[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 180 (Friday, September 19, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45262-45264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-18108]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request;
National Science Foundation Breakthrough Innovations Initiative
Application
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Submission for OMB review; comment request.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the
following information collection requirement to OMB for review and
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This is the second
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal
Register, and no comments were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance
simultaneously with the publication of this second notice.
DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue,
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).
[[Page 45263]]
Comments: Comments regarding (a) whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the NSF, including whether the information shall 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; 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 should be addressed to the points
of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling 703-292-7556.
NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless the
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control
number, and the agency informs potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such persons are not required to
respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: National Science Foundation Breakthrough
Innovations Initiative Application.
OMB Control No.: 3145-NEW.
Expiration Date of Approval: Not applicable.
Abstract: The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate
for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) is launching an
effort to enable researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs to apply
unconventional approaches to create game-changing technologies and
translate discoveries into tangible applications and products.
This effort will utilize a process based on the German Federal
Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND) (https://www.sprind.org/en/challenges/) Challenge prize model with the intention of accelerating
timelines for selecting and conducting translational research,
including through a significantly streamlined application form,
submission portal, and selection process. The administrative burden on
the applicants and selected teams will be reduced, and data will be
collected to assess whether this has a positive impact on the speed of
innovation, including the time to market. Through this effort, NSF
investment will help teams advance high-risk, high-reward ideas on NSF-
defined topics and facilitate mentoring and technical assistance to
enable teams to meet NSF-defined milestones and objectives and maximize
their translational potential.
As Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Kratsios
said in his policy speeches on April 14 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/04/remarks-by-director-kratsios-at-the-endless-frontiers-retreat/) and May 19, 2025 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/05/remarks-by-director-kratsios-at-the-national-academy-of-sciences/): ``It is the duty of government to enable
scientists to create new theories and empower engineers to put them
into practice. Prizes, advanced market commitments, and other novel
funding mechanisms, like fast and flexible grants, can multiply the
impact of government-funded research.'' Thus, in this current effort,
we are piloting a novel, fast, and flexible funding mechanism through a
short application and streamlined selection process.
NSF TIP is establishing this new data collection for the
application form that will allow managing program officers to collect
the necessary information from applicants for the purpose of making a
funding decision. This information includes, but is not exclusive to,
name, job title, professional affiliation, email address and phone
number of the applicant(s), along with a description (no more than
2,000 words) of the proposed idea/solution pertaining to the
scientific/technical track or theme of the corresponding challenge.
Specifically, the information requested would include: (1) how
applicants aim to technically reach the track's goals and milestones,
(2) how their solution could be integrated into downstream processes,
and (3) what preliminary work has been completed, and the technical
maturity of the proposed technology. In addition, the application form
would also request descriptions of a work plan (of no more than 1,000
words) detailing the schedule, cost, personnel, infrastructure, and a
narrative (of no more than 500 words) outlining the knowledge and
expertise of each member of the project team. Finally, the application
would contain a certification section pertaining to foreign influence
disclosures, such as whether the applicant is affiliated with any
malign foreign talent recruitment program, and whether any of the team
members receives funding from any foreign country of concern.
Data collected will be used strictly for funding decisions, due-
diligence, auditing, and/or legal purposes, and are needed for
effective award management, oversight, and administration. The data
collection burden for the application form is estimated to be 15 to 25
hours of the respondents' time in each instance.
Respondents: Principal Investigators (PIs) of the Breakthrough
Innovations Initiative.
Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 100.
Burden on the Public: The overall annualized cost to the
respondents is estimated to be $79,500-$132,500. The following table
shows the annualized estimate of costs to PIs who are generally
university faculty. This estimated hourly rate is based on a report
from the American Association of University Professors, ``The Annual
Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2022-23,'' Academe,
June 2023, Survey Report Table 1. According to this report--https://www.aaup.org/sites/default/files/ARES-2022-23.pdf, the average salary
of an associate professor across all types of doctoral-granting
institutions was $110,945. When divided by the number of standard
annual work hours (2,080), this calculates to approximately $53 per
hour.
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Number of Burden hours Average hourly Estimated annual
Respondent type respondents per respondent rate cost
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PIs.......................................... 100 15-25 $53 $79,500-$132,500
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Total.................................... .............. .............. .............. $79,500-$132,500
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[[Page 45264]]
Dated: September 16, 2025.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2025-18108 Filed 9-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P