[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 211 (Friday, October 31, 2003)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 62031-62033]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-27489]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

14 CFR Part 1260

RIN 2700-AC63


NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook--Research and 
Development Abstracts

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: This is a proposed rule to amend the NASA Grant & Cooperative 
Agreement Handbook to include a requirement for the electronic 
submission of abstracts of the planned research to be conducted under 
grants and cooperative agreements containing research and development 
(R&D) effort valued at over $25,000. This requirement is being 
established to support NASA's implementation of the E-Government Act of 
2002 that mandates the development and maintenance of a repository that 
integrates information on research and development funded by the 
Federal Government. This proposed rule would help improve access to 
information on NASA-funded research and development activities, thus 
providing public and private research managers improved capability for 
R&D program planning.

DATES: Comments should be submitted on or before December 30, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties should submit written comments to Thomas 
Sauret, NASA Headquarters, Office of Procurement, Contract Management 
Division (Code HK), Washington, DC 20546. Comments may also be 
submitted by e-mail to: [email protected].
    Comments that concern information collection requirements must be 
sent to the Office of Management and Budget at the address listed in 
the Paperwork Reduction Act section of this document. A copy of those 
comments may also be sent to the Agency representative named in the 
preceding paragraph.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Sauret, Code HK, (202) 358-
1068, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    This proposed rule would add a new provision, 1260.40, NASA 
Research and Development (R&D) Abstracts, and related instructions, 
1260.18, NASA Research and Development (R&D) Abstract Collection, to 
the Grant and Cooperative Agreement Handbook. The new provision 
provides for the collection of abstracts or summaries for NASA-funded 
awards with R&D effort greater than $25,000. The requirements of 
section 207(g) of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347) 
provide the basis for this change. Section 207(g) mandates the 
development and maintenance of a repository that integrates information 
on research and development funded by the Federal Government. In 
furtherance of that requirement, NASA has developed a Web-based 
database system to collect abstracts for all NASA's funded R&D efforts 
valued over $25,000. A NASA website (the Abstract Collection and 
Transmittal System (ACTS), http://proposals.hq.nasa.gov/acts/) has been 
established for recipients of NASA R&D

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grants or cooperative agreements to enter their abstract data. ACTS 
will transfer submitted abstracts to a government-wide database 
sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF sponsored 
government-wide database is available to other agencies and to the 
public. NASA's ACTS database is designed only as a collection and 
transmittal tool and will not be open to the general public.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    This proposed rule is not expected to have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small business entities within the 
meaning of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601, et. seq.), 
because the information that would be required under this proposed rule 
is typically already developed by grant/cooperative agreement 
recipients in some form as part of the proposal process, and the 
administrative costs associated with the one-time submission of the R&D 
abstract is considered insignificant in relation to the award value.

C. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This proposed rule contains information collection requirements. As 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507(d)), 
NASA has submitted a copy of the information collection requirements to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review and approval. 
OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of 
information contained in these proposed regulations between 30 and 60 
days after publication of this document in the Federal Register. 
Therefore, a comment to OMB regarding this information collection is 
best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 
days of publication of this notice. This does not affect the deadline 
for the public to comment on the proposed regulations. All comments 
regarding this information collection should be sent to: Desk Officer 
for NASA, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget, Room 10236, New Executive Office Building, 
Washington, DC, 20503.

Collection of Information: NASA Research and Development Abstracts 
Collection

    The public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection 
of information is estimated to be 1,500 hours. The estimated burden has 
been calculated as follows:

Responses..............................  3000
Hours per response.....................  x0.5 (30 min.)
                                        --------------------------------
Annual reporting burden................  1500 hours.
 

    The estimated number of responses shown above is the total number 
of NASA research-related awards made through grants and agreements, as 
well as those made through contract awards. This estimate reflects the 
combined paperwork clearance request the Agency is submitting to OMB.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 1260

    Grants Administration--Research.

Tom Luedtke,
Assistant Administrator for Procurement.
    Accordingly, 14 CFR Part 1260 is proposed to be amended as follows:
    1. The authority citation for 14 CFR Part 1260 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2473(c)(1), 31 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.

PART 1260--GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

    2. Section 1260.18 is added to read as follows:


Sec.  1260.18  NASA Research and Development (R&D) Abstract Collection.

    (a) The E-Government Act of 2002 (Public Law No. 107-347) mandates 
the development and maintenance of a repository that integrates 
information on research and development funded by the Federal 
Government. In support of that requirement, NASA will collect research 
abstracts and forward them to an appropriate central repository where 
they will be available for use by government agencies and other users.
    (b) Information on R&D awards subject to the provision at Sec.  
1260.40, NASA Research and Development (R&D) Abstracts, including 
recipient name and award number, shall be automatically entered by NASA 
into the NASA R&D Abstract Collection and Transmittal System (ACTS) 
database on a monthly basis. The database may be accessed via the 
website listed in the clause. Grant officers shall check the website to 
determine if the selected recipient is listed as an entity already 
registered in the ACTS database. If the selected recipient is 
registered, then no further action by the grant officer is required. If 
the selected recipient is not already registered in ACTS, the grant 
officer must obtain from their Center ACTS point of contact a new ACTS 
user identification and password for the selected recipient. The grant 
officer shall provide the user identification and password to the award 
recipient.


Sec.  1260.20  [Amended]

    3. Section 1260.20 is amended by--
    a. Removing from the first sentence in paragraphs (a), and (e) 
``1260.39'' and adding ``1260.40'' in its place, and removing from the 
first sentence in paragraph (d) ``1260.38'' and adding ``1260.40'' in 
its place;
    b. Removing from the first sentence of paragraph (c) ``and 
1260.37'' and adding ``, 1260.37, and 1260.40'' in its place; and
    c. Removing from paragraphs (f) and (h) ``1260.39'' and adding 
``1260.40'' in its place.
    4. Section 1260.40 is added to read as follows:


Sec.  1260.40  NASA Research and Development (R&D) Abstracts.

    (See Sec.  1260.18 for guidance associated with use of this 
provision.)

NASA Research and Development (R&D) Abstracts

(XX/XX)

    (a) The award recipient shall, within 60 days after award (or 30 
days after the award information is entered into the NASA R&D 
Abstract Collection and Transmittal System (ACTS) database, 
whichever is later), enter a summary or abstract of the research and 
development activity to be conducted under this award into the ACTS 
database. The database may be accessed at the following URL: http://proposals.hq.nasa.gov/acts/.
    (b) The abstract should range from 250 to 500 words in length. 
The abstract will be made available to the public without 
restrictions; therefore, caution is advised against inclusion of any 
material for which dissemination in the public domain may be 
prohibited, such as trade secrets, proprietary information or 
export-controlled information.
    (c) The abstract and other pertinent award information will be 
included in a database of R&D abstracts from across the Federal 
Government. The government-wide database will include abstracts and 
other information concerning awards, such as the dollar value and 
estimated completion date. The government-wide database will be 
accessible to other government agencies and private organizations 
and will allow entities to search the database for a variety of 
information regarding current research awards. The NASA ACTS 
database will not be searchable by the general public.
    (d) Access to the NASA ACTS database requires user 
identification and a password to ensure that only authorized 
personnel enter abstract information. The Grant Officer will provide 
instructions regarding user identification and password access if 
the award recipient does not already possess an ACTS identification 
and password.


[End of provision]


Sec.  1260.50  [Amended]

    5. In Section 1260.50, amend the first sentence of paragraph (a) by 
removing

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``1260.38'' and adding ``1260.40'' in its place.

[FR Doc. 03-27489 Filed 10-30-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-01-P