[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 244 (Thursday, December 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88420-88421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28046]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; 
National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program Monitoring 
System

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to 
renew this collection. In accordance with the requirements of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing the opportunity for 
public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public 
comment, NSF will prepare the submission requesting Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) clearance of this collection for no longer 
than 3 years.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by February 20, 
2024 to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to address 
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 
E7465, 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: 

[[Page 88421]]

    Title of Collection: National Science Foundation Research 
Traineeship (NRT) Monitoring System.
    OMB Number: 3145-0263.
    Expiration Date of Approval: November 30, 2024.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to renew an information 
collection.
    Proposed Project: The National Science Foundation's (NSF's) 
Division of Graduate Education (DGE) in the Directorate for STEM 
Education (EDU) administers the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program. 
The NRT program is designed to encourage the development and 
implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative models for 
STEM graduate education training. The NRT program seeks to ensure that 
graduate students in research-based master's and doctoral degree 
programs develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to 
pursue a range of STEM careers. NRT is dedicated to effective training 
of STEM graduate students in high-priority interdisciplinary or 
convergent research areas through the use of a comprehensive 
traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with 
changing workforce and research needs.
    Previously, NRT awardees provided NSF with information on their 
activities through periodic research performance progress reports. The 
NRT monitoring system (also referred to as the NRT reporting system) 
has replaced these reports with a tailored program monitoring system 
that uses internet-based information and communication technologies to 
collect, review, and validate specific data on NRT awards. EDU is 
committed to ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness with which 
respondents provide and NSF staff can access and analyze data on funded 
projects within the NRT programs.
    The NRT monitoring system includes subsets of questions aimed at 
the different project participants (i.e., Principal Investigators 
(PIs), and trainees), and allows for data analysis and data report 
generation by authorized NSF staff. The collection generally includes 
three categories of descriptive data: (1) Staff and project 
participants (data that are necessary to determine individual-level 
treatment and control groups for future third-party study or for 
internal evaluation); (2) project implementation characteristics (also 
necessary for future use to identify well-matched comparison groups); 
and (3) project outputs (necessary to measure baseline for pre- and 
post- NSF-funding-level impacts). NRT awardees will be required to 
report data on an annual basis for the life of their award.
    Use of the Information: NSF will primarily use the data from this 
collection for program planning, management, and audit purposes to 
respond to queries from the Congress, the public, NSF's external merit 
reviewers, who serve as advisors, including Committees of Visitors 
(COVs), the NSF's Office of the Inspector General, and as a basis for 
either internal or third-party evaluations of individual programs. This 
information is required for effective administration, communication, 
program and project monitoring and evaluation, and for measuring 
attainment of NSF's program, project, and strategic goals, and as 
identified by the President's Accountability in Government Initiative; 
GPRA, and the NSF's Strategic Plan. The Foundation's FY 2022-2026 
Strategic Plan may be found at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf22068.
    Since this collection will primarily be used for accountability and 
evaluation purposes, including responding to queries from COVs and 
other scientific experts, a census, rather than sampling design, 
typically is necessary. At the individual project level, funding can be 
adjusted based on individual project's responses to some of the 
surveys. Some data collected under this collection will serve as 
baseline data for separate research and evaluation studies.
    NSF-funded contract or grantee researchers and internal or external 
evaluators in part may identify control, comparison, or treatment 
groups for NSF's education and training portfolio using some of the 
descriptive data gathered through this collection to conduct well-
designed, rigorous research and portfolio evaluation studies.
    Burden on the Public: Estimated at 82 hours per award for 120 
awards for a total of 9,840 hours (per year).
    Comments: 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 shall 
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 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.

    Dated: December 15, 2023.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2023-28046 Filed 12-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P