Notice2024-08766
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request
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
April 24, 2024
Issuing agencies
National Science Foundation
Abstract
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the following request for revision of the approved collection of research and development data in accordance with 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 renewal 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 80 (Wednesday, April 24, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31224-31225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08766]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request
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 request for revision of the approved collection of research
and development data in accordance with 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 renewal 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 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports
Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue,
Alexandria, VA 22314; or send email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4033302c292d30342f002e33266e272f36"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="afdcdfc3c6c2dfdbc0efc1dcc981c8c0d9">[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: National Science Foundation Research
Traineeship (NRT) Monitoring System.
OMB Number: 3145-0263.
Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to renew an information
collection.
Proposed Project: The National Science Foundation's (NSF's)
Division of Graduate Education (DGE) in the Directorate for STEM
Education (EDU) administers the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program.
The NRT program is designed to encourage the development and
implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative models for
STEM graduate education training. The NRT program seeks to ensure that
graduate students in research-based master's and doctoral degree
programs develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to
pursue a range of STEM careers. NRT is dedicated to effective training
of STEM graduate students in high-priority interdisciplinary or
convergent research areas through the use of a comprehensive
traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with
changing workforce and research needs.
Previously, NRT awardees provided NSF with information on their
activities through periodic research performance progress reports. The
NRT monitoring system (also referred to as the NRT reporting system)
has replaced these reports with a tailored program monitoring system
that uses internet-based information and communication technologies to
collect, review, and validate specific data on NRT awards. EDU is
committed to ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness with which
respondents provide and NSF staff can access and analyze data on funded
projects within the NRT programs.
[[Page 31225]]
The NRT monitoring system includes subsets of questions aimed at
the different project participants (i.e., Principal Investigators
(PIs), and trainees), and allows for data analysis and data report
generation by authorized NSF staff. The collection generally includes
three categories of descriptive data: (1) Staff and project
participants (data that are necessary to determine individual-level
treatment and control groups for future third-party study or for
internal evaluation); (2) project implementation characteristics (also
necessary for future use to identify well-matched comparison groups);
and (3) project outputs (necessary to measure baseline for pre- and
post- NSF-funding-level impacts). NRT awardees will be required to
report data on an annual basis for the life of their award.
Use of the Information: NSF will primarily use the data from this
collection for program planning, management, and audit purposes to
respond to queries from the Congress, the public, NSF's external merit
reviewers, who serve as advisors, including Committees of Visitors
(COVs), the NSF's Office of the Inspector General, and as a basis for
either internal or third-party evaluations of individual programs. This
information is required for effective administration, communication,
program and project monitoring and evaluation, and for measuring
attainment of NSF's program, project, and strategic goals, and as
identified by the President's Accountability in Government Initiative;
GPRA, and the NSF's Strategic Plan. The Foundation's FY 2022-2026
Strategic Plan may be found at: <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf22068">https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf22068</a>.
Since this collection will primarily be used for accountability and
evaluation purposes, including responding to queries from COVs and
other scientific experts, a census, rather than sampling design,
typically is necessary. At the individual project level, funding can be
adjusted based on individual project's responses to some of the
surveys. Some data collected under this collection will serve as
baseline data for separate research and evaluation studies.
NSF-funded contract or grantee researchers and internal or external
evaluators in part may identify control, comparison, or treatment
groups for NSF's education and training portfolio using some of the
descriptive data gathered through this collection to conduct well-
designed, rigorous research and portfolio evaluation studies.
Burden on the Public: Estimated at 2-16 hours per respondent for
4080 respondents for a total of 5,150 hours (per year).
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: April 19, 2024.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024-08766 Filed 4-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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