Notice2023-04537
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Grantee Reporting Requirements for the Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Program
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
March 6, 2023
Issuing agencies
National Science Foundation
Abstract
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to renew this collection. In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing 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 3 years.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 43 (Monday, March 6, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 43 (Monday, March 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13853-13854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04537]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request;
Grantee Reporting Requirements for the Emerging Frontiers in Research
and Innovation Program
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to
renew this collection. In accordance with the requirements of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing 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 3 years.
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by May 5, 2023
to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date will be
considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to 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#2655564a4f4b5652496648554008414950"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="93e0e3fffafee3e7fcd3fde0f5bdf4fce5">[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: Grantee Reporting Requirements for the
Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Program.
OMB Number: 3145-0233.
Expiration Date of Approval: June 30, 2023.
Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an
information collection.
Proposed Project
The Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program
recommends, prioritizes, and funds interdisciplinary initiatives at the
emerging frontier of engineering research and education. These
investments represent transformative opportunities, potentially leading
to: new research areas for NSF, ENG, and other agencies; new industries
or capabilities that result in a leadership position for the country;
and/or significant progress on a recognized national need or grand
challenge.
[[Page 13854]]
Established in 2007, EFRI supports cutting-edge research that is
difficult to fund through other NSF programs, such as single-
investigator grants or large research centers. EFRI seeks high-risk
opportunities with the potential for a large payoff where researchers
are encouraged to stretch beyond their ongoing activities. Based on
input from workshops, advisory committees, technical meetings,
professional societies, research proposals, and suggestions from the
research community, the EFRI program identifies those emerging
opportunities and manages a formal process for funding their research.
The emerging ideas tackled by EFRI are ``frontier'' because they not
only push the understood limits of engineering but actually overlap
multiple fields. The EFRI funding process inspires investigators with
different expertise to work together on one emerging concept.
EFRI awards require multi-disciplinary teams of at least one
Principal Investigator and two Co-Principal Investigators. The
anticipated duration of all awards is 4-years. With respect to the
anticipated funding level, each project team may receive support of up
to a total of $2,000,000 spread over four years, pending the
availability of funds. In this respect, EFRI awards are above the
average single-investigator award amounts.
EFRI-funded projects could include research opportunities and
mentoring for educators, scholars, and university students, as well as
outreach programs that help stir the imagination of K-12 students,
often with a focus on groups underrepresented in science and
engineering.
We are seeking to collect additional information from the grantees
about the outcomes of their research that goes above and beyond the
standard reporting requirements used by the NSF and spans over a period
of 5 years after the award. This data collection effort will enable
program officers to longitudinally monitor outputs and outcomes given
the unique goals and purpose of the program. This is very important to
enable appropriate and accurate evidence-based management of the
program and to determine whether or not the specific goals of the
program are being met.
Grantees will be requested to submit this information on an annual
basis to support performance review and the management of EFRI grants
by EFRI officers. EFRI grantees will be requested to submit these
indicators to NSF via a data collection website that will be embedded
in NSF's IT infrastructure. These indicators are both quantitative and
descriptive and may include, for example, the characteristics of
project personnel and students; sources of complementary funding and
in-kind support to the EFRI project; characteristics of industrial and/
or other sector participation; research activities; education
activities; knowledge transfer activities; patents, licenses;
publications; descriptions of significant advances and other outcomes
of the EFRI effort.
Each submission will address the following major categories of
activities: (1) knowledge transfer across disciplines, (2) innovation
of ideas in areas of great opportunity, (3) potential for translational
research, (4) project results that advance the frontier/creation of new
fields of study, (5) introduction to the classroom of innovative
research methods or discoveries, (6) fostering participation of
underrepresented groups in science, and (7) impacting student career
trajectory. For each of the categories, the report will enumerate
specific outputs and outcomes.
Use of the Information: The data collected will be used for NSF
internal reports, historical data, and performance review by peer site
visit teams, program level studies and evaluations, and for securing
future funding for continued EFRI program maintenance and growth.
Estimate of Burden: Approximately 7 hours per grant for
approximately 100 grants per year for a total of 700 hours per year.
Respondents: Principal Investigators who lead the EFRI grants, and
co-Principal Investigators and trainees involved in EFRI-funded
research.
Estimated Number of Responses per Report: One report collected for
each of the approximately 100 grantees every year, including sub-
reports from co-PIs and trainee researchers.
Dated: March 1, 2023.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2023-04537 Filed 3-3-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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