Notice2024-24913
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Grantee Reporting Requirements for NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) Program
Primary source
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Published
October 25, 2024
Issuing agencies
National Science Foundation
Abstract
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to establish this 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 3 years.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 207 (Friday, October 25, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 207 (Friday, October 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85252-85254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24913]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request;
Grantee Reporting Requirements for NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF
Engines) Program
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to
establish this 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 3 years.
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by December 24,
2024, to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to the
address below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite
E6400, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93e0e3fffafee3e7fcd3fde0f5bdf4fce5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bbc8cbd7d2d6cbcfd4fbd5c8dd95dcd4cd">[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 are invited on: (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the Foundation, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Foundation's estimate
of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional
Innovation Engines (Engines) Program Evaluation Capacity Building.
OMB Number: 3145-NEW.
Expiration Date of Approval: Not Applicable.
Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to establish an
information collection.
Proposed Project: 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 multidisciplinary 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 each Engine to grow and sustain regional
innovation.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, NSF established 10 inaugural NSF Engines
awards, uniquely placing science and technology leadership as the
central driver for regional economic competitiveness. Each NSF Engine
is accelerating technological innovation while also addressing
national, societal and/or geostrategic challenges that are of
significant interest in the NSF Engine's defined ``region of service.''
The programmatic level goals of NSF Engines are to:
Goal 1: Establish self-sustaining innovation ecosystems;
Goal 2: Establish nationally recognized regional ecosystems for key
industries;
Goal 3: Broaden participation in innovation ecosystems by enabling
all members of a region to engage;
Goal 4: Advance technologies relevant to national competitiveness;
Goal 5: Catalyze regions with nascent innovation ecosystems;
Goal 6: Increase economic growth;
Goal 7: 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 research, innovation and 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 engaging
everyone throughout its regional science and technology ecosystem.
Owing to the bespoke goals and objectives that are varied by
regions and NSF Engines, and the expansive network of stakeholders that
are involved, it is important for each NSF Engine to build (and
subsequently strengthen) its own evaluation capacity, within a broader
context of NSF's assessment of the NSF Engines individually and
collectively.
Here, evaluation capacity refers to enabling each Engine to have
the competencies in designing, managing, implementing, and using
evaluation. It includes ``strengthening a culture of valuing evidence,
valuing questioning, and valuing evaluative thinking. This
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can include the capacity of evaluators, as well as the capacity of
evaluation and program managers, internal staff, and community
members.'' \1\ The idea is for each NSF Engine to build the capability
and ability to frame evaluations, make sense of them, and apply them in
contextually appropriate ways in order to in turn, for example: make
evidence-based decisions, provide a supportive network of trust and
reciprocity, and continue growing and fostering the structure and
infrastructure of each Engine.
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\1\ <a href="https://www.betterevaluation.org/frameworks-guides/rainbow-framework/manage/strengthen-evaluation-capacity">https://www.betterevaluation.org/frameworks-guides/rainbow-framework/manage/strengthen-evaluation-capacity</a>.
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This request is to seek approval from OMB in establishing a new
data collection to enable evaluation capacity to be built and
maintained by each NSF Engine. To build evaluation capacity, we are
requesting each NSF Engine to provide two sets of documents:
1. Evaluation Plan
2. Annual Evaluation Report
Evaluation Plan. Each NSF Engine award recipient is requested to
establish its own external evaluation team. Each evaluation team is
tasked to systematically assess the activities, processes, and
practices implemented by its respective NSF Engine. The evaluation
team, in collaboration with its respective NSF Engine, will work
together to formulate a comprehensive Evaluation Plan.
The primary objective of the Evaluation Plan is to serve as an
alternative and objective approach for the NSF Engine to monitor and
measure its progress, determine the effectiveness of its activities,
and gauge the broader socioeconomic impacts of its endeavors. It also
serves as an assessment tool for each NSF Engine award recipient to
identify, reflect, and address development needs and challenges as they
arise, and perform any intervention and/or course corrections, if
necessary, in a timely fashion. Finally, it also serves as a tool to
systematically and structurally communicate internally within an Engine
and externally with partners and other stakeholders.
The Evaluation Plan contains 14 sections:
1. Engine vision and mission
2. Engine goals and alignment
3. Engine overview
4. Purpose of Engine evaluation
5. Timeline
6. Information sharing
7. Research and development (R&D) including translation
8. Workforce development
9. Engagement of the region
10. Ecosystem building
11. Engine level outcomes and impact
12. Internal assessment of evaluation process
13. Other
14. Data management
Annual Evaluation Plan. The external evaluation teams of each NSF
Engine award recipient will also produce an Annual Evaluation Report to
be provided to both their respective NSF Engine leadership team and to
NSF. The annual evaluation report provides a structured mechanism for
the evaluation teams to provide an independent and objective assessment
on the baselines, progresses, achievements, milestones, and challenges
faced by its respective NSF Engine over the past award year. In
addition, the evaluation teams will provide recommendations to their
respective NSF Engine leadership team on ways to improve existing
processes, policies, and practices. These reports offer a comprehensive
overview of the team's activities and their outcomes over the previous
award year. The report has dual purposes, as a reflection tool for each
NSF Engine to learn from their experiences and to make improvements,
and as an assessment tool for NSF program directors for award oversight
and management.
There are 8 sections to the report:
1. Executive summary
2. Introduction
3. Research and development (R&D) including translation
4. Workforce development
5. Engagement of the region
6. Ecosystem building
7. Outcomes and Impact
8. Evaluation action plan for next year
9. Appendices
a. Appendix A: NSF Engines bi-annual evaluation form
b. Appendix B: Updated methodologies
c. Appendix C: Additional figures and tables
d. Appendix D: Other Information
Burden on the Public: For each Engine award, we anticipate the
following number of responses and response burden by reporting
requirement:
A.12.1. Number of Respondents, Frequency of Response, and Annual Hour
Burden
Table 1--Respondents, Responses, and Annual Hour Burden
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Annual
Number of Minimum burden per Maximum burden per burden
Reporting requirements responses response (hours) response (hours) (hours) per
per year engine
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Evaluation Plan................... 1 Year 1: 200............. Year 1: 300............. 200-300
Year 2: 20.............. Year 2: 40.............. 20-40
Year 3: 20.............. Year 3: 40.............. 20-40
Annual Evaluation Report.......... 1 Year 1: 160............. Year 1: 240............. 160-240
Year 2: 80.............. Year 2: 160............. 80-160
Year 3: 80.............. Year 3: 160............. 80-160
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Total......................... 2 ........................ ........................ 100-540
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A total of 10 NSF Engine teams were awarded. For the first year,
the total amount of burden is estimated to be between 3,600 and 5,400
hours for all 10 NSF Engines. For subsequent years, 1,000 and 2,000
hours for all 10 NSF Engines, which translates to 100-200 hours per NSF
Engine divided among all participants. Here, participants include
members of the Leadership Team of an NSF Engine, which consists between
8 and 12 persons, the Governance Board, which consists between 10 and
20 persons, and the (external) Evaluation Team, which consists of 4-8
persons. Thus, the annual burden hours for the listed evaluation
capacity building activities are shared between 22 and 40 persons. And
this is to be expected, as evaluation in general is a highly
collaborative and
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participatory activity, it is therefore expected that both the
Evaluation Plan and Annual Evaluation Report would involve and engage
across and within an NSF Engine.
Finally, the upper bound estimate for the Annual Evaluation Report
reflects not only the effort for writing the report but also account
for data cleaning, data analysis, and data visualization. We anticipate
that the burden for subsequent years to be lower as workflow and
cadence will be established after the first year.
Dated: October 22, 2024.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024-24913 Filed 10-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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