[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 245 (Thursday, December 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75450-75451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30697]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Request for Information (RFI): Use of National Science Foundation 
Overseas Offices in Paris, Tokyo, Beijing by Broader Stakeholder 
Community

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Request for information (RFI).

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: [email protected].

DATES: To be considered, submissions must be received by January 18, 
2013.
SUMMARY: Purpose: As part of an assessment investigating the function 
of the three National Science Foundation overseas offices, this RFI 
seeks to solicit input from as large a set of stakeholders as possible.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    NSF's current strategic plan states that ``NSF envisions a nation 
that capitalizes on new concepts in science and engineering and 
provides global leadership in advancing research and education.'' 
Because science and engineering are increasingly global, NSF's Office 
of International Science and Engineering (OISE) seeks to ensure that 
U.S. institutions and researchers are globally engaged, are able to 
advance their research through international collaboration, and 
maintain U.S. leadership within the global scientific community. To 
pursue its goals in these areas, OISE operates three international 
offices. NSF opened its first international office in Tokyo in 1960. 
Two decades later, the NSF Europe Office, affiliated with UNESCO, 
opened in Paris and in 2006 the NSF Beijing office was opened.
    The major functions of these three offices are:
     Facilitation: Promote collaboration between the science 
and engineering communities of the United States and the respective 
country/region.
     Representation: Serve as a liaison between NSF and 
agencies, institutions and researchers.
     Reporting: Monitor and report on science and engineering 
developments and policies.
    In responding to the following questions, please provide as much 
detail regarding each interaction and with which office, wherever 
possible.

[[Page 75451]]

    Specifically the assessment seeks public comment on the questions 
listed below:
    (1) In what capacity, if any, have you directly engaged with the 
NSF overseas offices (e.g. as a Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PI, 
postdoctoral researcher, graduate student, or undergraduate student on 
a research project; as an NSF employee on official travel; as a U.S. 
Government official on a visit to a foreign country, or in any other 
capacity)? Please be specific with respect to which office(s) you have 
interacted with, and on what basis (e.g. one time only, 2-5 times per 
year, etc.).
    (2) What was the nature of that interaction with the overseas 
offices? Why did you contact them (e.g. a visit to one of the three 
overseas offices while abroad, to help connect with foreign 
researchers, to identify research opportunities in a foreign country, 
to help with logistical aspects of current research in a foreign 
country, etc.)?
    (3) Was the interaction valuable to you? How would you characterize 
the quality of service and/or information that you received in your 
interactions with each office? Similarly, are there any services you 
would have expected to--but did not--receive from the overseas offices?
    (4) Please provide examples of opportunities that were created as a 
result of these interactions, if any.
    (5) Are there other interactions you have had with NSF on 
international research activities other than through NSF's 3 overseas 
offices?
    (6) Are there ways in which NSF's overseas offices might better be 
able to directly serve your overseas research needs?
    (7) Please use this space to address any additional concerns you 
would like to raise with respect to the existence and value of NSF's 
three overseas offices.
    (8) If you believe that describing your background (e.g., U.S. or 
foreign resident, field or sector of employment, etc.) would help to 
provide context for your responses, please do so here. Your 
participation in responding to this RFI is completely voluntary. All 
responses will be included in a content analysis following the close of 
the response period and complete confidentiality of individual 
responses will be maintained. Individuals are not mandated to respond 
to each question. Please note that the Government will not pay for 
response preparation or for the use of any information contained in the 
response.

Submission Instructions

    All comments must be submitted electronically to: [email protected].
    Responses to this RFI will be accepted through January 18, 2013. 
You will receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of 
your response, but will not receive individualized feedback on any 
suggestions. No basis for claims against the U.S. Government shall 
arise as a result of a response to this request for information or from 
the Government's use of such information. Additionally, in reporting 
results from this call for information, respondent comments will be 
kept confidential to the extent allowed by law and reported only in 
aggregate form.
    Specific questions about this RFI should be directed to the 
following email address: [email protected].

    Dated: December 17, 2012.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2012-30697 Filed 12-19-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P