Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request, 58826 [2022-20911]

Agencies

• NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 58826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20911]



[[Page 58826]]

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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request

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 
renewal 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, VA 22314, 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). Comments regarding this information collection are 
best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of 
this notification. Copies of the submission(s) 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: ``Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology 
Application Form A and Reference Writer Recommendation.''
    OMB Approval Number: 3145-0203.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to renew an information 
collection for three years.
    Proposed Project: Two organizational units within the Directorate 
of Biological Sciences of the National Science Foundation will use the 
NSF Application Form A and recommendation form for the Postdoctoral 
Research Fellowships in Biology Program (https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/postdoctoral-research-fellowships-biology-prfb). They are 
the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) and the Division of 
Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS). All scientists submitting the NSF 
Application Forms and recommendation forms to these units will be asked 
to complete an electronic version of the forms. The NSF Application 
Form A consists of brief questions about the investigator and the 
substance of the research. The recommendation form consists of brief 
questions about the reference writer and the uploading of a 
recommendation letter drafted by the reference writer.
    Use of the Information: The information gathered with the NSF 
Application Form A and recommendation form serves three main purposes. 
The first is to provide vehicles for applicants to submit applications 
and reference writers to submit recommendations.
    The second is facilitation of the proposal review process. Since 
peer review is a key component of NSF's grant-making process, it is 
imperative that proposals are reviewed by scientists with appropriate 
expertise. The information collected helps ensure that the proposals 
are evaluated by specialists who are well versed in appropriate subject 
matter. This helps maintain a fair and equitable review process.
    The third use of the information is program evaluation. The 
Directorate is committed to investing in a range of substantive areas. 
With data from this collection, the Directorate can calculate 
submission rates and funding rates in specific areas of research. 
Similarly, the information can be used to identify emerging areas of 
research, evaluate changing infrastructure needs in the research 
community, and track the amount of international research. As the 
National Science Foundation is committed to funding cutting-edge 
science, these factors all have implications for program management.
    The Directorate of Biological Sciences has a continuing commitment 
to monitor its information collection in order to preserve its 
applicability and necessity. Through periodic updates and revisions, 
the Directorate ensures that only useful, non-redundant information is 
collected. These efforts will reduce excessive reporting burdens.
    Burden on the Public: The Directorate estimates that an average of 
25 minutes is expended for each application submitted and an average of 
170 minutes is expended for reference writer recommendation added. An 
estimated 930 responses are expected during the course of one year for 
a total of 542 public burden hours annually.
    Expected Respondents: Individuals.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 930.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 930.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1886 hours.
    Frequency of Responses: On occasion.

    Dated: September 22, 2022.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2022-20911 Filed 9-27-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P