[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 134 (Monday, July 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40793-40794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16399]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation has submitted the following 
information collection requirement to OMB for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. This is 
the second notice for public comment; the first was published in the 
Federal Register at 79 FR 19931 and no substantial comments were 
received. NSF is forwarding the proposed renewal submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance simultaneously with 
the publication of this second notice. The full submission may be found 
at: http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
    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 shall 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology; 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.

DATES: Comments regarding these information collections are best 
assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of this 
notification. Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling 703-
292-7556. NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to: Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for National Science 
Foundation, 725 17th Street NW., Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, and 
to Suzanne Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Rm. 1265, Arlington, VA 22230, or by 
email to [email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 
days a week, 365 days a year (including federal holidays).

[[Page 40794]]

    For Additional Information or Comments: Contact Suzanne Plimpton, 
the NSF Reports Clearance Officer, phone (703) 292-7556, or send email 
to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title of Collection: Evaluation of National 
Science Foundation's Partnerships for International Research and 
Education Program.
    OMB Control Number: 3145-NEW.
    Abstract. This is a request that the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) approve, under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, a 
three year clearance for Abt Associates Inc. to conduct data collection 
efforts for an outcome evaluation of the National Science Foundation's 
Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) Program. 
The PIRE program offers researchers an opportunity to forge 
collaborative relationships with foreign scientists and engineers and 
provides educational and professional development opportunities for 
U.S.-based postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students to 
acquire on-site research experience at an international laboratory, 
institution or research site, whether university-, industry- or 
government-based. The PIRE program funds projects across a broad array 
of scientific and engineering disciplines in an effort to catalyze 
long-term, sustainable international partnerships for collaborative 
research. Across its first four award cohorts in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 
2012, PIRE has made a total of 59 awards. PIRE grant awards range from 
$2.5 million to $5 million and typically last five years. These 
projects range from relatively small, bi-national consortia (e.g., two 
U.S. and two non-U.S. institutions in one foreign country) to large, 
multi-national, multi-institutional awards (e.g., a dozen U.S. 
institutions and 11 non-U.S. institutions representing eight foreign 
nations). Many are multi-disciplinary, combining, for example, the 
expertise of econometricians with researchers in fluid dynamics; and, 
notably, many feature partnerships between academic and industrial or 
non-profit institutions. Collectively, these 59 PIRE projects have 
provided research and educational opportunities for more than 100 
postdoctoral fellows, more than 625 graduate students and approximately 
600 undergraduates. More than 600 U.S.-based and over 400 foreign-based 
faculty and researchers at university and non-academic institutions 
have participated in one or more PIRE-funded collaborations.
    To assess the program's outcomes, NSF plans to collect data to 
explore the number and quality of publications produced by PIRE 
projects and participants, the international experiences of 
participants, their educational and career outcomes, the extent to 
which program participants establish and maintain collaborations with 
foreign researchers, and what effect the PIRE program has on policies 
and practices at U.S. and foreign institutions. The primary methods of 
data collection will include analyses of NSF program records and 
bibliometric data, and web-based surveys of principal investigators, 
postdoctoral and student participants, foreign senior investigators, 
and administrative officials at U.S. institutions.
    Expected Respondents. Include PIRE principal and co-principal 
investigators; postdoctoral, graduate student and undergraduate PIRE 
participants; foreign senior investigators (individuals with whom PIRE 
principal investigators have formed partnerships); administrative 
officials within international affairs and/or study abroad offices at 
U.S. institutions of the lead PIRE principal investigators; and 
principal or co-principal investigators, postdoctoral and graduate 
student participants in NSF-funded projects other than PIRE, selected 
for similarity to PIRE based on award year, amount, and duration, 
research fields, and degree of emphasis on international collaboration.
    Use of the Information. The purpose of these studies is to provide 
NSF with outcome data on the PIRE program. These data will be used for 
internal program management and for reporting to stakeholders within 
and outside of NSF.
    Burden on the Public. NSF estimates 3,102 survey responses 
collected one time at an average of 26 minutes per response for a total 
of 1,417 hours.

Consult With Other Agencies and the Public

    NSF has not consulted with other agencies. However, the contractor 
conducting the evaluation has gathered information from an external 
working group of subject matter experts on the study design and data 
collection plan.

    Dated: July 9, 2014.
Suzanne Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2014-16399 Filed 7-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P