Notice2021-13670
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 2021 Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 28, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed revision of 2021 Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 121 (Monday, June 28, 2021)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 121 (Monday, June 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33978-33979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13670]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; 2021 Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey
AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the
proposed revision of 2021 Business Enterprise Research and Development
Survey, prior to the submission of the information collection request
(ICR) to OMB for approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before August 27, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#affbc7c0c2cedc81e581fcc2c6dbc7efcccac1dcdadc81c8c0d9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6e3a0601030f1d4024403d03071a062e0d0b001d1b1d40090118">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference 2021 Business
Enterprise Research and Development Survey in the subject line of your
comments. You may also submit comments, identified by Docket Number
USBC-2021-0015, to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. All comments received are part of the public
record. No comments will be posted to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> for
public viewing until after the comment period has closed. Comments will
generally be posted without change. All Personally Identifiable
Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
You may submit attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word,
Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Michael Flaherty, U.S. Census Bureau, Chief, Research, Development &
Innovation Surveys Branch, 301-763-7699, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a4c9cdc7ccc5c1c88ace8ac2c8c5ccc1d6d0dde4c7c1cad7d1d78ac3cbd2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="432e2a202b22262f6d296d252f222b2631373a0320262d3036306d242c35">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The U.S. Census Bureau, with support from the National Center for
Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science
Foundation, plans to conduct the Business Enterprise Research and
Development Survey (BERD) for the 2021-2023 survey years. BERD covers
all domestic, non-farm, for-profit businesses with at least 10 paid
employees. BERD provides the only comprehensive national data on
Research and Development (R&D) costs and detailed expenses by type and
industry.
The Census Bureau has conducted an R&D survey since 1957,
collecting primarily financial information on the systematic work
companies undertake to discover new knowledge or use
[[Page 33979]]
existing knowledge to develop new or improved goods and services.
Beginning in 2020, in an effort to reduce burden, BERD began
rotating select content off the survey in alternating years. In 2020,
questions related to detail of R&D performed by others, activities with
academia, industries of business and specific federal agency funding
R&D, and areas of application for R&D were removed from BERD. In 2021,
all of those questions will be reintroduced to the survey and the
Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Section will be removed
from the survey.
Beginning in 2021, the BERD will revise its existing Capital
Expenditures section to collect additional information on assets.
Cognitive testing on these questions conducted by the Census Bureau in
2018 revealed that these questions pose no substantive impact on burden
(the data requested are all readily available in most companies' books)
and would provide context on capital stock of R&D active companies not
currently available in any other data source.
The 2021-2023 BERD will continue to collect the following types of
information:
<bullet> R&D expense based on accepted accounting standards.
<bullet> Worldwide R&D of domestic companies.
<bullet> Business segment detail.
<bullet> R&D-related capital expenditures.
<bullet> Detailed data about the R&D workforce.
<bullet> R&D strategy and data on the potential impact of R&D on
the market.
<bullet> R&D directed to application areas of particular national
interest.
<bullet> Data measuring intellectual property protection activities
and technology transfer.
Domestic and foreign researchers in academia, business, and
government analyze and cite data from the BERD. Among the federal
government users are the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the
White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). BEA
includes R&D in the system of national accounts that measures the
economic well-being of the country. BERD data are key inputs into these
accounts, which feed into the calculation of the U.S. Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). The White House, in 2006, issued the American
Competitiveness Initiative to ``increase investments in research and
development, strengthen education, and encourage entrepreneurship.'' In
support of this initiative and in response to legislative mandates,
data on R&D are delivered to OSTP, primarily in the biennial National
Science Board report Science and Engineering Indicators. Also, the
National Science Foundation (NSF) produces a series of publications
containing R&D data including the National Patterns of R&D Resources
series, the S&E State Profile series, and the annual Business
Enterprise Research and Development Survey series. Special reports and
other publications are also prepared.
II. Method of Collection
BERD will follow a primarily electronic collection strategy. The
form will be available on the website to assist respondents with
gathering the required data prior to reporting online. Paper forms will
also be sent to respondents upon request, however no paper forms will
be included in initial mail packets. The online survey automatically
skips questions that do not apply [based on previous responses] and
checks for common errors. Links to detailed question-by-question
instructions will be embedded in the electronic instrument. Excel
spreadsheets are available to facilitate the electronic collection of
information from various areas of the companies. Respondents have the
capability to download the spreadsheets from the Census Bureau's
website. A consolidator spreadsheet is also available to assist
companies that need to gather information from business units and then
compile the information into one company report.
The due date will be six weeks after mail out.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-0912.
Form Number(s): BRD-1.
Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Revision of a
Currently Approved Collection.
Affected Public: For-profit businesses with at least 10 paid
employees.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 47,500.
Estimated Time per Response: 2 Hours and 37 Minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 124,450.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services
required specifically by the collection.)
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 8(b), 131 and 182; Title
42, U.S.C. Sections 1861-76 (National Science Foundation Act of 1950,
as amended).
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-13670 Filed 6-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 28, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.