[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 126 (Friday, June 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38765-38766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16058]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2012 / 
Notices  

[[Page 38765]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Institute of Food and Agriculture


Notice of Intent To Revise a Currently Approved Information 
Collection

AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the National 
Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to revise a 
currently approved information collection entitled, ``Cooperative State 
Research, Education, and Extension Service Grant Application.'' NIFA 
also intends to rename the information collection, ``NIFA Grant 
Application.''

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by August 28, 
2012 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning this notice and requests for 
copies of the information collection may be submitted by any of the 
following methods: Email: [email protected]; Fax: 202-720-0857; 
Mail: Office of Information Technology (OIT), NIFA, USDA, STOP 2216, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-2216.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gidel Mendez; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: NIFA Grant Application.
    OMB Number: 0524-0039.
    Expiration Date of Current Approval: August 31, 2012.
    Type of Request: Revise a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) 
sponsors ongoing agricultural research, extension, and education 
programs under which competitive, formula, and special awards of a 
high-priority nature are made. Before awards can be made, certain 
information is required from applicants as part of an application 
process.
    The nature of the competitive, peer-reviewed process makes it 
important that information from applicants be available in a 
standardized format to ensure equitable treatment. Each year, request 
for applications are issued for various research, education, and 
extension areas targeted for support. Applicants submit applications 
for these targeted areas following formats outlined in the application 
guidelines accompanying each program's solicitation. These applications 
are evaluated by peer review panels, undergo other merit review 
processes, and are subsequently awarded. The forms and narrative 
information are mainly used for application evaluation and 
administration purposes. While some of the information is used to 
respond to inquiries from Congress and other government agencies, the 
forms are not designed to be statistical surveys.
    NIFA requires submission of grant applications electronically 
through Grants.gov. The application processes through Grants.gov 
leverages several standard forms from the research and related form 
family. In addition to Grants.gov's standard forms, NIFA must collect 
some additional information for the proper evaluation and processing of 
applications. NIFA is also proposing some minor revisions to select 
forms as noted in each description. These forms include:
    Supplemental Information Form--This form is used in all grant 
application packages and collects the program name and program code to 
which the applicant is applying, additional applicant type information, 
key words, and the conflict of interest information as an attached 
file. NIFA is proposing to revise this form to add the collection of 
the organizations Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code to 
assist in the validation of the organizational identity. NIFA also 
requests to replace the collection of the HHS account code (which is no 
longer used) with the Automated Standard Application for Payments 
(ASAP) Recipient ID.
    Application Type Form--This form is used principally by the 
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program to 
collect the specific type of application being submitted. This form is 
being revised to change the application type names and some business 
rules associated with the form.
    Application Modification Form--This form is used to indicate the 
forms or narrative portions of an application that an applicant has 
changed or corrected from a previously submitted application. No 
changes to this form are proposed.
    Form NIFA-2008, Assurance Statement(s)--This form is used in 
formula grant programs and provides required assurances of compliance 
with regulations involving the protection of human subjects, animal 
welfare, and recombinant DNA research.
    Form NIFA-2010--Fellowships/Scholarships Entry/Annual Update/Exit 
Form: This form will only apply to recipients of a NIFA award to 
appoint each student beneficiary, report student progress, and the exit 
of each beneficiary of fellowship or scholarship support towards a 
higher education degree in food and agricultural sciences. The form 
will be used for fellowship and scholarships to document pertinent 
demographic data on the fellows/scholars, documentation of the progress 
of the fellows/scholars under the program, and performance outcomes of 
the student beneficiaries. The form name will change to replace CSREES 
with NIFA.
    Summary of USDA/1890 Cooperation Form--NIFA will be eliminating 
this form from the collection as it is no longer required.
    Respondents: Non-profit institutions, State, local, or Tribal 
governments, and a limited number of for-profit institutions and 
individuals.

Estimated Number of Responses by Form

    Supplemental Information: 6,200.
    Application Type: 2,200.
    Application Modification: 0.
    Form NIFA-2008 Assurance Statement(s): 2,000.
    NIFA-2010 Fellowships/Scholarships Entry/Exit: 150.
    The individual form burden is as follows (calculated based on a 
survey of grant applicants conducted by NIFA):

[[Page 38766]]

    Supplemental Information: 2 hours.
    Application Type: 15 minutes.
    Application Modification: 5 minutes.
    Form NIFA-2008 Assurance Statement(s): 30 minutes.
    NIFA-2010 Fellowships/Scholarships Entry/Annual Update/Exit: 3 
hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The annual total 
burden on the public for all forms is estimated to be 14,400 hours.
    Frequency of Respondents: Annually.
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
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 
the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (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. Comments should be 
sent to the address stated in the preamble.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments also will become a matter of 
public record.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 25th day of June 2012.
Catherine E. Woteki,
Under Secretary, Research, Education, and Economics.
[FR Doc. 2012-16058 Filed 6-28-12; 8:45 am]
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