In response to interest from the National Academies' Committee on National Statistics, the National Science Board's STW Task Force, and the Innovations in Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act (2018), NCSES has established a STW Initiative in order to guide efforts to measure and understand the STW.

Workforce Statistics: The STEM Workforce of the United States
Learn more about how the U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce fuels innovation and provides important contributions to the nation.
In support of the STW Initiative, NCSES is proud to sponsor the National Training, Education, and Workforce Survey (NTEWS), which will launch late April 2022. The NTEWS serves to measure and understand the following research concepts of national interest:
- The education, training, and career pathways of skilled technical workers.
- The prevalence and interplay of education (postsecondary degrees and certificates), work credentials (certifications and licenses), and work experience programs among U.S. workers.
Additionally, the NTEWS will expand upon other NCSES surveys targeting the college-education workforce by providing new data on the workforce who do not have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The data from the 2022 NTEWS will serve as the baseline for future cycles and will contribute to NCSES's efforts to assess and support the STW.
Find out more about the STW Initiative here.