[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 4, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 16837]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-3210]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Addendum to Comment 
Request

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 information collection requirement to OMB for review and 
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. 
This is the third notice for public comment; the first was published in 
the Federal Register at 70 FR 75227; the second was published at 71 FR 
noting one comment was received. This notice is to acknowledge a second 
comment received on February 16, 2006. 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. 
Comments regarding (a) whether the collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology should be addressed to: Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for 
National Science Foundation, 725-17th Street, NW., Room 10235, 
Washington, DC 20503, and to Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 295, 
Arlington, Virginia 22230 or send e-mail to [email protected]. Comments 
regarding these information collections are best assured of having 
their full effect if received within 30 days of this notification. 
Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by calling 703-292-7556.
    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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comment: On February 16, NSF received a 
comment from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) requesting 
consideration of several additional items to add to both the academic 
and the FFRDC survey forms. These items were as follows: R&D 
expenditures that are not separately budgeted by academic institutions, 
foreign sources of R&D funding as well as the expenditure amounts that 
are passed through to foreign performers, receipts universities receive 
from the sale of R&D, Federal funding of R&D divided into the 
categories suggested by the Frascati Manual (Section 6.3.2, item 397), 
separate reporting for research software purchases, and R&D 
expenditures used to create software.
    Response: NSF recognizes the importance of these additional items 
to BEA and other stakeholders. Although NSF does not plan to add these 
items to the survey forms for the 2006 fiscal year, many of these are 
critical new indicators of R&D in the 21st century and deserve further 
investigation when planning the survey's future. Therefore, each of 
these items will be included for consideration in survey workshops with 
institutional respondents, in order to determine the best ways of 
obtaining these data with minimal respondent burden.

    Dated: March 30, 2006.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 06-3210 Filed 4-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M