[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 246 (Thursday, December 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 93967-93968]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30804]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Establish an Information 
Collection System

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the 
National Science Foundation (NSF) is inviting the general public or 
other Federal agencies to comment on this proposed continuing 
information collection.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by February 21, 
2017, to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to address 
below.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 
1265, Arlington, Virginia 22230; or via email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports 
Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, 
Suite 1265, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone (703) 292-7556; or 
send 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).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the Foundation, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Foundation's estimate 
of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology. Please submit one copy of your comments by only one method. 
All submissions received must include the agency name and collection 
name identified above for this information collection. Commenters are 
strongly encouraged to transmit their comments electronically via 
email. Comments, including any personal information provided, become a 
matter of public record. They will be summarized and/or included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the information 
collection request.
    Title of Collection: Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Teams Program 
Survey of Program Participants and NSF Principal Investigators.
    OMB Number: 3145-NEW.
    Type of request: Intent to seek approval to establish an 
information collection.
    Abstract: In fiscal year 2011, NSF created the Innovation Corps (I-
Corps) Teams Program to build a national innovation ecosystem by 
accelerating innovation among identified NSF-funded researchers. The I-
Corps Teams Program provides training, mentoring, and a small grant to 
help project teams determine the readiness of their technology products 
for transition to commercialization. By design, I-Corps Teams are 
composed of one principal investigator (PI), an entrepreneurial lead 
(EL), and a local mentor. NSF's I-Corps Teams program model has been 
replicated in other Federal agencies that sponsor research, including 
the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NSF and NIH have a memorandum 
of understanding to cooperate in the implementation and monitoring of 
I-Corps at NIH.
    As part of I-Corps, teams receive entrepreneurial training and 
ongoing support for the 6-month duration of the grant. The I-Corps 
support facilitates each team's entrepreneurial efforts. The grant 
requires I-Corps awardees to participate in an intensive immersion 
training on entrepreneurship (a 3-day opening workshop, 5 weeks of 
activities with online classes, and a 2-day final workshop). The 
training follows a structured approach to give team members hands-on 
experience in transferring knowledge into commercial products. NSF 
tracks I-Corps Teams' progress, as they are expected to hit milestones 
for the duration of the training and throughout the 6-month grant 
period. Additionally, NSF monitors I-Corps Teams' project outcomes 
after the grant period, with longitudinal surveys conducted with I-
Corps Teams at two future intervals, time 1, at least one year after 
the end of the training, and time 2, at least one year after time 1. To 
date, only time 1 longitudinal surveys have been conducted.
    This notice supports NSF's efforts to monitor and evaluate the I-
Corps Teams program at NSF and NIH. It is a follow up to a previously 
approved data collection request related to I-Corps. NSF previously 
received clearance for two longitudinal surveys of I-Corps team members 
after the completion of the program to continuously track 
entrepreneurial outcomes [Federal Register Vol. 80 No. 25, February 06, 
2015 pages 6773-6774, OMB clearance number 3145-0238, expiration date: 
April 30, 2018]. NSF is seeking to modify the survey instrument 
approved for the second longitudinal survey, administered at time 2.
    Additionally, NSF is also reaffirming its intent to conduct a 
survey of NSF PIs who did not participate in I-Corps. This intent was 
previously published in a Federal Register notice on December 04, 2015 
[Volume 80, number 233 pages 75881-75882]. This survey of additional 
PIs supports a rigorous longitudinal outcome/impact evaluation of the 
I-Corps Team Program using a quasi-experimental design to understand I-
Corps impact on teams that go through the program and its impact on 
team members and academic culture.
    This information collection request relates to: (1) A revision to 
previously cleared survey instrument for I-Corps team participants; (2) 
a similar survey instrument for PIs in comparable non-I-Corps NSF 
projects; and (3) a proposed instrument for in-depth interviews with 10 
I-Corps and 10 comparable non-I-Corps teams (including institutional 
support personnel). The survey instrument for the non-I-Corps PIs is 
modeled after the content of the I-Corps longitudinal time 2 instrument 
to enable a direct comparison of outputs and outcomes. For the most 
part, it replaces specific references to I-Corps training and the I-
Corps project that was the focus of commercial exploration with 
references to any other training and NSF project that was the focus of 
commercial exploration.
    The survey of non-I-Corps PIs will begin with an initial screening 
module to identify those who have received

[[Page 93968]]

support for projects with commercial potential and who have desire to 
act on that potential but have not received an I-Corps grant. PIs with 
non-I-Corps NSF-funded projects awarded between 2009 and 2013 will be 
surveyed. PIs who reported active interest in commercial potential for 
their research projects will be asked to complete an additional module 
adapted from the I-Corps Longitudinal Data Collection already approved 
by OMB for I-Corps team members. PIs not interested in the commercial 
potential of their research will stop the survey after completing the 
screening module. The surveys will be administered online.
    In addition to the comparison between the I-Corps teams and a 
comparable group based on survey results, the study also includes in-
depth interviews to gain an understanding of the influence of 
participation in the I-Corps program on PIs (and/or other active team 
members) as well as to compare the impact of the I-Corps program on 
industry collaborations and other networking activities. Half of all 
in-depth interviews will be conducted over the phone while the other 
half will take place during site visits to the home institutions of the 
teams selected for the study.
    Affected Public: NSF and NIH I-Corps grantees, including PIs, 
Entrepreneurial Leads and Mentors (or individuals taking equivalent 
formal roles in the teams) and non-I-Corps Grant recipients of NSF 
Programs.
    Total Respondents: 6,222 (survey of NSF/NIH I-Corps grantee team 
members and non-I-Corps NSF PIs) and 160 (in-depth interviews with I-
Corps and non-I-Corps PIs, their teams and support personnel).
    Frequency: One-time collection.
    Total responses: 5,422 (non-I-Corps screener questions only), 1,342 
(longitudinal survey instrument for I-Corps teams and non-I-Corps NSF 
PIs), and 160 (in-depth interviews).
    Average Time per response: 3 minutes (screener questions), 15 
minutes (longitudinal survey instrument), and 60 minutes (in-depth 
interview).
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 817 hours.

    Authority: Pub. L. 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

    Dated: December 16, 2016.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2016-30804 Filed 12-21-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P