[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63300-63301]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22141]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Request for Information
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Request for Information.
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SUMMARY: The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018
requires federal agencies to develop evidence-building plans to
identify and address questions relevant to Agency policies, programs,
regulations, management, and operations. Through this Request for
Information (RFI), the National Science Foundation (NSF), seeks to
expand ongoing efforts to identify priority questions that can guide
evidence-building activities by soliciting input from the public.
DATES: Please send comments on or before December 31, 2020. Comments
received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.
Send comments to the address below.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, [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, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365
days a year (including Federal holidays).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act, Pub. L. 115-435) requires
federal agencies to develop evidence-building plans to identify and
address questions relevant to Agency policies, programs, regulations,
management, and operations.
Invitation to Comment: NSF invites comments from the public to
inform the development of NSF's evidence-building plan. NSF invites
suggestions in many forms, as questions to be answered, hypotheses to
be tested, or problems to be investigated. NSF will analyze information
collected from this RFI to continue developing its evidence-building
plan.
1.0 Background
NSF was created ``to promote the progress of science; to advance
the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national
defense . . .'' (1950, as amended). NSF seeks to achieve these goals
through an integrated strategy that advances the frontiers of
knowledge; cultivates a world-class, broadly inclusive science and
engineering workforce; expands the scientific literacy of all citizens;
builds the nation's research capability through investments in advanced
instrumentation and facilities; and supports excellence in science and
engineering research and education. NSF by the numbers provides a brief
overview of NSF's work. NSF is committed to evaluating the efficacy and
efficiency of its strategy, leveraging research and evaluation to help
the Agency achieve its mission.
2.0 Request for Information
Through this RFI, NSF is soliciting suggestions from a broad array
of stakeholders across public and private sectors that may be familiar
with or interested in the work of NSF and wish
[[Page 63301]]
to volunteer suggestions to pursue studies that could help NSF improve
its efficacy or efficiency. NSF invites suggestions in many forms--as
questions to be answered, hypotheses to be tested, or problems to be
investigated--and focused on any area of NSF's work, including policy,
programs, and operations. Responses to this RFI will inform NSF's
ongoing development of a set of questions that will guide evidence-
building activities, such as program evaluations and systems to monitor
participation in NSF programs. This RFI is for information and planning
purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or as an
obligation on the part of NSF.
Dated: October 2, 2020.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2020-22141 Filed 10-6-20; 8:45 am]
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