[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 76 (Monday, April 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21824-21825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08239]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Economic Analysis


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Survey: 
Expenditures Incurred by Recipients of Biomedical Research and 
Development Awards From the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

AGENCY: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal 
agencies to comment on continuing information collections related to 
the Expenditures Incurred by Recipients of Biomedical Research and 
Development Awards survey from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before June 19, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer A. Bennett, Chief, 
Training and Staff Development Section, Expenditure and Income 
Division, Bureau of Economic Analysis, 4600 Silver Hill Road, BE-57, 
Washington, DC 20233, or via email at [email protected]. All comments 
received are part of the public record. Comments will generally be 
posted without change. All Personally Identifiable Information (for 
example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may 
be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information 
or otherwise sensitive or protected information. You may submit 
attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe 
PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Jennifer A. Bennett, Chief, Training and Staff 
Development Section, Expenditure and Income Division (BE-57), Bureau of 
Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, 4600 Silver Hill Rd. 
Washington, DC 20233; or via email at [email protected]ov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The survey obtains the distribution of expenditures incurred by 
recipients of biomedical research awards from the National Institutes 
of Health (NIH) and will provide information on how the NIH award 
amounts are expended across several major categories. This information, 
along with wage and price data from other published sources, will be 
used to generate the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index 
(BRDPI). The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) develops this index for 
NIH under a reimbursable contract. The BRDPI is an index of prices paid 
for the labor, supplies, equipment, and other inputs required to 
perform the biomedical research the NIH supports in its intramural 
laboratories and through its awards to extramural organizations. The 
BRDPI is a vital tool for planning the NIH research budget and 
analyzing future NIH programs. A survey of award recipients is 
currently the only means for updating the expenditure category weights 
that are used to prepare the BRDPI.

II. Authority

    This survey will be voluntary. The authority for NIH to collect 
information for the BRDPI is provided in 45 CFR subpart C, Post-Award 
Requirements, section 74.21. This sets forth explicit standards for 
grantees in establishing and maintaining financial management systems 
and records, and section 74.53 which provides for the retention of such 
records as well as NIH access to such records.
    BEA will administer the survey and analyze the survey results on 
behalf of NIH, through an interagency agreement between the two 
agencies. The authority for the NIH to contract with the Department of 
Commerce (DOC) to make this collection is the Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 
1535 and 1536).
    The ``Special Studies'' authority, 15 U.S.C. 1525 (first 
paragraph), permits DOC to provide, upon the request of any person, 
firm, or public or private organization (a) special studies on matters 
within the authority of the DOC, including preparing from its records 
special compilations, lists, bulletins, or reports, and (b) furnishing 
transcripts or copies of its studies, compilations and other records. 
NIH's support for this research is consistent with the Agency's duties 
and authority under 42 U.S.C. 282.
    The information provided by the respondents will be held 
confidential and be used for exclusively statistical purposes. This 
pledge of confidentiality is made under the Confidential Information 
Protection provisions of title V, subtitle A, Public Law 107-347. Title 
V is the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency 
Act of 2002 (CIPSEA). Section 512 (on Limitations on Use and Disclosure 
of Data and Information) of the Act, provides that ``data or 
information acquired by an agency under a pledge of confidentiality and 
for exclusively statistical purposes shall be used by officers, 
employees, or agents of the agency exclusively for statistical 
purposes. Data or information acquired by an agency under a pledge of 
confidentiality for exclusively statistical purposes shall not be 
disclosed by an agency in identifiable form, for any use other than an 
exclusively statistical purpose, except with the informed consent of 
the respondent.''
    Responses will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed in 
identifiable form to anyone, other than employees or agents of BEA or 
agents of NIH, without prior written permission of the person filing 
the report. By law, each employee as well as each agent is subject to a 
jail term of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both for 
disclosing to the public any identifiable information that is reported 
about a business or institution.
    Section 515 of the Information Quality Guidelines applies to this 
survey. The collection and use of this information comply with all 
applicable information quality guidelines, i.e., those of the Office of 
Management and Budget, Department of Commerce, and BEA.

III. Method of Collection

    A survey with a cover letter that includes a brief description of, 
and rationale for, the survey will be sent by email to potential 
respondents by the first week of August 2020, 2021, and 2022. A report 
of the respondent's expenditures of the NIH award amounts, including 
NIH awards received as a sub-recipient from another institution, 
following the proposed format for expenditure categories included with 
the survey form, will be requested to be completed and submitted online 
no later than December 8, which in most years will be approximately 120 
days

[[Page 21825]]

after mailing. Survey respondents will be selected based on award 
levels, which determine the weight of the respondent in the biomedical 
research and development price index. Potential respondents will 
include (1) The top 100 organizations in total awards, which account 
for about 77 percent of total awards; (2) 40 additional organizations 
that are not primarily in the ``Research and Development (R&D) 
contracts'' category; and (3) 10 additional organizations that are 
primarily in the ``R&D contracts'' category.

IV. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0608-0069.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Universities or other organizations that are NIH 
award recipients.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 150.
    Estimated Time per Response: 16 hours but may vary among 
respondents because of differences in institution structure, size, and 
complexity.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,400 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.

V. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the NIH, including whether the information has practical utility; (b) 
the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours 
and cost) 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 respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: April 14, 2020.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-08239 Filed 4-17-20; 8:45 am]
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