[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 2, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 19211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09296]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 2, 2018 / 
Notices  

[[Page 19211]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

[Docket No. NIFA-2018-002]


Notice of Intent To Revise a Currently Approved Information 
Collection

AGENCY: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice 
announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA's) 
intention to request approval for an extension of the currently 
approved information collection for the NIFA proposal review process.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by July 2, 2018 
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will 
be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning this notice and requests for 
copies of the information collection may be submitted by any of the 
following methods: Email: rmartin.usda.gov; Fax: 202-720-0857; Mail: 
Office of Information Technology (OIT), NIFA, USDA, STOP 2216, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-2216.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Martin, eGovernment Program 
Leader; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title of Collection: NIFA Proposal Review Process.
    OMB Control Number: 0524-0041.
    Expiration Date of Current Approval: November 30, 2018.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection for three years.
    Abstract: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is 
responsible for performing a review of proposals submitted to NIFA 
competitive award programs in accordance with section 103(a) of the 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, 7 
U.S.C. 7613(a). Reviews are undertaken to ensure that projects 
supported by NIFA are of high quality, and are consistent with the 
goals and requirements of the funding program. Proposals submitted to 
NIFA undergo a programmatic evaluation to determine worthiness of 
Federal support. The evaluations consist of a peer panel review and may 
also entail an assessment by Federal employees and electronically 
submitted (ad-hoc) reviews in the Peer Review System.
    Need and Use of the Information: As part of our panel process NIFA 
is required to ``maintain a balanced composition of reviewers with 
regard to minority and female representation and an equitable age 
distribution'', 7 CFR 3430.33. In addition, the information collected 
from the form is necessary to show compliance with nondiscrimination 
laws such as 7 CFR 15. Currently, we do not have a vehicle to collect 
this information for panelists, as the approved Research & Related 
Personal Data form, OMB number 4040-0001, is specific to applicants. 
Thus, we are seeking a revision of the currently approved Research & 
Related Personal Data form, OMB Number 4040-0001, tailoring it for 
panelists.
    Once collected, the information would be stored in a secure data 
base and referenced when recruiting panelists to ensure panels meet 
diversity requirements as stated in 7 CFR 3430.33. The information 
would also be aggregated for use in an annual report on the 
demographics of NIFA's applicants and panelists to ensure compliance 
and referenced as needed in cases of a discrimination complaint. The 
data would remain strictly confidential and would only be available to 
NIFA staff.
    Estimate of Burden: NIFA estimates that between one minute to ten 
minutes may be required to fill out the form. It is estimated that 
approximately five minutes are required to fill out the form on 
average. NIFA estimates it has 2,000 panelists each year. The total 
annual burden on panelists is 167 hours.
    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 will 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 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 appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request to OMB for approval. All comments will become a matter of 
public record.

    Done at Washington, DC, this 25th day of April, 2018.
Sonny Ramaswamy,
Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2018-09296 Filed 5-1-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-22-P