[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 230 (Friday, November 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71624-71625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28636]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Submission for OMB Review; 30-Day Comment Request; Data
Collection To Understand How NIH Programs Apply Methodologies To
Improve Their Research Programs (MIRP)
SUMMARY: Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institutes of Health, has submitted
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review and
approval of the information collection listed below. This proposed
information collection was previously published in the Federal Register
on September 9, 2013, page 55084 and allowed 60-days for public
comment. One comment was received. However, the issues addressed in the
comment were not related to the information collection proposed, and
will not be considered in the finalization process. The purpose of this
notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National
Institutes of Health, may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is
not required to respond to, an information collection that has been
extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless
it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions
regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding
the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be
directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory
Affairs, [email protected] or by fax to 202-395-6974,
Attention: NIH Desk Officer.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days
of the date of this publication.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain a copy of the data
collection plans and instruments, or request more information on the
proposed project, contact: Ms. Dione Washington, Strategic Planning and
Evaluation Branch, OSPIDA, NIAID, NIH, 6610 Rockledge Dr., Rm 2501,
Bethesda, MD 20892-6620, or Email your request, including your address
to [email protected]. Formal requests for additional plans and
instruments must be requested in writing.
Proposed Collection: Data collection to understand how NIH programs
apply methodologies to improve their research programs (MIRP), 0925-
NEW, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),
National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Need and Use of Information Collection: In this submission, NIAID
is requesting an OMB generic clearance for formative research
activities relating to the collection of data to assist the Institute
in understanding the usefulness of a range of methodologies that are
employed to increase organizational effectiveness. The Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP) have instructed agencies to apply rigorous strategy management
principles to ensure resources are directed at high-priority programs
and avoid duplication of effort. A key aspect to ensuring resources
dedicated to these programs are applied efficiently and effectively is
to understand how NIH research programs apply methodologies to improve
their organizational effectiveness. The degree of an organization's
effectiveness is commonly recognized to be influenced by many factors.
These can include the clarity of its purpose and strategy, how it
allocates and structures its work, the processes used to carry out
operations, the way technologies are used to support work, the people
involved and their skills and abilities, the way relationships are
managed with partners and stakeholders, and how leadership functions,
particularly in terms of its ability to ensure that all the other
components are aligned in supporting work towards the mission. Many
methodologies are commonly employed in all sectors, including
government, with the goal of increasing organizational effectiveness.
Some examples of those used widely are strategic planning and strategy
management, total quality management, change management, organizational
assessment and intervention, organizational design, process
improvement, leadership development, performance management, and
workforce training and professional development, among others. There
are many models and approaches to each of these methodologies. Each one
can be implemented in a wide range of ways. Reflection on and learning
from methodologies that have been used and the ways in which they have
been employed is critical to continually ensuring that government
functions effectively.
The primary use for information gathered through voluntary survey
pilot testing, surveys, focus groups, interviews, and collaborative
data interpretation meetings to understand the use of strategy
management in research programs supported by the NIH. The information
will improve approaches to implementing strategic management, which
will lead to more efficient use of resources. Results gathered in these
data will be used to
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enhance implementation of methodologies to improve organizational
effectiveness. The main goal of this information is to improve program
outcomes and increase the efficiency of resource utilization. The
knowledge gained from these collections will be used to strengthen the
planning, implementation, and monitoring of NIH research programs, as
well as to strengthen strategy management in NIH research programs.
The questions asked, and the data to be collected are rooted in
established business-based paradigms but specifically adapted for use
(and relevance) in a biomedical research environment, in order to
discern: 1) Factors that enhance (or inhibit) organizational
effectiveness in research programs; 2) utility and acceptance of these
kinds of efforts among biomedical researchers and research
stakeholders. The results from this formative research project will
inform quality improvement activities in several areas, including goal
setting, capability and resource evaluation, operational efficiency,
and performance monitoring. Utilized data collection methodologies will
be administered in a manner that minimizes public information
collection burden. These include, but are not limited to, surveys,
focus groups, and/or cognitive interviews. Separate and distinct
generic clearances are requested to facilitate the efficiency of
submission and review of these projects as required by the OMB Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs
OMB approval is requested for 3 years. There are no costs to
respondents other than their time. The total estimated annualized
burden hours are 4775.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Average burden
Form name Type of respondent Number of responses per per response Total annual
respondents respondent (in hours) burden hour
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Pilot Test..................................... Science professional, researchers, 900 1 45/60 675
institutional officials, network
leadership, program administrators,
and research site staff..
Survey......................................... ....................................... 2500 1 30/60 1250
Interview...................................... ....................................... 1000 1 90/60 1500
Focus group.................................... ....................................... 375 1 2/60 750
Data interpretation meeting with stakeholders.. ....................................... 150 1 4/60 600
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Dated: November 21, 2013.
Brandie Taylor,
Project Clearance Liaison, Chief, Evaluation Section, OPSIDA, NIAID,
NIH.
[FR Doc. 2013-28636 Filed 11-27-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P