National Science Foundation (NSF)

Definition - What does National Science Foundation (NSF) mean?

The National Science Foundation (SF) is a U.S. federal government agency that promotes and supports research and education in math, science, engineering and computer technology. The NSF is the major source of federal funds for computer science research. Initial research into networking was conducted by the NSF, which would eventually lead to the development of the Internet.

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Techopedia explains National Science Foundation (NSF)

The NSF was founded in 1950 following a broad agreement in Washington to provide federal support for science. In 1977, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), and involvement by NSF helps to expand a three-tiered network system to several universities and governmental agencies across the country. This system continued to expand and came to be known as NSFNet. This eventually developed into a major part of today's Internet backbone.