[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 23, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15541-15542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06477]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Proposed Collection; 60-Day Comment Request Surveys and 
Interviews to Support an Evaluation of the Innovative Molecular 
Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program (NCI)

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, for opportunity for public comment 
on proposed data collection projects, the National Cancer Institute 
(NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), will publish periodic 
summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.
    Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies are invited to address one or more of the following points: 
(1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (2) 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; (3) The quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of

[[Page 15542]]

information on those who are to respond, including the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    To Submit Comments and For Further Information: To obtain a copy of 
the data collection plans and instruments, submit comments in writing, 
or request more information on the proposed project, contact: Anthony 
Dickherber, NCI Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, 31 Center 
Drive, Rm10A33, Bethesda, MD 20892 or call non-toll-free number 301-
547-9980 or Email your request, including your address to: 
[email protected]. Formal requests for additional plans and 
instruments must be requested in writing.
    Comment Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 60 days 
of the date of this publication.
    Proposed Collection: Surveys and Interviews to Support an 
Evaluation of the Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) 
Program (NCI), 0925-0720, Expiration Date 5/31/2016--EXTENSION, 
National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH).
    Need and Use of Information Collection: The purpose of the proposed 
evaluation is to pursue a comprehensive process and outcome assessment 
of the 15-year old Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) 
program. While the program consistently offers promising indicators of 
success, the full program has not been evaluated since 2008, and never 
in as comprehensive a manner as has been formulated in the current 
evaluation plan. An outcome evaluation of the long-standing National 
Cancer Institute's (NCI) IMAT program presents a rich and unique 
opportunity likely to serve institutes across the National Institutes 
of Health (NIH), and perhaps other federal agencies, considering the 
costs and benefits of directing resources towards supporting technology 
development. An award through the NIH Evaluation Set-Aside program to 
support this evaluation, for which NIH-wide relevance is a principle 
element of determining merit for support, is testament to this. The 
evaluation serves as an opportunity to gauge the impact of investments 
in technology development and also to assess the strengths and 
weaknesses of phased innovation award mechanisms. Prior approval from 
OMB allowed for extensive surveys and interviews already, and this 
extension is requested to accommodate unforeseen delays in collecting 
the remaining information.
    Like all institutes and centers (ICs) of the NIH, NCI seeks 
opportunities for improving their programs' utility for the broad 
continuum of researchers, clinicians and ultimately patients. NCI 
Acting Director Douglas Lowy and other leadership across NCI, as well 
as the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors, will be the primary users of 
the evaluation results. Findings are primarily intended for considering 
the long-term strategy to support innovative technology development and 
how to more efficiently translate emerging capabilities through such 
technologies into the promised benefits for cancer research and 
clinical care. Interviews with grantees, program officers, review 
officers, and other NIH awardees make up a crucial component of the 
evaluation plan and will largely follow set survey protocols. Specific 
near-term aims include the use of this information to consider the 
utility of continued investment through existing solicitations and in 
strategic planning generally for institute support for innovative 
technology development.
    OMB approval is requested for 1 year. There are no costs to 
respondents other than their time. The total estimated annualized 
burden hours are 233.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                     Type of         Number of       Number of      burden per     Total annual
           Form name               respondents      respondents    responses per   response (in     burden (in
                                                                    respondent        hours)          hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview--IMAT Grantee.......  IMAT Awardees...              18               1               1              18
Web-based Survey--Technology    IMAT Awardees;               379               1           30/60             190
 Grantees.                       Other NIH
                                 Awardees
                                 representing
                                 comparison
                                 group.
Interview--Tech End-Users.....  Technology End-               50               1           30/60              25
                                 Users.
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals....................  ................             447             447  ..............             233
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    Dated: March 16, 2016.
Karla Bailey,
NCI Project Clearance Liaison. National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2016-06477 Filed 3-22-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P