Submission for OMB Review: Comment Request

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Submission for OMB Review: Comment Request

Title of Proposed Collection: National Science Foundation Proposal

Evaluation Process.

In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on

proposed data collection projects, the National Science Foundation

(NSF) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. Such a

notice was published at Federal Register 29432, dated June 10, 1996. No

public comments were received.

The materials are now being sent to OMB for review. Send any

written comments to Desk Officer: OMB No. 3145-0100, OIRA, Office of

Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503. Comments should be

received by December 1, 1996.

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

[[Page 56711]]

of automated collection techniques or other forms of information

technology.

Proposed Project: Separately budgeted current fund expenditures on

research and development in the sciences and engineering performed by

universities and colleges and their affiliated federally funded

research and development ceners--A mail survey, the Survey of

Scientific and Engineering Expenditures at Universities and Colleges,

originated in fiscal year (FY) 1954 and has been conducted annually

since FY 1972. The survey is the academic expenditure component of the

NSF statistical program that seeks to ``provide a central clearinghouse

for the collection, interpretation, and analysis of data on the

availability of, and the current and projected need for, scientific and

technical resources in the United States, and to provide a source of

information for policy formulation by other agencies of the Federal

government'' as mandated in the National Science Foundation Act of

1950. The proposed project will continue the current survey cycle for

three to five years. The FY 1996 and FY 1997 will be a statistical

sample of approximately 518 institutions and FY 1998 a full survey

population of about 700 institutions. The survey is conducted as a full

survey population every 5 years and as a statistical sample in each of

the 4 intervening years. These institutions account for over 95 percent

of the Nation's academic R&D funds. The survey has provided continuity

of statistics on R&D expenditures by source of funds and by science &

engineering (S&E) field, with separate data requested on current fund

expenditures for research equipment by S&E field. Statistics from the

survey are published in NSF's annual publication series Academic

Science and Engineering R&D Expenditures and are available

electronically on the World Wide Web.

The survey will be mailed primarily to the administrators at the

Institutional Research Offices. To minimize burden, institutions are

provided with (in addition to paper copy) an automatic survey

questionnaire (ASQ) diskette, pre-loaded with the institutions previous

years data and a complete program for editing and trend checking.

Respondents are encouraged to submit their response via the ASQ

diskette or electronically via internet. Approximately 60% responded

via ASQ or electronically to this voluntary survey in FY 1994 and a

total response rate of 90.6% was obtained. Burden estimates are as

follows:

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Doctorate- Bachelors degree

Total number of institutions granting Masters-granting or below

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(2) Burden hours

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FY 1992--480........................................... 20.8 12.0 4.4

FY 1993--700........................................... 21.0 8.1 5.2

FY 1994--518........................................... 21.6 7.7 4.3

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Dated: October 29, 1996.

Herman G. Fleming,

NSF Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 96-28132 Filed 11-1-96; 8:45 am]

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