[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 77 (Friday, April 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28732-28733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08443]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Regional Economic Development Data Collection Instrument

AGENCY: Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before June 18, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
via email to Hallie Davis, Program and Management Analyst, Economic 
Development Administration (EDA), at [email protected] or 
[email protected]. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Hallie Davis, Program and Management Analyst, EDA, at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    EDA leads the Federal economic development agenda by promoting 
innovation and competitiveness and preparing American regions for 
growth and success in the worldwide economy. Guided by the basic 
principle that sustainable economic development should be driven 
locally, EDA works directly with communities and regions to help them 
build the capacity for economic development based on local business 
conditions and needs. Section 28 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1980 (Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program 
(15 U.S.C. 3722a) is the legal authority under which EDA awards 
financial assistance and designee status under the Fiscal Year (FY) 23 
Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program (``Tech Hubs''). Under 
Tech Hubs, EDA seeks to strengthen U.S. economic and national security 
through place-based investments in regions with the assets, resources, 
capacity, and potential to become globally competitive, within 
approximately ten years, in the technologies and industries of the 
future--and for those industries, companies, and the good jobs they 
create to start, grow, and remain in the U.S. in order to support the 
growth and modernization of U.S. manufacturing, improve 
commercialization of the domestic production of innovative research, 
and strengthen U.S. economic and national security. Tech Hubs is a two-
phase program: in Phase 1, EDA funded Strategy Development grants and 
designated 31 regions as Tech Hubs. In Phase 2, designated Tech Hubs 
are eligible to compete for funding for implementation projects. 
Further information on Tech Hubs can be found at www.eda.gov.
    The purpose of this notice is to seek comments from the public and 
other Federal agencies on a request for a new information collection 
for designated Tech Hubs to help ensure that Tech Hub investments are 
evidence-based, data-driven, and accountable to participants and the 
public.
    Lead consortium members of the 31 designated Tech Hubs will submit 
identified program metrics and qualitative information to help assess 
specific program objectives. A one-time questionnaire will be sent to 
each of the Tech Hubs consortium leads which will gather the relevant 
data and stories for each of the 31 Tech Hubs designee consortia, 
resulting in consortia regional impact evaluation, resources, and tools 
for regional economic development decision-makers. The 31 designated 
Tech Hubs will provide information on the following objectives:
    (1) Accelerating technology innovation, commercialization, 
demonstration, and deployment, which may include information on the 
number of patents filed, licensing agreements, approximate levels of 
research and development expenditures, adoption of

[[Page 28733]]

new technologies, and acceleration of current technologies.
    (2) Enabling infrastructure and advancing manufacturing, which may 
include information on specific facility information.
    (3) Integrating an agile workforce system, which may include 
information on skills needed by employers, available training, hard-to-
fill vacancies, policies and strategies for worker retention, and 
strategies for engagement with underserved workers.
    (4) Increasing business and entrepreneurial capacity, which may 
include assessing employer competitiveness, relationships with federal, 
state, and local entities, current partnerships, and information about 
sources of capital to start and grow businesses and to adopt innovative 
approaches and technologies.
    (5) Strengthening national security, which may include information 
on procurement processes, critical inputs, sourcing, supply chains, and 
strategic implications of technologies and their use cases.
    Tech Hubs designees must submit this data one time to provide a 
baseline status of the Tech Hub and to help assess the results of 
designee status as well as potential future federal investments.
    EDA is particularly interested in public comment on how the 
proposed data collection will support the assessment of job quality, 
including in ways that rely on pairing this information administrative 
data for analysis and other ways to minimize burden, or if alternative 
information should be considered.

II. Method of Collection

    Data will be collected electronically.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: None: new information collection.
    Form Number(s): None: new information collection.
    Type of Review: Regular submission: new information collection.
    Affected Public: Tech Hubs designees, which may include a (n): 
Institution of higher education, including Historically Black Colleges 
and Universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and Minority-Serving 
Institutions; State, territorial, local or Tribal governments or other 
political subdivisions of a State, including State and local agencies, 
or a consortium thereof; Industry groups or firms in relevant 
technology, innovation, or manufacturing sectors; Economic development 
organizations or similar entities that are focused primarily on 
improving science, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, or access 
to capital; Labor organizations or workforce training organizations, 
which may include State and local workforce development boards; 
Economic development entities with relevant expertise, including a 
district organization; Organizations that contribute to increasing the 
participation of underserved populations in science, technology, 
innovation, and entrepreneurship; Venture development organizations; 
Organizations that promote local economic stability, high wage domestic 
jobs, and broad-based economic opportunities, such as employee 
ownership membership associations and State or local employee 
ownerships and cooperative development centers, financial institutions 
and investment funds, including community development financial 
institutions and minority depository institutions; Elementary schools 
and secondary schools, including area career and technical education 
schools; National laboratories; Federal laboratories; Manufacturing 
extension centers; Manufacturing U.S.A. Institutes; Transportation 
planning organizations; A cooperative extension services; Organizations 
that represent the perspectives of underserved communities in economic 
development initiatives; and Institutions receiving an award under the 
National Science Foundation's (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines 
Program.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Consortium Lead Members/Tech Hubs 
Designee Consortia: 31 respondents, responding once.
    Estimated Time per Response: Consortium Lead Members/Tech Hubs 
Designee Consortia: 3 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 93 hours.

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                                                                                                         Total
                                               Number of    Hours per                                  estimated
       Type of respondent (one time)          respondents   response    Number of responses per year     time
                                                             (hours)                                    (hours)
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Lead Consortium Members/Tech Hubs Designee             31           3  1 (Once).....................          93
 Consortia.
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    Total..................................            31           3  1............................          93
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    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $5,769.72 (cost assumes 
application of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics second quarter 2022 mean 
hourly employer costs for employee compensation for professional and 
related occupations of $62.04).
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory for Consortium Lead Members.
    Legal Authority: Stevenson Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
1980, section 28 (15 U.S.C. 3722a).

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary of 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-08443 Filed 4-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-34-P