[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 93 (Monday, May 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31040-31041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10339]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request;
Grantee Reporting Requirements for the Emerging Frontiers in Research
and Innovation Program
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 www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain. 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, VA 22314; 703-292-7556; or send email to [email protected].
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: 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.
Title of Collection: Grantee Reporting Requirements for the
Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Program.
OMB Number: 3145-0233.
Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an
information collection.
Proposed Project: The Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation
(EFRI) program recommends, prioritizes, and funds interdisciplinary
initiatives at the emerging frontier of engineering research and
education. These investments represent transformative opportunities,
potentially leading to: new research areas for NSF, ENG, and other
agencies; new industries or capabilities that result in a leadership
position for the country; and/or significant progress on a recognized
national need or grand challenge.
Established in 2007, EFRI supports cutting-edge research that is
difficult to fund through other NSF programs, such as single-
investigator grants or large research centers. EFRI seeks high-risk
opportunities with the potential for a large payoff where researchers
are encouraged to stretch beyond their ongoing activities. Based on
input from workshops, advisory committees, technical meetings,
professional societies, research proposals, and suggestions from the
research community, the EFRI program identifies those emerging
opportunities and manages a formal process for funding their research.
The emerging ideas tackled by EFRI are ``frontier'' because they not
only push the understood limits of engineering but actually overlap
multiple fields. The EFRI funding process inspires investigators with
different expertise to work together on one emerging concept.
EFRI awards require multi-disciplinary teams of at least one
Principal Investigator and two Co-Principal Investigators. The
anticipated duration of all awards is 4-years. With respect to the
anticipated funding level, each project team may receive support of up
to a total of $2,000,000 spread over four years, pending the
availability of funds. In this respect, EFRI awards are above the
average single-investigator award amounts.
EFRI-funded projects could include research opportunities and
mentoring for educators, scholars, and university students, as well as
outreach programs that help stir the imagination of K-12 students,
often with a focus on groups underrepresented in science and
engineering.
We are seeking to collect additional information from the grantees
about the outcomes of their research that goes above and beyond the
standard reporting requirements used by the NSF and spans over a period
of 5 years after the award. This data collection effort will enable
program officers to longitudinally monitor outputs and outcomes given
the unique goals and purpose of the program. This is very important to
enable appropriate and accurate evidence-based management of the
program and to determine whether or not the specific goals of the
program are being met.
Grantees will be requested to submit this information on an annual
basis to support performance review and the management of EFRI grants
by EFRI
[[Page 31041]]
officers. EFRI grantees will be requested to submit these indicators to
NSF via a data collection website that will be embedded in NSF's IT
infrastructure. These indicators are both quantitative and descriptive
and may include, for example, the characteristics of project personnel
and students; sources of complementary funding and in-kind support to
the EFRI project; characteristics of industrial and/or other sector
participation; research activities; education activities; knowledge
transfer activities; patents, licenses; publications; descriptions of
significant advances and other outcomes of the EFRI effort.
Each submission will address the following major categories of
activities: (1) knowledge transfer across disciplines, (2) innovation
of ideas in areas of great opportunity, (3) potential for translational
research, (4) project results that advance the frontier/creation of new
fields of study, (5) introduction to the classroom of innovative
research methods or discoveries, (6) fostering participation of
underrepresented groups in science, and (7) impacting student career
trajectory. For each of the categories, the report will enumerate
specific outputs and outcomes.
Use of the Information: The data collected will be used for NSF
internal reports, historical data, and performance review by peer site
visit teams, program level studies and evaluations, and for securing
future funding for continued EFRI program maintenance and growth.
Estimate of Burden: Approximately 7 hours per grant for
approximately 100 grants per year for a total of 700 hours per year.
Respondents: Principal Investigators who lead the EFRI grants, and
co-Principal Investigators and trainees involved in EFRI-funded
research.
Estimated Number of Responses per Report: One report collected for
each of the approximately 100 grantees every year, including sub-
reports from co-PIs and trainee researchers.
Dated: May 10, 2023.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2023-10339 Filed 5-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P