[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 33 (Friday, February 19, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7442-7443]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3155]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: Survey of State Research and Development.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0933.
    Form Number(s): SRD-1.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, without change, of an expired 
collection.
    Burden Hours: 958.
    Number of Respondents: 552.
    Average Hours per Response: 1 hour and 44 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting a 
reinstatement of the collection of state government research and 
development (R&D) expenditures that is conducted by the Census Bureau 
and for the benefit of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
    This collection is authorized under Title 13, Section 8(b) of the 
United States Code, which allows the Secretary of Commerce to ``make 
special statistical compilations and surveys, for departments, agencies 
and establishments of the Federal Government.'' Title 15, Section 1525 
of the United States Code also authorizes the Secretary of Commerce 
``upon the request of any person, firm, organization, or others, public 
or private, to make special studies on matters within the authority of 
the Department of Commerce.''
    The NSF Act of 1950 includes a statutory charge to ``provide a 
central clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, and analysis 
of data on scientific and engineering resources and to provide a source 
of information for policy formulation by other agencies in the Federal 
Government.'' Under the aegis of this legislative mandate, NSF and its 
predecessors have sponsored surveys of R&D since 1953, including the 
Survey of Industrial Research and Development and the Survey of State 
Research and Development Expenditures. This survey has helped to expand 
the scope of R&D collections to include state governments, where 
previously there had been no established collection efforts.
    NSF sponsors surveys of R&D activities of Federal agencies, higher 
education institutions, and private industries. The data collected from 
this survey instrument fills the void that previously existed for 
collection of R&D activities at the state government department or 
agency level. The results of these surveys provide a consistent 
information base for government officials, industry professionals, and 
researchers to use in formulating public policy and planning in science 
and technology. These surveys allow for the analysis of current and 
historical trends in research and development in the U.S., as well as, 
comparisons with other countries.
    The Census Bureau, serving as collection agent, employs a 
methodology similar to the one used to collect information from state 
and local governments on established censuses and surveys. This 
methodology involves identifying a central coordinator in each state 
who will assist Census Bureau staff in identifying appropriate state 
departments/agencies to survey. These state contacts also verify data 
responses and assist with nonresponse follow-up. The collection 
approach using a central state contact is used successfully at the 
Census Bureau in surveys of local school districts, municipal and 
county governments, and state government finances.
    Items on the survey form include research and development 
expenditures according to the source of funding, by performer of the 
work (internal and external to state agencies), and by character (i.e., 
basic, applied, or developmental). Final results produced by NSF 
contain state and national estimates and are useful to a variety of 
data users interested in research and development performance 
including: the National Science Board; the Office of Management and 
Budget; the Office of Science and Technology Policy and other science 
policy makers; institutional researchers; and private organizations.
    Legislators, policy officials, and researchers rely on statistics 
to make informed decisions about R&D investment at the Federal, state, 
and local level. These statistics are derived from the existing NSF 
sponsored surveys of Federal agencies, higher education institutions, 
and private industry. The total picture of R&D expenditures, however, 
had been incomplete due to the lack of relevant and timely data from 
state governments prior to this survey collection, which now fills that 
void.
    State government officials and policy makers garner the most 
benefit from the results of this survey. Governors and legislatures 
need a reliable, comprehensive source of data to help in evaluating how 
best to attract the high-tech, R&D industries to their state. Officials 
are able to evaluate their investment in R&D based on comparisons with 
other states. These comparisons include the sources of funding, the 
type of R&D being conducted, and the actual performer of the work.
    The information collected from the Survey of State R&D is used at 
the Federal level to assess and direct investment in technology and 
economic issues. Congressional committees and the Congressional 
Research Service use results of the R&D surveys extensively. Inquiries 
made to NSF by congressional staff concerning industry and academic 
data are well documented. In addition, officials from several Federal 
agencies make use of the data.
    NSF also uses data from this survey in various publications 
produced about the state of R&D in the U.S. The Science and Engineering 
Indicators series, for example, is a biennial report mandated by 
Congress and describes quantitatively the condition of the country's 
R&D efforts. Results are also likely to be included in the National 
Patterns of Research and Development Resources tabulations and in the

[[Page 7443]]

Science and Engineering Indicators report.
    Private industry, either individually or through trade 
associations, will also find these data useful, particularly statistics 
concerning funds transferred from state agencies to businesses. The 
current R&D surveys often receives prominent mention in industry 
publications such as Research and Development magazine, which releases 
its ``State of Global R&D'' report.
    The availability of state R&D data on the Internet makes this 
survey visible to several other users, as well. Media, university 
researchers, nonprofit organizations, and foreign government officials 
are also consumers of state R&D statistics. All users are able to 
utilize this information in an attempt to better understand the 
nation's R&D resources.
    Affected Public: State, local or Tribal Government.
    Frequency: Biennially.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: 13 U.S.C., Section 8(b); 15 U.S.C., Section 1525; 
NSF Act of 1950.
    OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, (202) 395-7314.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Brian Harris-Kojetin,
    OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) or e-mail 
([email protected]).

    Dated: February 12, 2010.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-3155 Filed 2-18-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P