Notice2024-07517
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Computer Science for All-Evaluation and Systematic Review of Grantee Documents
Primary source
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Published
April 9, 2024
Issuing agencies
National Science Foundation
Abstract
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. This is the second notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal Register, and no comments were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance simultaneously with the publication of this second notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 69 (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24873-24875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07517]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request;
Computer Science for All--Evaluation and Systematic Review of Grantee
Documents
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Submission for OMB review; comment request.
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SUMMARY: 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. This is the second
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal
Register, and no comments were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance
simultaneously with the publication of this second notice.
DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain</a>. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0774776b6e6a7773684769746129606871"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ddaeadb1b4b0ada9b29db3aebbf3bab2ab">[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).
Comments: Comments regarding (a) whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the NSF, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the NSF's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
use, and clarity of the information on respondents; 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 should be addressed to the points
of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: Generic Clearance for the Regional Innovation
Engines Evaluation and Monitoring Plan.
OMB Number: 3145-NEW.
Expiration Date of Approval: Not applicable.
Type of Request: New information collection.
Description
The instruments will collect data on (1) individuals in leadership
or governance roles in funded NSF Regional Innovation Engine (NSF
Engine), and individuals engaged or participating in the NSF Engine's
activities; (2) organizations that are partnering with the NSF Engine
or participating in NSF Engine activities; and (3) information on the
programmatic activities, outputs, impact, and/or outcomes of the Engine
(i.e., use-inspired research, development and translation, impact on
the economy, new jobs created, new industries launched, and others).
Background
The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 codified the National Science
Foundation's cross-cutting Directorate for Technology, Innovation and
Partnerships (TIP), NSF's first new directorate in more than 30 years,
and charged it with the critical mission of advancing U.S.
competitiveness through investments that accelerate the development of
key technologies and address pressing national, societal and
geostrategic challenges. NSF's TIP directorate deepens the Agency's
commitment to support use-inspired research and the translation of
research results to the market and society. In doing so, TIP
strengthens the intense interplay between foundational and use-inspired
work, enhancing the full cycle of discovery and innovation.
TIP integrates with NSF's existing directorates and fosters
partnerships--with government, industry, nonprofits, civil society, and
communities of practice--to leverage, energize and rapidly bring to
society use-inspired research and innovation. TIP spurs use-inspired
research and innovation to meet the nation's priorities by accelerating
the development of breakthrough technologies and advancing solutions.
The NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program serves as
a flagship funding program of the TIP directorate, with the goal of
expanding and accelerating scientific and technological innovation
within the U.S. by catalyzing regional innovation ecosystems throughout
every region of our nation. The NSF Engines program was authorized in
the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (Section 10388) to
(1) advance multidisciplinary, collaborative, use-inspired and
translational research, technology development, in key technology focus
areas;
(2) address regional, national, societal, or geostrategic
challenges;
(3) leverage the expertise of multi-disciplinary and multi-sector
partners, including partners from private industry, nonprofit
organizations, and civil society organizations; and
(4) support the development of scientific, innovation,
entrepreneurial, and STEM educational capacity within the region of the
Regional Innovation Engine to grow and sustain regional innovation.
The NSF Engines program aims to fund regional coalitions of
partnering organizations to establish NSF Engines that will catalyze
technology and
[[Page 24874]]
science-based regional innovation ecosystems. Each NSF Engine is
focused on addressing specific aspects of a major national, societal
and/or geostrategic challenge that are of significant interest in the
NSF Engine's defined ``region of service.'' The NSF Engines program
envisions a future in which all sectors of the American population can
participate in and benefit from advancements in scientific research and
development equitably to advance U.S. global competitiveness and
leadership. The program's mission is to establish sustainable regional
innovation ecosystems that address pressing regional, national,
societal, or geostrategic challenges by advancing use-inspired and
translational research and development in key technology focus areas.
The programmatic level goals of NSF Engines are to:
<bullet> Goal 1: Stimulate innovation in regions with low levels of
innovation;
<bullet> Goal 2: Build and train an inclusive workforce;
<bullet> Goal 3: Advance key technologies;
<bullet> Goal 4: Create a culture that promotes inclusive and equitable
prosperity;
<bullet> Goal 5: Cultivate new, sustainable, trusting cross-sector
partnerships;
<bullet> Goal 6: Create a sustainable innovation ecosystem;
<bullet> Goal 7: Increase economic growth;
<bullet> Goal 8: Increase job creation.
To achieve these goals, each NSF Engine will carry out an
integrated and comprehensive set of activities spanning use-inspired
research, translation-to-practice, entrepreneurship, and workforce
development to nurture and accelerate regional industries. In addition,
each NSF Engine is expected to embody a culture of innovation and have
a demonstrated, intense, and meaningful focus on improving diversity
throughout its regional science and technology ecosystem. NSF Engines
are awarded as cooperative agreements and are expected to undergo an
annual comprehensive evaluation assessment of the NSF Engine's
performance, which will inform subsequent year funding. The total
funding for each NSF Engine is up to $160 million over 10 years with
the first-ever group of NSF Engines expected to be announced in late
2023.
Effective monitoring, assessment, and evaluation of NSF Engines
will be critical for making programmatic funding decisions and
increasing the understanding of how regional innovation ecosystems are
created. Systematic data and information collection will be
qualitative, quantitative, and descriptive in nature and will provide a
means for managing Program Directors to monitor progress throughout a
given NSF Engine the award and ensure that the award is in good
standing. These data will also allow NSF to assess the NSF Engines
Program in terms of intellectual, technological, societal, commercial,
and economic impacts that are core to the NSF merit review criteria.
Finally, in compliance with the Evidence Act of 2019, information
collected will be used for both internal and external program
evaluation and assessment, satisfying Congressional requests, and
supporting the Agency's policymaking and reporting needs.
Methodology
This information collection, which entails collecting information
from NSF Engines grantees and participants through a series of surveys,
interviews, focus groups, 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 categories of 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, survey questionnaires 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 NSF
Engines grantees, partner organizations, and participants, will be used
to collect baseline measures at the start of the program and vital
information on how grantees, partner organizations, and participants
progress through the program. All data collected through web surveys
will be made available to the external evaluator(s) for each NSF Engine
to be used for their own analyses, assessments, and evaluation. The
four categories of data that will be collected for each NSF Engine
through web-based surveys are outlined below:
<bullet> Input data for a given NSF Engine
[cir] The Chief Executive Officer, or designated personnel, will be
asked to provide basic information on each NSF Engine participant
(e.g., name of individual, email address of individual, which NSF
Engine activity the individual is involved in), each partner
organization (e.g., name and address of partner organization, point of
contact for organization's involvement with NSF Engines, email address
for organization's point of contact), and each programmatic activity
(e.g., title of activity, activity lead name and email address, short
description of the activity). Automated web-based surveys will be sent
to the email addresses collected from this input. Data will be
collected on a rolling basis as NSF Engine activities may start at any
time during the award.
<bullet> Individual level data
[cir] Demographic and personal data (e.g., age, gender, race,
educational attainment, socioeconomic status, job status) will be
collected for all participants in a given NSF Engine, including the
Chief Executive Officer; members of the leadership team, governance
board, and advisory committees, as applicable; researchers; and
workforce development participants. Data collected from individuals
will be used to monitor and assess whether the NSF Engine's
participants reflect the demographic diversity of the region of service
defined by the NSF Engine. In addition, these data can be used by
individual NSF Engines to assess whether they are meeting their
diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) objectives and
targets. Surveys for individuals will be conducted once a year.
<bullet> Partner organization level data
[cir] Partner organizations that are involved in any NSF Engines
activities or provide any monetary, in-kind, or other contributions
will be surveyed twice a year and asked to provide basic information
about its organization (e.g., employer identification number, legal
name of organization, type of organization); in which NSF Engine
activities the organization participated; the monetary or estimated
value of in-kind and other resources they contributed to the NSF
Engine; with which other partner organizations within the NSF Engine
they collaborated; why they are a partner of the NSF Engine; and other
information related to the roles and responsibilities an organization
has within NSF Engine. Individual Engines may use the data for internal
assessments and to help inform decision making. Data collected from
this effort will be used to monitor and assess the level of cross-
sector partnerships created within and across NSF Engines.
<bullet> Programmatic-level data
[cir] NSF Engines activities fall into one of four programmatic
categories: (1) use-inspired and translational research, (2) workforce
development, (3) diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
(DEIA), and (4) ecosystem building (e.g., stakeholder engagement,
strategic planning, building of infrastructure, partner outreach). The
lead of each activity will be asked to provide
[[Page 24875]]
information about the activity twice a year. Different survey
questionnaires will be used for each of the four programmatic
categories. Basic information to be collected for all activities
include activity status (i.e., active, completed, on hold, or
cancelled); identification of milestones; and milestone status (i.e.,
on track, at risk, or off track). Information specific to each
programmatic category will also be collected. For instance, the survey
questionnaire on use-inspired and translational research activities
will also collect information on intellectual property (e.g., invention
disclosures, patents granted, licensing agreements, royalties earned)
as well as where along is the research spectrum of an activity (e.g.,
technology and adoption readiness levels). For the workforce
development survey questionnaire, information will also be collected on
the targeted population(s) of the workforce development activity.
Individual NSF Engines may use the data for internal assessments and to
help inform decision making. Data collected from this effort will also
be used to monitor and assess the progress made in use-inspired and
translational research, workforce development, DEIA, and ecosystem
building within and across NSF Engines.
In addition to the web-based surveys, follow-up interviews and
focus groups will be conducted with project team leaders, such as
Principal Investigators (PIs), Principal Directors (PDs), Chief
Executive Officers (CEO), and members of the governance boards, as well
as NSF Engines stakeholders, such NSF Engines participants, and partner
and community-based organizations. Case studies and focus group
interviews will be used to collect qualitatively rich discursive and
observational information that cannot be collected within web surveys.
Both interviews (focus groups and/or follow-up) 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's TIP directorate will only submit a collection for approval
under this clearance if it meets the following conditions:
[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; and
[cir] Information gathered will be used for the dual and
interrelated purposes of disseminating information about the NSF
Engines program and using this information to conduct enhanced program
monitoring for NSF Engines, identify and implement efficiencies, and
make programmatic improvements.
Feedback collected under this clearance provides useful information
for the continued evolution of the NSF Engines program, but it may not
yield data that can be generalized to the overall population in all
instances. Our qualitative data collection campaigns--follow-up
interviews, focus groups, and case studies--are designed to provide
contextual understanding of the progress made by each NSF Engine, and
to identify NSF Engines or projects that demonstrate exceptional
performance in efforts to build an inclusive, sustainable innovation
ecosystem. All data collection campaigns (e.g., web-based surveys,
interviews, focus groups), collectively, will help TIP monitor the
progress of individual NSF Engines, identify trends over time, and
assess overall program performance.
Affected Public: Please refer to the detailed descriptions of each
programmatic category for the targeted groups.
Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: For each Engine
award, we anticipate the following lower and upper bounds for the
numbers of responses and response burdens by collection method:
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Collection component Number of respondents Number of hours Total burden (hours)
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6 surveys............................ 40-70 respondents per 10-15 hours per Engine 400-1,050 hours per
Engine. per year. Engine per year.
Focus group interviews............... 10 participants/Engine 2 hours per session.... 200 hours per Engine
(10 Engines). per year.
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Total............................ ....................... ....................... 600-1,250 hours per
Engine per year.
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As shown above, the annual response burden for the collections
under this request is in the range of 600-1,250 hours.
Respondents: Lower bound estimate of 60 individuals and upper bound
estimate of 400 individuals per NSF Engine award per year.
Annual Responses: Lower and upper bound estimates of 100 and 600
responses per NSF Engine per year, respectively. The total number of
annual responses will be based on the total number of NSF Engines
awarded, which is determined by annual funding availability.
Frequency of Response: Please refer to the description of
programmatic categories for frequency of data collection.
Average Minutes per Response: 30.
Burden Hours: Lower and upper bound estimates of approximately 85
and 400 hours per NSF Engine award, respectively.
Dated: April 4, 2024.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024-07517 Filed 4-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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