82 FR 39981 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 162 (August 23, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 23, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 39981]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17773]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce (DOC) will submit to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for 
collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Commerce.
    Title: Expenditures Incurred by Recipients of Biomedical Research 
and Development Awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
    OMB Control Number: 0608-0069.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission.
    Number of Respondents: 120.
    Average Hours per Response: 16 hours is the average, but may vary 
among respondents because of differences in institution structure, 
size, and complexity.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,920 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The survey obtains the distribution of expenditures 
incurred by recipients of biomedical research awards from the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) and will provide information on how the NIH 
award amounts are expended across several major categories. This 
information, along with wage and price data from other published 
sources, will be used to generate the Biomedical Research and 
Development Price Index (BRDPI). The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) 
of the Department of Commerce develops this index for NIH under a 
reimbursable contract. The BRDPI is an index of prices paid for the 
labor, supplies, equipment, and other inputs required to perform the 
biomedical research the NIH supports in its intramural laboratories and 
through its awards to extramural organizations. The BRDPI is a vital 
tool for planning the NIH research budget and analyzing future NIH 
programs. A survey of award recipients is currently the only means for 
updating the expenditure category weights that are used to prepare the 
BRDPI.
    A survey questionnaire with a cover letter that includes a brief 
description of, and rationale for, the survey will be sent to potential 
respondents by September of 2017, 2018, and 2019. A report of the 
respondent's expenditures of the NIH award amounts following the 
proposed format for expenditure categories attached to the survey's 
cover letter, will be requested to be returned no later than December 
8, which in most years will be approximately 120 days after mailing. 
Survey respondents will be selected on the basis of award levels, which 
determine the weight of the respondent in the biomedical research and 
development price index. BEA proposes to survey 150 organizations that 
receive NIH biomedical research awards. This will include the top 100 
organizations in total awards received; 40 additional organizations 
that are not primarily in the ``Research and Development (R&D) 
contracts'' category; and 10 additional organizations that are 
primarily in the ``R&D contracts'' category. Based on awards data for 
FY 2015 by type of organization, the top 100 organizations received 
$17.0 billion in awards (approximately 77 percent of total awards); the 
remaining awards-receiving organizations received $5.2 billion.
    Affected Public: Universities or other organizations that are NIH 
award recipients.
    Frequency: Annual.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: 45 CFR subpart C, Post-Award Requirements, 
sections 74.21 and 74.53; 42 U.S.C. 282; Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535 
and 1536); and 15 U.S.C. 1525.
    OMB Desk Officer: Jessica Park, (202) 395-9046.
    This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. 
Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections 
currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Jessica Park, OMB Desk Officer, phone number (202) 395-9046, or via 
email at [email protected].

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Lead, Office of Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-17773 Filed 8-22-17; 8:45 am]
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