[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 72 (Tuesday, April 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20698-20699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07708]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Submission for OMB Review; 30-Day Comment Request; Early Career 
Reviewer Program Online Application and Vetting System (Center for 
Scientific Review)

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with 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.

DATES: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured 
of having their full effect if received within 30-days of the date of 
this publication.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular

[[Page 20699]]

information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
instruments, contact: Dr. Hope Cummings, Project Clearance Liaison, 
Center for Scientific Review, NIH, Room 4134, 6701 Rockledge Drive, 
Bethesda, Maryland, 20892 or call non-toll-free number (301) 402-4706 
or Email your request, including your address to: 
[email protected]. Formal requests for additional plans and 
instruments must be requested in writing.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposed information collection was 
previously published in the Federal Register on January 31, 2020, pages 
5677-5678 (85 FR 21) and allowed 60 days for public comment. No public 
comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an 
additional 30 days for public comment. The Center for Scientific Review 
(CSR), 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.
    In compliance with 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.
    Proposed Collection: Early Career Reviewer Program Online 
Application and Vetting System--0925-0695, REVISION--expiration date 
05/31/2020, Center for Scientific Review (CSR), National Institutes of 
Health (NIH).
    Need and Use of Information Collection: The Center for Scientific 
Review (CSR) is the portal for NIH grant applications and their review 
for scientific merit. Our mission is to see that all NIH grant 
applications receive fair, independent, expert, and timely reviews--
free from inappropriate influences--so NIH can fund the most promising 
research. To accomplish this goal, Scientific Review Officers (SRO) 
form study sections consisting of scientists who have the technical and 
scientific expertise to evaluate the merit of grant applications. Study 
section members are generally scientists who have established 
independent programs of research as demonstrated by their publications 
and their grant award experiences.
    The CSR Early Career Reviewer program was developed to identify and 
train qualified scientists who are early in their scientific careers 
and who have not had prior CSR review experience. The goals of the 
program are to expose these early career scientists to the peer review 
experience so that they become more competitive as applicants as well 
as to enrich the existing pool of NIH reviewers. Currently, the online 
application software, the Early Career Reviewer Application and Vetting 
System, is accessed online by applicants to the Early Career Reviewer 
Program who provide information such as their name, contact 
information, a description of their areas of expertise, their study 
section preferences, and their professional Curriculum Vitae. This 
Information Collection Request (ICR) is to revise the Early Career 
Reviewer Application and Vetting System to include additional questions 
and be more user friendly. Additional questions are in line with NIH's 
renewed Interest in Diversity (NOT-OD-20-031) and include questions 
such as applicants' race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and 
disadvantage backgrounds. Applicants can choose if they would like to 
answer these additional questions (i.e. optional). Applicants are also 
now able to check their eligibility before applying to the program.
    OMB approval is requested for 3 years. There are no costs to 
respondents other than their time. The total estimated annualized 
burden hours are 505.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of     Average time
               Type of respondent                    Number of     responses per   per response    Total annual
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      burden hour
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Research scientists.............................            1212               1           25/60             505
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............            1212  ..............             505
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    Dated: March 30, 2020.
Hope M. Cummings,
Project Clearance Liaison, Center for Scientific Review (CSR), National 
Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2020-07708 Filed 4-13-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P