[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 63 (Thursday, April 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17761-17762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07623]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review; 30-Day Comment Request Electronic 
Prior Approval Submission System (ePASS) (NHLBI)

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 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 November 24, 2014 (79 FR 69865), and allowed 60-days for 
public comment. One public comment was received. The purpose of this 
notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The 
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), 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, submit comments in writing, or 
request more information on the proposed project, contact: Ms. Ryan 
Lombardi, 6701 Rockledge, Office of Grants Management, National Heart, 
Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, 6701 
Rockledge Dr, MSC 7926, Bethesda, MD 20892-7926, or call non-toll-free 
number 301-435-0166, or Email your request, including your address to 
[email protected]. Formal requests for additional plans and 
instruments must be requested in writing.
    Proposed Collection: Electronic Prior Approval Submission System 
(ePASS), 0925--New, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), 
National Institutes of Health (NIH).
    Need and Use of Information Collection: The purpose and use of the 
information collection for this project is to collect and track certain 
requests (such as budget modifications or undertaking particular 
activities) from NIH grantees in an electronic format. This new 
electronic system, ePASS (electronic Prior Approval Submission System), 
will enable grantees to have a standard way to submit requests for 
their projects per NIH policy. The grantee will initiate a request for 
a certain action as required by NIH policy: Use of unobligated 
balances/carryover, change of PI, change of effort, Training

[[Page 17762]]

Grant (NRSA) waivers, significant rebudgeting, 2nd and 3rd no cost 
extensions, and change of scope. These are all prior approvals as 
required by the NIH Grants Policy, and need to be reviewed and approved 
by the NHLBI. ePASS will provide a template to ensure that all specific 
points are addressed and documented in the official grant file. All 
information is submitted via the internet, tracked in ePASS, and the 
documentation will automatically be forwarded to the official grant 
file. The system will ensure that individuals authorized by the grantee 
are submitting requests and that the appropriate NIH staff is receiving 
the requests. The requests will be template driven so that the grantee 
is including the minimally required information, thus eliminating the 
usual back and forth to obtain missing information. Forms will have 
automatic fill-in capability that will reduce typos in grant numbers 
and PI names, further reducing approval time. Reminders will be sent to 
NIH staff within ePASS based on roles to ensure timely responses to the 
grantee. The system will facilitate email communication with applicants 
by automatic notifications when applications are received and when NIH 
has made a determination regarding a request (approval issued or 
request denied with explanation for denial).
    OMB approval is requested for 3 years. There are no costs to 
respondents other than their time. The total estimated annualized 
burden hours are 470.

                                            Estimates of Hour Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden
               Type of respondent                    Number of     responses per   per response    Total annual
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      hour burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHLBI Grantees..................................             940               1           30/60             470
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................             940  ..............  ..............             470
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    Dated: March 17, 2015.
Lynn Susulske,
NHLBI Project Clearance Liaison, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2015-07623 Filed 4-1-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P