Notice2022-00336
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Convergence Accelerator Evaluation & Monitoring Plan
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
January 11, 2022
Issuing agencies
National Science Foundation
Abstract
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans for a new data collection. In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing an opportunity for public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public comment, NSF will prepare the submission requesting Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance of this collection for no longer than three years.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 7 (Tuesday, January 11, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 11, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1440-1441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-00336]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request;
Convergence Accelerator Evaluation & Monitoring Plan
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans for
a new data collection. In accordance with the requirements of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing an opportunity for
public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public
comment, NSF will prepare the submission requesting Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) clearance of this collection for no longer
than three years.
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received within March
14, 2022 to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date
will be considered to the extent practicable. Please send comments to
the address below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite
W18200, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6310130f0a0e13170c230d10054d040c15"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="681b18040105181c0728061b0e460f071e">[email protected]</span></a>. 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).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: Generic Clearance for the Convergence
Accelerator Evaluation & Monitoring Plan.
OMB Number: 3145-NEW.
Expiration Date of Approval: Not applicable.
Type of Request: New information collection.
[[Page 1441]]
Abstract: The information collection will enable the Evaluation and
Assessment Capability (EAC) Section within NSF to garner quantitative
and qualitative information that will be used to inform programmatic
improvements, efficiencies, and enhanced program monitoring for the
Convergence Accelerator (CA). This information collection, which
entails collecting information from CA applicants and grantees through
a series of surveys, interviews, and case studies, is in accordance
with the Agency's commitment to improving service delivery as well as
the Agency's strategic goal to ``advance the capability of the Nation
to meet current and future challenges.''
For this effort, four survey instruments have been developed, each
of which will include closed-ended and open-ended questions to generate
quantitative and qualitative data. For ease of use for our respondent
pool, each of the four survey instruments will be programmed into
interactive web surveys and distributed to eligible respondents by
email. The surveys, which will serve as a census for all applicable CA
applicants and/or grantees, will be used to collect baseline measures
at the start of the program and vital information on how grantees
progress through the program. Follow-up interviews will be conducted
with project team leaders, such as Principal Investigators (PIs) and
Principal Directors (PDs), and case studies that will use a project
team as the unit of analysis will be used to collect qualitatively rich
discursive and observational information that cannot be collected
within a web survey. Both follow-up interviews and case studies will be
conducted virtually with the possibility of in-person interviews and
non-participant observation to be held in the future.
NSF/EAC will only submit a collection for approval under this
generic clearance if it meets the following conditions:
[cir] The collection is voluntary;
[cir] The collection has a reasonably low burden for respondents
(based on considerations of total burden hours, total number of
respondents, or burden-hours per respondent) and is low-cost for the
Federal government;
[cir] The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues
of concern for other Federal agencies;
[cir] The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions
from respondents who have applied to the CA program (including those
that have submitted successful grant applications and subsequently
received funding);
[cir] Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only
to the extent necessary; and
[cir] Information gathered will be used for the dual and
interrelated purposes of disseminating information about the CA program
and using this information to make programmatic improvements,
efficiencies, and enhanced program monitoring for the CA.
Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful
information for the continued evolution of the CA program, but it may
not yield data that can be generalized to the overall population in all
instances. Our qualitative data collection activities--follow-up
interviews and case studies--are designed to investigate outlier CA
teams or CA teams that demonstrate exceptional performance or
successfully overcome significant challenges in their work with the CA.
While the web surveys, which will be deployed at different times during
the program, will collect data that will help the EAC monitor trends
over time and assess overall program performance, the follow-up
interviews and case studies will gather supplemental data that is more
specific to individual CA teams.
As a general matter, this information collection will not include
questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes,
religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered
private.
Below we provide NSF's projected average estimates for the next
three years:
Affected Public: Individuals and households, Businesses and other
for-profit organizations, Not-for-profit institutions, Federal
government.
Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: 10.
Respondents: 300 per activity.
Annual Responses: 3,000.
Frequency of Response: Once per request.
Average Minutes per Response: 75.
Burden Hours: 1,400.
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.
Dated: January 6, 2022.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2022-00336 Filed 1-10-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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