[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 134 (Monday, July 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40793-40794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16399]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation has submitted the following
information collection requirement to OMB for review and clearance
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. This is
the second notice for public comment; the first was published in the
Federal Register at 79 FR 19931 and no substantial comments were
received. NSF is forwarding the proposed renewal submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance simultaneously with
the publication of this second notice. The full submission may be found
at: http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the Agency, including whether the information shall
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of
the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on
respondents, including through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
DATES: Comments regarding these information collections are best
assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of this
notification. Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling 703-
292-7556. NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays
a currently valid OMB control number.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to: Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science
Foundation, 725 17th Street NW., Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, and
to Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Rm. 1265, Arlington, VA 22230, or by
email to [email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, 365 days a year (including federal holidays).
[[Page 40794]]
For Additional Information or Comments: Contact Suzanne Plimpton,
the NSF Reports Clearance Officer, phone (703) 292-7556, or send email
to [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title of Collection: Evaluation of National
Science Foundation's Partnerships for International Research and
Education Program.
OMB Control Number: 3145-NEW.
Abstract. This is a request that the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) approve, under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, a
three year clearance for Abt Associates Inc. to conduct data collection
efforts for an outcome evaluation of the National Science Foundation's
Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) Program.
The PIRE program offers researchers an opportunity to forge
collaborative relationships with foreign scientists and engineers and
provides educational and professional development opportunities for
U.S.-based postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students to
acquire on-site research experience at an international laboratory,
institution or research site, whether university-, industry- or
government-based. The PIRE program funds projects across a broad array
of scientific and engineering disciplines in an effort to catalyze
long-term, sustainable international partnerships for collaborative
research. Across its first four award cohorts in 2005, 2007, 2010 and
2012, PIRE has made a total of 59 awards. PIRE grant awards range from
$2.5 million to $5 million and typically last five years. These
projects range from relatively small, bi-national consortia (e.g., two
U.S. and two non-U.S. institutions in one foreign country) to large,
multi-national, multi-institutional awards (e.g., a dozen U.S.
institutions and 11 non-U.S. institutions representing eight foreign
nations). Many are multi-disciplinary, combining, for example, the
expertise of econometricians with researchers in fluid dynamics; and,
notably, many feature partnerships between academic and industrial or
non-profit institutions. Collectively, these 59 PIRE projects have
provided research and educational opportunities for more than 100
postdoctoral fellows, more than 625 graduate students and approximately
600 undergraduates. More than 600 U.S.-based and over 400 foreign-based
faculty and researchers at university and non-academic institutions
have participated in one or more PIRE-funded collaborations.
To assess the program's outcomes, NSF plans to collect data to
explore the number and quality of publications produced by PIRE
projects and participants, the international experiences of
participants, their educational and career outcomes, the extent to
which program participants establish and maintain collaborations with
foreign researchers, and what effect the PIRE program has on policies
and practices at U.S. and foreign institutions. The primary methods of
data collection will include analyses of NSF program records and
bibliometric data, and web-based surveys of principal investigators,
postdoctoral and student participants, foreign senior investigators,
and administrative officials at U.S. institutions.
Expected Respondents. Include PIRE principal and co-principal
investigators; postdoctoral, graduate student and undergraduate PIRE
participants; foreign senior investigators (individuals with whom PIRE
principal investigators have formed partnerships); administrative
officials within international affairs and/or study abroad offices at
U.S. institutions of the lead PIRE principal investigators; and
principal or co-principal investigators, postdoctoral and graduate
student participants in NSF-funded projects other than PIRE, selected
for similarity to PIRE based on award year, amount, and duration,
research fields, and degree of emphasis on international collaboration.
Use of the Information. The purpose of these studies is to provide
NSF with outcome data on the PIRE program. These data will be used for
internal program management and for reporting to stakeholders within
and outside of NSF.
Burden on the Public. NSF estimates 3,102 survey responses
collected one time at an average of 26 minutes per response for a total
of 1,417 hours.
Consult With Other Agencies and the Public
NSF has not consulted with other agencies. However, the contractor
conducting the evaluation has gathered information from an external
working group of subject matter experts on the study design and data
collection plan.
Dated: July 9, 2014.
Suzanne Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2014-16399 Filed 7-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P