The NSF has been authorized under the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, ...to provide a clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on the availability of, and the current and projected need for, scientific and technical resources in the United States, and to provide a source of information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal Government. The Survey is conducted annually, and the results are made available in publications and electronic form. NIH utilizes the results to evaluate the status of graduate education and postdoctoral study in biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research-related fields.