Notice2025-12392
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Pre-Award Information Collection.
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
July 2, 2025
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 90 Issue 125 (Wednesday, July 2, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 2, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29049-29050]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-12392]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request;
National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Pre-Award Information
Collection.
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.
[[Page 29050]]
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by September 2,
2025 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#d0a3a0bcb9bda0a4bf90bea3b6feb7bfa6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c9bab9a5a0a4b9bda689a7baafe7aea6bf">[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 (NSF) Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer
(STTR) Pre-Award Information Collection.
OMB Control No.: 3145-0270.
Expiration Date of Approval: 11/30/2025.
Abstract: The NSF SBIR/STTR programs focus on transforming
scientific discovery into products and services with commercial
potential and/or societal benefit. Unlike fundamental or basic research
activities that focus on scientific and engineering discoveries, the
NSF SBIR/STTR programs support the creation of opportunities to move
fundamental science and engineering out of the lab and into the market
at scale, through startups and small businesses representing deep
technology ventures.
The NSF SBIR/STTR programs request renewal clearance of this data
collection that will allow the programs to collect information from a
selected group of applicants--those that have been reviewed by
independent experts and that NSF Program Directors are considering
recommending for funding--for the purpose of making a funding decision.
This information includes, but is not exclusive to, a list of company
officers and the corresponding ownership status of each company officer
within the startup, whether the startup is associated or affiliated
with other companies, whether there exist any relationships (personal,
financial, and/or professional) between project personnel, and the
locations of all the facilities where significant research will be
performed for the proposed project. In addition, a list of questions
pertaining to foreign influence disclosure--such as whether the
applicant is affiliated with any malign foreign talent recruitment
program, whether the parent company, joint venture, or subsidiary of
the applicant receives funding from any foreign country of concern,
and/or any financial investments made from such foreign country of
concern--will be included in the questionnaire.
Such data will enable the NSF Program Directors to evaluate a given
company's business structure, ascertain the level of commitment of the
Principal Investigator (PI) and co-PIs to the startup venture, identify
conflicts of interests (if any), and ascertain that these applicants
are not influenced by and/or affiliated with any foreign country of
concern (please see <a href="https://www.sbir.gov/foreign_disclosures">https://www.sbir.gov/foreign_disclosures</a> for the
most up-to-date and completed list of these countries) as part of the
due diligence process that the programs undertake to verify there are
no fraudulent or inappropriate business practices prior to recommending
the small business for an award.
Following standard OMB requirements, NSF will request OMB approval
in advance and provide OMB with a copy of the form containing these
questions. Data collected will be used strictly for due-diligence,
auditing, and/or legal purposes, and are needed for effective pre-award
management, administration, and/or program monitoring. The applicants,
if being considered for an award, will only be asked to submit a signed
form containing their responses to the questions once for each NSF
SBIR/STTR proposal. The data collection burden to the selected
applicants will be limited to no more than 15 minutes of the
respondents' time in each instance. Summaries of the collected data are
also being used to respond to queries from Congress, the Small Business
Administration, the public, NSF's external merit reviewers who serve as
advisors, NSF's Office of the Inspector General, and other pertinent
stakeholders
Respondents: PIs listed on the NSF SBIR/STTR proposals.
Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 1000.
Burden on the Public: The overall annualized cost to the
respondents is estimated to be $11,000. The following table shows the
annualized estimate of costs to PIs who are generally university
assistant professors. This estimated hourly rate is based on a report
from the American Association of University Professors, ``Annual Report
on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2020-21,'' Academe, March-
April 2021, Survey Report Table 1. According to this report: <a href="https://www.aaup.org/file/AAUP_ARES_2020-21.pdf">https://www.aaup.org/file/AAUP_ARES_2020-21.pdf</a>, the average salary of an
assistant professor across all types of doctoral-granting institutions
was $91,408. When divided by the number of standard annual work hours
(2,080), this calculates to approximately $44 per hour.
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Number of Burden hours Average hourly Estimated
Respondent type respondents per respondent rate annual cost
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PIs............................................. 1000 0.25 $44 $11,000
Total....................................... 11,000
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Dated: June 30, 2025.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2025-12392 Filed 7-1-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P
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