[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 24, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54522-54523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26229]



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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Directorate for Education and Human Resources Proposed Data 
Collection Available for Public Comment and Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 2506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the National Science Foundation 
(NSF) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request 
more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the 
data collection plans and instruments, call the NSF Clearance Officer 
on (703) 306-1243.
    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 

[[Page 54523]]
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.
    Proposed Project: Program Evaluation of the Experimental Program to 
Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). EPSCoR is an ongoing 
initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF)--and, in parallel, 
of six other federal agencies--to increase the research competitiveness 
of faculty and universities in selected states. The design calls for 
five sub-studies drawn from the broader framework of the program's 
objectives, structure, and strategies, which was developed in 
conjunction with several workgroups. New, non-archival data collections 
in subsidies 3, 4, and 5 are being submitted for OMB review. The 
studies are:

Substudy No. 1: Has There Been an Increase in Funded Research?

    The substudy will be conducted for each EPSCoR state, across EPSCoR 
states, and between EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR states. The study will be 
conducted using total levels of external awards, disaggregated by 
sector (federal/state/industry), and within the federal sector by 
agency. These data are currently available from existing NSF databases 
for the period from EPSCoR's inception through FY 1992.

Substudy No. 2: How Competitive Was EPSCoR Research at the Time of 
Award?

    The data for Substudy No. 2 will come from the archival records 
maintained by NSF. The results of each round of reviews have been kept 
in a separate notebook, reflecting the applications and their 
components, the nature of the peer review, and the disposition of the 
review. From these notebooks and the award jackets, the evaluation team 
will reconstruct the peer review outcomes for the last two program 
announcements: EPSCoR's Advanced Development Program awards (n=17) and 
the Systemic Improvement awards (n=19) made between 1992 and 1995.

Substudy No. 3: How Competitive Was EPSCoR-Funded Research Later 
On?

    Substudy No. 3 will involve three complementary data collection 
activities at the level of the individual research investigator and 
research group. The first of these activities consists of a citation 
analysis utilizing data from the NSF Database of EPSCoR Projects. The 
second two activities, which utilize the sample from the citation 
analysis, are a mail survey and a telephone survey.
    Sampling. As of 1994, according to the NSF EPSCoR Database, an 
estimated 1,184 faculty were participating in the EPSCoR program. Using 
the database, a random sample (with replacement in case of 0 
publications) of 10 researchers from the 13 states will be drawn. To 
allow for the practice of co-principal investigators in many fields, 
the second author, where practical, will also be included as a 
separate, independent researcher. Thus, an initial list of between 130 
to 260 faculty (13 states  x  10 (or 20) researchers), will be 
identified. From this list, up to three publications per faculty member 
will be selected, for a total number of between 130 and 780 
observations, with the actual number likely to be between 390 and 780. 
The article is the unit of analysis.
    Mail Survey: Editors of the journals in which EPSCoR researchers 
have published will be invited to conduct qualitative assessments of 
the article authored by the EPSCoR faculty member with the comparison 
article by the non-EPSCoR author plus an additional number of articles 
that appeared in the same journal issue.
    This comparison will be made for a 10 percent sample of the 
articles selected above (n=390 to 780 articles or 39-78 journals). The 
review protocol will be structured and brief to minimize burden and 
facilitate response.
    Telephone Survey. The lead authors of the same 10 percent sample 
will be contacted telephonically, to determine whether (or not) their 
own research and the research of colleagues in a research cluster have 
thrived over time. This will involve telephone discussions with a 
sample of the investigators, to determine their post-EPSCoR 
experiences, both as individuals and as part of a research cluster. The 
authors will be asked to respond to a brief, structured interview 
protocol.

Substudies No. 4 and 5: Have Universities Implemented Research-
Supporting Changes? and Have States Initiated Research-Supporting 
Changes?

    Both field-based studies will involve the same five sites, with 
separate site visits approximately one year apart. The fieldwork for 
both studies is to be conducted by COSMOS.
    Field-Based Studies. The site visits for each year will consist of 
structured and consistent--but not identical--interviews at the same 5 
states. In year one, interviews will be held with university officials 
(provosts, vice presidents for research, deans, department heads, and 
sponsored program officers) involved in formulating and implementing 
institutional policies. In year two, the focus is on state technology 
development, inter-institutional coordination, and state financing and 
regulation of university activities. These structured interviews will 
be held with state officials. It is anticipated that 10 individuals 
will be interviewed at each site.
    Burden estimates across all data collections are as follows:

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                                                                  Burden
                       Year                         Respondents   hours 
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1996..............................................         50        100
1997..............................................        128        228
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    Send comments to Herman Fleming, Clearance Officer, National 
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 485, Arlington, VA 
22230. Written comments should be received within 60 days of 
publication.

    Dated: October 17, 1995.
Herman G. Fleming,
NSF Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-26229 Filed 10-23-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M