Notice2025-10889
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
June 16, 2025
Issuing agencies
National Science Foundation
Abstract
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the following information collection requirement to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This is the third notice for public comment; two 60-day notices were published in the Federal Register and ninety-five (95) comments from fourteen (14) individual sources were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed renewal submission to the OMB for clearance simultaneously with the publication of this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 114 (Monday, June 16, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 114 (Monday, June 16, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25383-25385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-10889]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; comment
request.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the
following information collection requirement to Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995. This is the third notice for public comment; two 60-day
notices were published in the Federal Register and ninety-five (95)
comments from fourteen (14) individual sources were received. NSF is
forwarding the proposed renewal submission to the OMB for clearance
simultaneously with the publication of this 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>. This information
collection can be found 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, VA 22314, or send email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#83f0f3efeaeef3f7ecc3edf0e5ade4ecf5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c1b2b1ada8acb1b5ae81afb2a7efa6aeb7">[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 regarding this information collection are
best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of
this notification. Copies of the submission(s) 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:
Summary of Comments on the National Science Foundation's Research
Infrastructure Guide
The draft Research Infrastructure Guide (RIG) was made available
for review by the public on the NSF website at <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/lfo/lfo_documents.jsp">https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/lfo/lfo_documents.jsp</a>. The notices for public comment for the draft
2025 RIG were published in the Federal Register on October 3, 2024 (89
FR 84634), and January 8, 2025 (90 FR 1550). All told, NSF received
ninety-five (95) comments from fourteen (14) individual sources. Fifty-
three (53) comments sought clarification on oversight processes across
the facility life cycle while eight (8) focused on new guidance related
to information assurance (cybersecurity and cyberinfrastructure).
Thirty-three (33) offered positive feedback on updates from the 2021
RIG. In addition, minor edits were made by NSF to remove DEIA language
in alignment with Executive Order 14173.
The full comments and NSF's response may be found via: <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a> and <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/lfo/lfo_documents.jsp">https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/lfo/lfo_documents.jsp</a>.
Title of Collection: Research Infrastructure Guide.
OMB Approval Number: 3145-0239.
Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to renew with revisions an
information collection for three years.
Proposed Project: The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (Pub.
L. 81-507) set forth NSF's mission and purpose:
``To promote the progress of science; to advance the national
health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense.''
The Act authorized and directed NSF to initiate and support:
<bullet> Basic scientific research and research fundamental to the
engineering process.
<bullet> Programs to strengthen scientific and engineering research
potential.
<bullet> Science and engineering education programs at all levels
and in all the various fields of science and engineering.
<bullet> Programs that provide a source of information for policy
formulation.
<bullet> Other activities to promote these ends.
Among Federal agencies, NSF is a leader in providing the academic
community with advanced instrumentation needed to conduct state-of-the-
art research and to educate the next generation of scientists,
engineers and technical workers. The knowledge generated by these tools
sustains U.S. leadership in science and engineering to drive the U.S.
economy and secure the future. NSF's responsibility is to ensure that
the research and education communities have access to these resources,
and to provide the support needed to utilize them optimally and
implement timely upgrades.
[[Page 25384]]
The scale of advanced instrumentation ranges from small research
instruments to shared facilities that can be used by entire
communities. The demand for such instrumentation and facilities remains
high to support the expanding pace of discovery.
NSF currently provides support for research infrastructure (RI)
construction from two accounts: the Major Research Equipment and
Facility Construction (MREFC) account, and the Research and Related
Activities (R&RA) account. The MREFC account, established in FY 1995,
is a separate budget line item that provides an agency-wide mechanism,
permitting directorates to undertake Major Facility projects greater
than $100M and Mid-scale Research Infrastructure projects between $20M
and $100M. Smaller Mid-scale RI and research instrumentation projects
continue to be supported from the R&RA account.
Facilities are defined as shared-use infrastructure,
instrumentation and equipment that are accessible to a broad community
of researchers and educators. Facilities may be centralized or may
consist of distributed installations. They may incorporate large-scale
networking or computational infrastructure, multi-user instruments or
networks of such instruments, or other infrastructure, instrumentation
and equipment having a significant impact on a broad segment of a
scientific or engineering discipline. Historically, awards have been
made for such diverse projects as accelerators, telescopes, research
vessels and aircraft, and geographically distributed observatories with
networked sensors and instrumentation.
The cost and diversification of Major Facility projects require
that NSF remain attentive to the ever-changing issues and challenges
inherent in their planning, construction, operation, management and
oversight. Most importantly, dedicated, competent NSF and Awardee staff
are needed to manage and oversee these projects and science support
programs; giving the attention and oversight that good practice
dictates and that proper accountability to taxpayers and Congress
demands. To this end, there is also a need for consistent, documented
requirements and procedures to be understood and used by NSF program
managers and Awardees for all such projects and programs.
Use of the Information: Facilities are an essential part of the
science and engineering enterprise and supporting them is a significant
responsibility of the NSF. The NSF makes awards to external entities--
primarily universities, consortia of universities or non-profit
organizations--to undertake construction, management and operation of
facilities. Such awards frequently take the form of cooperative
agreements, but contracts may also be used depending on the primary
purpose of the award and who benefits. Regardless of award instrument,
NSF retains responsibility for overseeing their development, management
and successful performance. The RIG is intended to:
<bullet> Provide step-by-step guidance for NSF staff and Awardees
to carry out effective project planning, management and oversight of
Major Facilities and Mid-scale RI while considering the varying
requirements of a diverse portfolio.
<bullet> Clearly state the policies, processes and procedures
pertinent at each stage of a facility's life cycle from development
through construction, operations, and disposition.
<bullet> Document and disseminate ``good practices'' identified
over time so that NSF and Awardees can carry out their responsibilities
more effectively.
This version of the RIG enhances guidance for planning across all
life cycle stages, and provides detailed instructions on tailoring,
scaling, and progressively elaborating related plans to align with the
scope and complexity of the RI. Additionally, it also expands key
project and program management elements to improve the quality of
proposal submission. The RIG does not replace existing requirements
that are based on the award instrument; either the Uniform Guidance (2
CFR 200) or the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). Instead, it draws
upon and supplements these documents, as well as industry good
practice, for the purpose of providing detailed guidance on NSF policy
and procedures related to the planning and oversight of Major
Facilities and Mid-scale RI projects. All facilities awards require
merit and technical review, as well as agency approval of certain
deliverables. The level of review and approval varies substantially
from standard grants, as does the level of oversight needed to ensure
appropriate and proper accountability for federal funds. The
requirements, recommended procedures and best practices presented in
the RIG apply to any facility significant enough to require enhanced
oversight by the Foundation.
The RIG will be updated periodically to reflect changes in
requirements, policies and/or procedures. Awardees are expected to
monitor and adopt the requirements and best practices included in the
RIG which are aimed at improving proposal submission and illustrating
management expectations, as well as articulating NSF oversight
requirements for Major Facilities and Mid-scale awards to enable the
most efficient and cost-effective delivery of tools to the research
communities.
The submission of proposals and subsequent project documentation to
the Foundation related to the development, construction and operations
of Major Facilities and Mid-scale RI is part of the collection of
information. This information is used to help NSF fulfill this
responsibility in supporting merit-based research projects in all the
scientific and engineering disciplines. The Foundation also has a
continuing commitment to provide oversight on facilities development
and construction which must be balanced against monitoring its
information collection to identify and address any excessive reporting
burdens.
NSF has approximately twenty-five (25) Major Facilities in various
stages of development, construction, operations and disposition, as
well as approximately thirty (30) Mid-scale RI implementation projects
actively underway at any given time. Facilities undergoing a major
upgrade may have awards associated with design, construction and
operations at the same time. Two to four (2 to 4) new Major Facility
awards are made approximately every five (5) years based on science
community infrastructure needs and availability of funding. Among the
twenty-two Major Facilities, there are approximately seven (7)
facilities annually that are either in development or construction.
These stages require the highest level of reporting and management
documentation per the RIG.
Burden to the Public: The Foundation estimates that approximately
five (5) Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) are necessary for each Major
Facility project in design or construction to respond to NSF
performance and financial reporting and project management
documentation requirements on an annual basis; or 10,400 hours per
year. The Foundation estimates approximately one and half (1.5) FTE for
a Major Facility in operations to respond to NSF performance and
financial reporting on an annual basis; or 3,120 hours per year. For
Mid-scale implementation projects, the Foundation estimates
approximately one (1) Full Time Equivalent (FTE's) is necessary for
each mid-scale project to respond to NSF project management
documentation requirements on an annual basis; or 2,080 hours per year.
With seven (7) Major Facilities in design
[[Page 25385]]
or construction and eighteen (18) in operations and twelve (30) Mid-
scale projects, this equates to roughly 191,360 public burden hours
annually.
Dated: June 10, 2025.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2025-10889 Filed 6-13-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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