[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 28 (Friday, February 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9281-9282]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02641]


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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Data Collection Available for Public Comments

ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Small Business Administration (SBA) plans to seek approval 
from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct the data 
collection activities described below. The Paperwork Reduction Act 
requires federal agencies to publish a notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information to OMB, and to allow 
60 days for the public to comment in response to the notice. This 
notice complies with such requirements and announces the SBA's proposal 
to conduct a survey of cluster administrators, small businesses, and 
partner organizations including Entrepreneurial Support Organizations 
(ESO) who participated in the SBA's Regional Innovation Cluster (RIC) 
Initiative.

DATES: Submit comments on or before April 7, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Send all comments to Alison Evans, Office of Investment and 
Innovation, 409 3rd Street SW, Suite 6300, Washington DC 20416, with 
the subject line: ``Regional Innovation Cluster Program Evaluation''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alison Evans, Office of Investment and 
Innovation ([email protected]), or Curtis B. Rich, Management 
Analyst, 202-205-7030, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a request for the extension with 
changes to a currently approved collection (previous OMB number: 3245-
0392). Through the RIC Initiative, the SBA is investing in regional 
clusters--geographic concentrations of interconnected companies, 
specialized suppliers, academic institutions, service providers, and 
associated organizations with a specific industry focus--throughout the 
United States that span a variety of industries. The three primary 
goals of the initiative are to (1) increase opportunities for small 
business participation within clusters, (2) promote innovation in the 
industries on which the clusters are focused, and (3) enhance economic 
development and growth in cluster regions. To achieve these goals, the 
clusters provide a host of services to the target population of small 
and emerging businesses within their regional and industry focuses. 
Services include direct business advising and support and sponsoring 
events, such as networking opportunities with investors, partner 
organizations, ESOs, and other stakeholders in the regions. This 
information collection is necessary for the SBA to understand the 
progress of the RIC Initiative towards achieving its goals.
    The evaluation consists of two key components: an implementation 
evaluation and an outcome evaluation. The implementation evaluation 
focuses on how the Initiative is implemented across the fourteen 
clusters and on the services that each cluster provides to its small 
businesses. The outcome evaluation focuses on short and intermediate-
term outcomes linked directly to the cluster services, as well as on 
long-term business outcomes that can be reasonably expected to result 
from the short- and intermediate-term outcomes. The short-term outcomes 
include the satisfaction and the perceived effectiveness of the program 
for business management and growth. The intermediate-term outcomes 
include development of new products, commercialization of new 
technologies,

[[Page 9282]]

marketing and export services, improved access to capital, and industry 
integration. Long-term outcomes include increased revenue and 
employment. Over the previous years, evaluation results have helped to 
track the program performance outcomes and provide suggestions for 
program improvements to better facilitate innovation and small business 
growth. Furthermore, the evaluation survey data helped the SBA to 
better focus cluster activities on local contexts, particularly for 
rural and agricultural small businesses. This data will not be used to 
evaluate the effectiveness of an individual cluster.
    The data collection effort involves three types of RIC Initiative 
stakeholders: small businesses, partner organizations, and cluster 
administrators. Small businesses participating in the cluster will be 
sent an online survey to provide data about their cluster participation 
experiences, satisfaction with the program and its components, the 
performance of their firms with respect to a variety of outcomes, and 
the role of cluster participation in the achievement of these outcomes. 
Similarly, partner organizations will be asked to complete an online 
survey to provide data about their experiences with the RIC Initiative. 
The questions include reasons for the RIC participation, collaboration 
with and support for small businesses, and the role of cluster 
participation on key organizational outcomes associated with the RIC 
Initiative participation. Small businesses and partner organizations 
will also be interviewed once a year to obtain information on barriers, 
facilitators, and other local influences on cluster and ecosystem 
engagement, best practices to facilitate innovation, and suggestions 
for potential cluster improvements (among other topics). The cluster 
administrators will be asked to provide participant rosters, which 
provide the framework for the surveys that the small businesses and 
partner organizations are sent. The administrator survey requests 
information about the services they provided to these two groups of 
stakeholders, and their operations in general. Cluster administrators 
will also be interviewed once a year to obtain information about how 
their operations have evolved, the adjustments they made, best 
practices, issues encountered, and the lessons learned.
    Small Business Web Survey. Estimated Number of Respondents: 180. 
Frequency of Response: Once per year. Estimated Average Minutes per 
Respondent: 114.7. Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 344. Small 
Business Interview. Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 12. 
Frequency of Response: Once per year. Estimated Average Minutes per 
Response: 43. Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 8.6. Partner 
Organization Web Survey. Estimated Number of Respondents: 150. 
Frequency of Response: Once per year. Estimated Average Minutes per 
Respondent: 71. Estimated Annual Hour Burden: 177.5. Partner 
organization Interview. Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 12. 
Frequency of Response: Once per year. Estimated Average Minutes per 
Response: 37. Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 7.4. Cluster 
Administrator Interview. Estimated Number of Respondents: 20. Frequency 
of Response: Once per year. Estimated Average Minutes per Response: 87. 
Estimated Annual Hour Burden: 29. Cluster Administrator Web Survey. 
Estimated Number of Respondents: 20. Frequency of Response: Once per 
year. Estimated Average Minutes per Response: 35.3. Estimated Annual 
Hour Burden: 11.8 (including the time needed for administrators to 
prepare their rosters). Administrative data request. Estimated Number 
of Respondents: 20. Frequency of Response: Once per year. Estimated 
Average Minutes per Response: 30. Estimated Annual Hour Burden: 10.
    Solicitation of Public Comments: The SBA requests comments on (a) 
whether the collection of information is necessary for the agency to 
properly perform its functions; (b) whether the burden estimates are 
accurate; (c) whether there are ways to minimize the burden, including 
through the use of automated techniques or other forms of information 
technology; and (d) whether there are ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information collected. 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.

Summary of Information Collection

    PRA Number: 3245-0392.
    (1) Title: Evaluation of the Regional Innovation Cluster (RIC) 
Initiative.
    Description of Respondents: Smal businesses concerns and partner 
organizations involved in Regional Innovation Clusters and cluster 
administrators.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 350.
    Total Estimated Annual Hour Burden: 531.5.

Curtis B. Rich,
Agency Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-02641 Filed 2-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8026-09-P