[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45184-45185]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16421]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Submission for OMB review; comment request.
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The National Science Foundation (NSF) 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 81 FR 20688 and four 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 regarding (a) whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including
the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be
collected; or (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 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 H.
Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201
Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1265, Arlington, Virginia 22230 or send email
to [email protected]. 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(s) may be obtained by
calling 703-292-7556. 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).
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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments: As required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), comments on the
information collection activities as part of this study were solicited
through publication of a 60-Day Notice in the Federal Register on
January 11, 2016, at 81 FR 20688. Four comments were received, to which
we here respond. One comment came from the Federation of American
Societies for Experimental Biology. They expressed support for the
survey, stating that it is a unique data resource that they often use
in development of their own reports and factsheets. They wrote that the
utility of the survey would be enhanced if it were available on a more
frequent basis and if the data were available more rapidly. NSF
understands that data users need more timely data and thus we
continually look for procedural changes to reduce the time required to
collect and publish the data. Our changes have resulted in the survey
data being published by November each year, approximately 6 months
following the close of the survey and data follow up activities.
Previously the data were not published until the spring of the
following year, or one year following the official close of the survey.
We plan to continue looking for ways to improve the timeliness of the
survey data release, but we have no plans to survey institutions more
frequently than annually at this time.
The second comment came from Jason Owen-Smith, Executive Director,
Institute for Research on Innovation & Science (IRIS) at the University
of Michigan. He expressed support for the survey and asked NSF to
consider linking the administrative data maintained by IRIS into the
HERD survey data to increase the survey data's utility. NSF is very
interested in the administrative data maintained by IRIS and was an
active participant in the Star Metrics project (predecessor of
UMetrics). We will contact Dr. Owen-Smith to discuss the possibilities
for data linking in the coming year.
The third comment came from Marc Kastner, President of the Science
Philanthropy Alliance. He expressed support for the survey and
requested more data on the amount of funding devoted to basic research
versus applied research. Currently the survey does measure the split
between basic research, applied research and experimental development
by overall federal and nonfederal totals. We have no plans to expand
the survey to obtain this split by all sources of funding or field due
to the burden that would place on universities in responding to the
survey.
A fourth comment came from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
They expressed general support for the survey and requested a few
additional data elements to be considered for future collection. NSF is
in regular contact with BEA about their data needs and the feasibility
of adding questions to the HERD or FFRDC Surveys to address these
needs. As part of the survey redesign, NSF added several items
requested by BEA to the questionnaire, where the additional detail
posed no significant increase in burden for the institutions. NSF will
continue to consider additional items in future years while still
prioritizing respondent burden. There are no plans to incorporate these
data items on the HERD or FFRDC Surveys for FY 2016.
Title of Collection: Higher Education Research and Development
Survey
OMB Approval Number: 3145-0100.
Expiration Date of Current Approval: September 30, 2016.
Summary of Collection: The Higher Education Research and
Development (R&D) Survey (formerly known as the Survey of R&D
Expenditures at Universities and Colleges) originated in fiscal year
(FY) 1954 and has been conducted annually since FY 1972. The survey
represents one facet of the higher education component of the NSF's
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)
statistical program authorized by the America COMPETES Reauthorization
Act of 2010 Sec. 505, codified in the National Science Foundation Act
of 1950 (NSF Act), as amended, at 42 U.S.C. 1862. Under paragraph
``b'', NCSES is directed to ``(1) collect, acquire, analyze, report,
and disseminate statistical data related to the science and engineering
enterprise
[[Page 45185]]
in the U.S. and other nations that is relevant and useful to
practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public, including
statistical data on
(A) research and development trends;
(B) the science and engineering workforce;
(C) U.S. competitiveness in science, engineering, technology, and
research and development. . .''
Use of the information: The proposed project will continue the
annual survey cycle for three years. The Higher Education R&D Survey
will provide continuity of statistics on R&D expenditures by source of
funding, type of R&D (basic research, applied research, or
development), and field of R&D, with separate data requested on
research equipment by field. Further breakdowns are collected on funds
passed through to subrecipients and funds received as a subrecipient,
and on R&D expenditures by field from specific federal agency sources.
As of FY 2010, the survey also requests total R&D expenditures funded
from foreign sources, R&D within an institution's medical school,
clinical trial expenditures, R&D by type of funding mechanism
(contracts vs. grants), and R&D by cost category (salaries, equipment,
software, etc.). The survey also requests headcounts of principal
investigators and other personnel paid from R&D funds.
Data are published in NSF's annual publication series Higher
Education Research and Development, available on the web at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvyherd/.
Expected respondents: The FY 2016 Higher Education R&D Survey will
be administered to approximately 700 institutions. In addition, a
shorter version of the survey asking for R&D expenditures by source of
funding and broad field will be sent to approximately 300 institutions
spending under $1 million on R&D in their previous fiscal year. We also
expect approximately 150 institutions to respond to the population
screener form sent to determine eligibility for the survey. Finally, a
survey requesting R&D expenditures by source of funds, cost categories,
and type of R&D will be administered to the 42 Federally Funded
Research and Development Centers.
Estimate of burden: The survey is a fully automated web data
collection effort and is handled primarily by administrators in
university sponsored programs and accounting offices. To minimize
burden, institutions are provided with an abundance of guidance and
resources on the web, and are able to respond via downloadable
spreadsheet if desired. Each institution's record is pre-loaded with
the 2 previous years of comparable data that facilitate editing and
trend checking. Response to this voluntary survey has exceeded 95
percent each year.
The average burden estimate is 1 hour for the approximately 150
institutions responding to the population screener form, 55 hours for
the approximately 700 institutions reporting over $1 million in R&D
expenditures on the standard form, 8 hours for the approximately 300
institutions reporting less than $1 million on the short form, and 12
hours for the 42 organizations completing the FFRDC survey. The total
calculated burden across all forms is 40,812 hours.
Dated: July 6, 2016.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2016-16421 Filed 7-11-16; 8:45 am]
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