[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10539-10540]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2824]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Educational Needs 
Assessment of International Drug Abuse Researchers

SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on 
proposed collection of information, the National Institute on Drug 
Abuse (NIDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will publish 
periodic summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.
    Proposed Collection: Title: The NIDA International Program Research 
Training Modules for International Application Needs Assessment Survey. 
Type of Information Collection Request: NEW. Need and Use of 
Information Collection: This is a request for a one-time clearance to 
undertake an educational needs assessment survey of NIDA's 
collaborating international drug abuse researchers. The purpose of this 
survey is to more precisely define the educational needs of the 
international drug abuse research community before proceeding with the 
development of formal distance learning programs. Reviews of distance 
education programs in the developing world often reveal that, 
``systematically organized learning

[[Page 10540]]

needs assessments are continually absent.'' (USAID 2001: The Use and 
Effect of Distance Education in Healthcare: What Do We Know? Operations 
Research Issue Paper 2) This survey will address that issue.
    The survey is based on recommendations received from current 
international drug abuse researchers and NIDA grantees. It is designed 
to be brief (2 pages) and succinct, asking respondents to prioritize 
their educational needs. The questions have been previously tested with 
persons who speak English as a second language. Total time to complete 
the survey is less than five minutes. The survey will cover the 
following elements: (1) Respondent background, including availability 
of educational technologies, (2) Educational needs, including a ranking 
of 10 proposed topics in drug abuse education, and (3) Collaborative 
needs, including an estimate of the value of online tools for research 
collaboration. The survey will not collect name, address, or other 
identifying information. Frequency of Response: This project will be 
conducted once. Affected Public: International drug abuse researchers 
who are currently affiliated with or wish to be affiliated with the 
U.S. drug abuse research community. Type of Respondents/Drug Abuse 
Researchers: physicians, scientists, mental health workers, and 
scientists-in-training. The reporting burden is as follows: Estimated 
Total Annual Number of Respondents: 250; Estimated Number of Responses 
per Respondent: 1; Average Burden Hours per Response: 0.09. Estimated 
Total Annual Burden Hours Requested: 22.5. There are no Capital Costs 
to report. There are no Operating or Maintenance Costs to report. The 
estimated annualized burden is summarized below.

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                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Estimated       number of        Average        Estimated
        Drug abuse researcher respondents            number of     responses per   burden hours    total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent     per response        hours
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Physicians......................................             100               1            0.09             9.0
PhD Scientists..................................              70               1            0.09             6.3
Mental Health/Drug Abuse Professionals..........              40               1            0.09             3.6
Scientists-in-Training..........................              40               1            0.09             3.6
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
Annualized Totals...............................             250               1            0.09            22.5
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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 functions of the agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (2) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information; (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 respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection 
plans, contact Dale Weiss, Project Officer, National Institute on Drug 
Abuse, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 5274, Bethesda, MD 20892, or call 
non-toll-free number 301-402-6683; fax 301-443-9127; or by e-mail to 
[email protected].
    Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 60 days 
of the date of this publication.

    Dated: February 14, 2006.
Laura Rosenthal,
Associate Director for Management, National Institute on Drug Abuse.
 [FR Doc. E6-2824 Filed 2-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4167-01-P