[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 158 (Thursday, August 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46034-46035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16141]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census


Proposed Data Sharing Activity

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) conducts the Survey 
of Industrial Research and Development (R&D) under a joint partnership 
agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). The U.S. Census 
Bureau proposes to provide data collected from the 2004-2009 R&D 
surveys to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) for statistical 
purposes exclusively. In accordance with the requirement of Section 
524(d) of the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical 
Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA), we are providing the opportunity for 
public comment on this data-sharing action. Through the use of these 
shared data, the BEA will augment its existing R&D-related data, 
identify data quality issues arising from reporting differences in the 
BEA and Census Bureau surveys, and improve its survey sample frames. 
The NSF will be provided non-confidential aggregate data (public use) 
and reports that have cleared Census Bureau disclosure review. 
Disclosure review is a process conducted to verify that the data to be 
released do not reveal any confidential information.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before October 15, 
2007.

ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this proposed program 
to the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, 
DC 20233-0100.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information on 
this proposed program should be directed to Mr. Richard Hough, Special 
Studies Branch, Manufacturing and Construction Division, U.S. Census 
Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 20233-6900, by phone on 
(301) 763-4823 or by fax (301) 763-7783.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    CIPSEA (Pub. L. 107-347, Subtitle V) allows the Census Bureau and 
the BEA to share certain business data for exclusively statistical 
purposes. Section 524(d) of the Act requires a Federal Register notice 
announcing the intent to share data (allowing 60 days for public 
comment).
    Section 524(d) also requires the Census Bureau to provide 
information about the terms of the agreement for data sharing. For 
purposes of this notice, the Census Bureau has decided to group these 
terms by three categories. The categories are:
     Shared data.
     Statistical purposes for the shared data.
     Data access and confidentiality.

Shared Data

    The Census Bureau proposes to provide the BEA with data collected 
from the 2004-2009 R&D surveys. The agreement also calls for the BEA to 
share data from its Foreign Direct Investment in the United States and 
U.S. Direct Investment Abroad surveys with the Census Bureau. The BEA 
has issued a separate notice addressing this activity.
    The BEA will use these data for statistical purposes exclusively. 
Through record linkage, the BEA will augment its existing R&D-related 
data, identify data quality issues arising from reporting differences 
in the BEA and Census Bureau surveys, and improve its survey sample 
frames.

Statistical Purposes for the Shared Data

    The data collected from the R&D estimate the expenditures of 
research and development performed by United States-based industrial 
firms. The survey is conducted annually, however, the proposed data to 
be shared are from the 2004-2009 surveys only. Statistics from the 
annual surveys are published in the NSF's annual publication series 
``Research and Development in Industry.'' Data collected by this survey 
include company characteristics and R&D spending information. 
Characteristics data include net sales, total employment, and 
employment of scientists and engineers. R&D spending data include the 
following: Total spending; federally funded (total and by agency) 
spending for basic and applied R&D, for basic research by field, and 
for applied R&D by product group; R&D spending by state; and R&D 
financed by domestic firms but performed abroad. All data are collected 
under Sections 131, 182, 224, and 225 of Title 13, United States Code 
(U.S.C.).

Benefits

    The aggregated data will provide a more integrated data set on R&D 
performance and funding with domestic and foreign ownership detail and 
will lead to a more complete account of international aspects of R&D

[[Page 46035]]

performance and funding, and related economic activity, both in the 
United States and abroad. The Census Bureau will also be able to 
improve the sample frame for the R&D by adding companies identified in 
the BEA frames not currently accounted for in the sample. The Census 
Bureau will be able to identify possible data quality issues by 
investigating reporting differences contained within the files which 
will lead to improved survey estimates.

Data Access and Confidentiality

    Section 9 of Title 13, U.S.C., protects the confidentiality of 
these data. The data may be seen only by persons sworn to uphold the 
confidentiality of the information. Access to the shared data will be 
restricted to specifically authorized personnel and will be provided 
for statistical purposes only. All BEA employees with access to these 
data will attain Census Bureau Special Sworn Status (SSS), per Section 
23(c) of Title 13, U.S.C., which provides that they, under penalty of 
law, must uphold the data's confidentiality. Selected NSF employees 
will provide the BEA with expertise on the aspects of R&D performance 
in the United States and by U.S. companies abroad; these NSF 
consultants assisting with the work at the BEA also will attain Census 
Bureau SSS. No confidential data will be provided to the NSF. To 
further safeguard the confidentiality of the data, the Census Bureau 
will conduct an Information Technology security review of the BEA prior 
to sharing any data files. Any results of this research are subject to 
Census Bureau disclosure protection.

    Dated: August 10, 2007.
Charles Louis Kincannon,
Director, Bureau of the Census.
 [FR Doc. E7-16141 Filed 8-15-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P