[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 4, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 5353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2212]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Career Survey of 
Biomedical Researchers Receiving Loan Repayment Benefits

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the Loan of Loan Repayment and Scholarship 
(OLRS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) has submitted to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve the 
information collection listed below. This proposed information 
collection was previously published in the Federal Register on July 17, 
2002, pages 46994-46995, and allowed 60 days for public comment. No 
public comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow 
an additional 30 days for public comment. The NIH may not conduct or 
sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an 
information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented 
on or after October 1, 1995 unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

Proposed Collection

    Title: Career Survey of Biomedical Researchers.
    Type of Information Collection Request: NEW.
    Need and Use of Information Collection: This survey is part of a 
comprehensive evaluation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
Loan Repayment Program (LRP), the purpose of which is to evaluate the 
success of the LRP in raising the probability that a qualified 
scientist will stay in the intramural research program and pursue a 
long-term career as a biomedical researcher. The survey will document 
the actual career outcomes of current and former LRP participants and 
comparable non-participants. Such information will be used to gauge 
whether the program is meeting the expectations of program managers and 
how the program could be improved in the future. It will be used to 
address the outcome and impact study questions related to short and 
long-term retention, both at NIH and in research generally.
    In addition to informing OLRS about the effectiveness of the 
program, the results of the LRP evaluation will become the basis for 
recommendations on how the program could be modified to improve 
outcomes. Indeed, some of the findings may be useful to the Office of 
the Director in terms of human resources policy and NIH policy 
generally. Also, the information collection will help our nation's 
leaders in setting policies to ensure a solid infrastructure for 
biomedical research. Encouraging the nation's brightest minds to pursue 
careers in biomedical research, both in public service such as NIH and 
in private laboratories, is critical to this effort.
    Frequency of Responses: One time data collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Type of Respondents: Current and former NIH biomedical researchers. 
The annualized cost to respondents is estimated at $11,110. There are 
no Capital Costs, and/or Maintenance Costs to report. The annual 
reporting burden is as follows:

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                                                                                 Response                Total
                       Type of  respondent                         Number of       per      Hours per    burden
                                                                  respondents   respondent   response    hours
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LRP Program Participant.........................................          300            1        .33         99
Comparison Group................................................          450            1        .33        149
                                                                 --------------
    Total.......................................................          750            1        .33        248
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    Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies are invited on one or more of the 
following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) The 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on those who are to 
respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions 
regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding 
the estimated public burden and associated response time, shall be 
directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503, Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on 
the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans 
and instruments, contact: Marc S. Horowitz, J.D., Office of Loan 
Repayment and Scholarship, National Institutes of Health, 6011 
Executive Boulevard, Room 206, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892 or call non-
toll-free number 301-402-5666 or e-mail your request, including your 
address, to [email protected] or access the Loan Repayment Programs on the 
Internet at http://www.lrp.nih.gov.
    Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days 
of the date of this publication.

    Dated: January 28, 2004.
Raynard S. Kington,
Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 04-2212 Filed 2-3-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M