[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 169 (Thursday, September 1, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53793-53795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18847]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request

AGENCY: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 
National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics 
(NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF), as the Standard 
Application Process (SAP) Program Management Office designated by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is announcing plans to establish 
a common form information collection. NCSES will request approval for 
an SAP Portal information collection as a Common Form to permit other 
federal agency users to streamline the information collection in 
coordination with OMB. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 
days of public comment on the proposed SAP Portal information 
collection as a Common Form, prior to the submission of the information 
collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by October 31, 
2022 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to the 
address below.
    Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the federal statistical agencies, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
NSF's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, use, and clarity of the information on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology; 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 
W18253, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; 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: The Foundations for Evidence-Based 
Policymaking Act of 2018 mandates that OMB establish a Standard 
Application Process (SAP) for requesting access to certain confidential 
data assets. While the adoption of the SAP is required for statistical 
agencies and units designated under CIPSEA, it is recognized that other 
agencies and organizational units within the Executive branch may 
benefit from the adoption of the SAP to accept applications for access 
to confidential data assets. The SAP is to be a process through which 
agencies, the Congressional Budget Office, State, local, and Tribal 
governments, researchers, and other individuals, as appropriate, may 
apply to access confidential data assets held by a federal statistical 
agency or unit for the purposes of developing evidence. With the 
Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) as advisors, the 
entities upon whom this requirement is levied are working with the SAP 
Project Management Office (PMO) and with OMB to implement the SAP. The 
SAP Portal is to be a single web-based common application for the 
public to request access to confidential data assets from federal 
statistical agencies and units. In accordance with the requirements of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, NCSES is providing an opportunity 
for public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering 
public comment, NCSES will prepare the submission requesting that OMB 
approve clearance of this collection for three years.
    This request is on behalf of the following federal statistical 
agencies and units, which may use the Common Form:
     Bureau of Economic Analysis (Department of Commerce)
     Bureau of Justice Statistics (Department of Justice)
     Bureau of Labor Statistics (Department of Labor)
     Bureau of Transportation Statistics (Department of 
Transportation)
     Census Bureau (Department of Commerce)

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     Economic Research Service (Department of Agriculture)
     Energy Information Administration (Department of Energy)
     National Agricultural Statistics Service (Department of 
Agriculture)
     National Center for Education Statistics (Department of 
Education)
     National Center for Health Statistics (Department of 
Health and Human Services)
     National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics 
(National Science Foundation)
     Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics (Social 
Security Administration)
     Statistics of Income Division (Income Revenue Service)
     Microeconomic Surveys Unit (Federal Reserve Board)
     Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality 
(Department of Health and Human Services)
     National Animal Health Monitoring System (Department of 
Agriculture)
    Title of collection: Standard Application Process (SAP) Portal.
    OMB Control Number: 3145-NEW.
    Expiration Date of Current Approval: Not Applicable.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to collect information 
from the public through the Standard Application Process (SAP) Portal, 
as a Common Form.
    Abstract: Established within the NSF by the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act of 2010 Sec.  505, codified in the National Science 
Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, the National Center for Science and 
Engineering Statistics (NCSES) serves as a central Federal 
clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, analysis, and 
dissemination of objective data on science, engineering, technology, 
and research and development for use by practitioners, researchers, 
policymakers, and the public.
    Title III of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 
2018 (hereafter referred to as the Evidence Act) mandates that OMB 
establish a Standard Application Process (SAP) for requesting access to 
certain confidential data assets. Specifically, the Evidence Act 
requires OMB to establish a common application process through which 
agencies, the Congressional Budget Office, State, local, and Tribal 
governments, researchers, and other individuals, as appropriate, may 
apply for access to confidential data assets collected, accessed, or 
acquired by a statistical agency or unit. This new process will be 
implemented while maintaining stringent controls to protect 
confidentiality and privacy, as required by the law.
    The Evidence Act requires that each statistical agency or unit 
establish an identical application process. The Evidence Act further 
requires that federal statistical agencies establish common criteria 
for determining whether to approve an application for confidential 
data, timeframes for prompt determination, an appeals process for 
adverse determinations, and standards for transparency. In response to 
these requirements, the statistical agencies and units will operate a 
web-based portal (referred to as the SAP Portal) on behalf of OMB to 
provide the common application form to applicants. The objective of the 
SAP Portal is to increase public access to confidential data for the 
purposes of evidence building and reduce the burden of applying for 
confidential data, which currently involves separate processes with 
each of the federal statistical agencies and units.
    Data collected, accessed, or acquired by statistical agencies and 
units is vital for developing evidence on conditions, characteristics, 
and behaviors of the public and on the operations and outcomes of 
public programs and policies. This evidence can benefit the 
stakeholders in the programs, the broader public, as well as 
policymakers and program managers at the local, State, Tribal, and 
National levels. The many benefits of access to data for evidence 
building notwithstanding, the process of discovering confidential data, 
applying for access, and, in certain cases, revising an application or 
appealing an adverse determination through the SAP Portal still places 
a burden on the public, as outlined below.
    The SAP Policy: At the recommendation of the ICSP, the SAP Policy 
establishes the SAP to be implemented by statistical agencies and units 
and incorporates directives from the Evidence Act. The policy is 
intended to provide guidance as to the application and review processes 
using the SAP Portal, setting forth clear standards that enable 
statistical agencies and units to implement a common application form 
and a uniform review process. The methods of collection outlined below 
are in accordance with the SAP Policy. The SAP Policy was submitted to 
the public for comment in January 2022 (87 FR 2459, 2022). The policy 
is currently under review and has not yet been finalized.
    For the purpose of the SAP Policy, the application process begins 
with an applicant discovering a confidential data asset for which a 
statistical agency or unit is accepting applications to access for the 
purpose of building evidence and ends with the agency or unit's 
determination on whether to grant access. In the case of an adverse 
determination, the application process ends with the conclusion of an 
appeals process if the applicant elects to appeal the determination.
    The SAP Portal: The SAP Portal is an application interface 
connecting applicants seeking data with a catalog of data assets owned 
by the federal statistical agencies and units. The SAP Portal is not a 
new data repository or warehouse; confidential data assets will 
continue to be stored in secure data access facilities owned and hosted 
by the federal statistical agencies and units. The Portal will provide 
a streamlined application process across agencies, reducing 
redundancies in the application process. This single SAP Portal will 
improve the process for applicants, tracking and communicating the 
application process throughout its lifecycle. This reduces redundancies 
and burden on applicants that request access to data from multiple 
agencies. The SAP Portal will automate key tasks to save resources and 
time, and will bring agencies into compliance with the Evidence Act 
statutory requirements.
    Data Discovery: Individuals begin the process of accessing 
restricted use data by discovering confidential data assets through the 
SAP data catalog, maintained by federal statistical agencies at 
www.researchdatagov.org. Potential applicants can search by agency, 
topic, or keyword to identify data of interest or relevance. Once they 
have identified data of interest, applicants can view metadata 
outlining the title, description or abstract, scope and coverage, and 
detailed methodology related to a specific data asset to determine its 
relevance to their research.
    While statistical agencies and units shall endeavor to include 
metadata in the SAP data catalog on all confidential data assets for 
which they accept applications, it may not be feasible to include 
metadata for some data assets (e.g., potential curated versions of 
administrative data). A statistical agency or unit may still accept an 
application through the SAP Policy even if the requested data asset is 
not listed in the SAP data catalog.
    SAP Application Process: Individuals who have identified and wish 
to access confidential data assets will be able to apply for access 
through the SAP Portal when it is released to the public in late 2022. 
Applicants must create an account and follow all steps to complete the 
application. Applicants begin by entering their personal, contact, and 
institutional information, as well as the

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personal, contact, and institutional information of all individuals on 
their research team. Applicants proceed to provide summary information 
about their proposed project, to include project title, duration, 
funding, timeline, and other details including the data asset(s) they 
are requesting and any proposed linkages to data not listed in the SAP 
data catalog, including non-federal data sources. Applicants then 
proceed to enter detailed information regarding their proposed project, 
including a project abstract, research question(s), literature review, 
project scope, research methodology, project products, and anticipated 
output. Applicants must demonstrate a need for confidential data, 
outlining why their research question cannot be answered using publicly 
available information.
    Submission for Review: Upon submission of their application, 
applicants will receive a notification that their application has been 
received and is under review by the data-owning agency or agencies (in 
the event where data assets are requested from multiple agencies). At 
this point, applicants will also be notified that application approval 
does not alone grant access to confidential data, and that, if 
approved, applicants must comply with the data-owning agency's security 
requirements outside of the SAP Portal, which may include a background 
check.
    In accordance with the Evidence Act and the direction of the ICSP, 
agencies will approve or reject an application within a prompt 
timeframe. In some cases, agencies may determine that additional 
clarity, information, or modification is needed and request the 
applicant to ``revise and resubmit'' their application. This is also in 
accordance with the SAP Policy, which was submitted to the public for 
comment in January 2022 (87 FR 2459, 2022). The policy is currently 
under review and has not yet been finalized.
    Appeals Process: In the event of an adverse determination, the 
applicant will be provided justification through the SAP Portal 
detailing the determination. The SAP Portal will provide the applicant 
with the option to submit an appeal for reconsideration by the data-
owning agency or agencies. Applicants can also file an appeal for 
noncompliance with SAP Policy.
    Access to Restricted Use Data: In the event of a positive 
determination, the applicant will be notified that their proposal has 
been accepted. The positive or final adverse determination concludes 
the SAP Portal process. In the instance of a positive determination, 
the data-owning agency (or agencies) will contact the applicant to 
provide instructions on the agency's security requirements that must be 
completed to gain access to the confidential data. The completion and 
submission of the agency's security requirements will take place 
outside of the SAP Portal and is therefore not included in the estimate 
of burden below.
    Estimate of Burden: The amount of time to complete an application 
within the SAP Portal may vary depending on the number of individuals 
on the application, the topic of the proposal, and the data assets 
being requested. To request access to NCSES data assets, it is 
estimated that the average time to complete and submit an application 
within the SAP Portal is 60 minutes. This estimate includes the time 
needed to complete the SAP Portal application fields (applicant 
information and research proposal); it does not include an estimate of 
the time needed to develop a research proposal itself. The research 
proposal is developed outside of the SAP Portal and may be written for 
multiple audiences (e.g., to solicit funding); therefore, it is not 
included in the estimate of burden for the SAP Portal.
    The expected number of applications submitted to NCSES in a given 
year may vary. Overall, NCSES estimates it may receive 20 application 
submissions within the SAP Portal per year. NCSES estimates that the 
total burden for the SAP Portal over the course of the three-year OMB 
clearance will be about 60 hours and, as a result, an average annual 
burden of 20 hours.

    Dated: August 26, 2022.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2022-18847 Filed 8-31-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P