[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 230 (Friday, November 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71624-71625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28636]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review; 30-Day Comment Request; Data 
Collection To Understand How NIH Programs Apply Methodologies To 
Improve Their Research Programs (MIRP)

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institutes of Health, has submitted 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for review and 
approval of the information collection listed below. This proposed 
information collection was previously published in the Federal Register 
on September 9, 2013, page 55084 and allowed 60-days for public 
comment. One comment was received. However, the issues addressed in the 
comment were not related to the information collection proposed, and 
will not be considered in the finalization process. The purpose of this 
notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National 
Institutes of Health, may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is 
not required to respond to, an information collection that has been 
extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless 
it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions 
regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding 
the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be 
directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, [email protected] or by fax to 202-395-6974, 
Attention: NIH Desk Officer.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days 
of the date of this publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain a copy of the data 
collection plans and instruments, or request more information on the 
proposed project, contact: Ms. Dione Washington, Strategic Planning and 
Evaluation Branch, OSPIDA, NIAID, NIH, 6610 Rockledge Dr., Rm 2501, 
Bethesda, MD 20892-6620, or Email your request, including your address 
to [email protected]. Formal requests for additional plans and 
instruments must be requested in writing.
    Proposed Collection: Data collection to understand how NIH programs 
apply methodologies to improve their research programs (MIRP), 0925-
NEW, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), 
National Institutes of Health (NIH).
    Need and Use of Information Collection: In this submission, NIAID 
is requesting an OMB generic clearance for formative research 
activities relating to the collection of data to assist the Institute 
in understanding the usefulness of a range of methodologies that are 
employed to increase organizational effectiveness. The Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Science and Technology Policy 
(OSTP) have instructed agencies to apply rigorous strategy management 
principles to ensure resources are directed at high-priority programs 
and avoid duplication of effort. A key aspect to ensuring resources 
dedicated to these programs are applied efficiently and effectively is 
to understand how NIH research programs apply methodologies to improve 
their organizational effectiveness. The degree of an organization's 
effectiveness is commonly recognized to be influenced by many factors. 
These can include the clarity of its purpose and strategy, how it 
allocates and structures its work, the processes used to carry out 
operations, the way technologies are used to support work, the people 
involved and their skills and abilities, the way relationships are 
managed with partners and stakeholders, and how leadership functions, 
particularly in terms of its ability to ensure that all the other 
components are aligned in supporting work towards the mission. Many 
methodologies are commonly employed in all sectors, including 
government, with the goal of increasing organizational effectiveness. 
Some examples of those used widely are strategic planning and strategy 
management, total quality management, change management, organizational 
assessment and intervention, organizational design, process 
improvement, leadership development, performance management, and 
workforce training and professional development, among others. There 
are many models and approaches to each of these methodologies. Each one 
can be implemented in a wide range of ways. Reflection on and learning 
from methodologies that have been used and the ways in which they have 
been employed is critical to continually ensuring that government 
functions effectively.
    The primary use for information gathered through voluntary survey 
pilot testing, surveys, focus groups, interviews, and collaborative 
data interpretation meetings to understand the use of strategy 
management in research programs supported by the NIH. The information 
will improve approaches to implementing strategic management, which 
will lead to more efficient use of resources. Results gathered in these 
data will be used to

[[Page 71625]]

enhance implementation of methodologies to improve organizational 
effectiveness. The main goal of this information is to improve program 
outcomes and increase the efficiency of resource utilization. The 
knowledge gained from these collections will be used to strengthen the 
planning, implementation, and monitoring of NIH research programs, as 
well as to strengthen strategy management in NIH research programs.
    The questions asked, and the data to be collected are rooted in 
established business-based paradigms but specifically adapted for use 
(and relevance) in a biomedical research environment, in order to 
discern: 1) Factors that enhance (or inhibit) organizational 
effectiveness in research programs; 2) utility and acceptance of these 
kinds of efforts among biomedical researchers and research 
stakeholders. The results from this formative research project will 
inform quality improvement activities in several areas, including goal 
setting, capability and resource evaluation, operational efficiency, 
and performance monitoring. Utilized data collection methodologies will 
be administered in a manner that minimizes public information 
collection burden. These include, but are not limited to, surveys, 
focus groups, and/or cognitive interviews. Separate and distinct 
generic clearances are requested to facilitate the efficiency of 
submission and review of these projects as required by the OMB Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs
    OMB approval is requested for 3 years. There are no costs to 
respondents other than their time. The total estimated annualized 
burden hours are 4775.

                                                            Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                             Number of    Average burden
                   Form name                                Type of respondent               Number of     responses per   per response    Total annual
                                                                                            respondents     respondent      (in hours)      burden hour
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pilot Test.....................................  Science professional, researchers,                  900               1           45/60             675
                                                  institutional officials, network
                                                  leadership, program administrators,
                                                  and research site staff..
Survey.........................................  .......................................            2500               1           30/60            1250
Interview......................................  .......................................            1000               1           90/60            1500
Focus group....................................  .......................................             375               1            2/60             750
Data interpretation meeting with stakeholders..  .......................................             150               1            4/60             600
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    Dated: November 21, 2013.
Brandie Taylor,
Project Clearance Liaison, Chief, Evaluation Section, OPSIDA, NIAID, 
NIH.
[FR Doc. 2013-28636 Filed 11-27-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P