Mini SSA BIG CAT

Mini Supporting Statement A For

“A Generic Submission for Formative Research, Pretesting, and Customer Satisfaction of NCI’s Communication and Education Resources (NCI)”

0925-0046-06, Expiration Date 5/31/2016

Title of Sub-Project: Study of Beginning Investigator Grants for Catalyzing Research (BIG CAT) Program

Makeda Williams, Ph.D., Program Analyst, Center for Global Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

Section A.

A1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

Section 410 of the Public Health Service Act (42 USC § 285) authorizes the collection of the information. Since 2012, the National Cancer Institute has led the Beginning Investigator Grants for Catalyzing Research (BIG CAT) program to build capacity and advance research for cancer control in Africa. The Center for Global Health is seeking to do a study of the program to help us identify areas for program improvement and expansion.

This fits under the scope of NCI’s Generic Submission for Formative Research, Pretesting and Customer Satisfaction to “determine the level of customer satisfaction with products that help NCI identify strategies for improving the accessibility of materials/programs, their user-friendliness, and their relevance to the needs of health care professionals.” Specifically, the in-depth interviews would contribute to the program’s aim to improve or advance professional development and growth of young, recipient investigators by, “understand the characteristics of the target audience…, determined the best promotion and distribution channels…, and expend limited program resource dollar wisely and effectively” (0925-0046, Supporting Statement A, Section A.2, p. 6).

A2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection

The NCI Center for Global Health is collecting information from BIG CAT grantees, a population of medical scientists, to gain information on how their participation in the BIG CAT program has played a role in their career development, affected the level and value of communication among the scientific community on funding and collaborative research opportunities, and to gauge respondents’ satisfaction with the program or identify ways in which the program can be expanded or improved upon. Respondents will be invited (Attachment 1_BIG CAT Program Invitation) to complete a brief survey consisting of twenty six questions (Attachment 2_BIG CAT Program Study Questionnaire), which will take no more than thirty minutes to complete. Survey responses will provide information that informs how the NCI formulates the program and delivers services, resources, educational products, new opportunities for grant funding or publication, and cross-community collaboration among young investigators.

Specifically, the in-depth interviews will collect information about:

• How BIG CAT has played a part in career development;

• How BIG CAT has contributed to communication about the grant opportunity (via publications or presentations);

• Whether the interviewees are satisfied with the quality of the program; and,

• How BIG CAT could improve and broaden its program to better benefit young investigators in research communities.

A3. Use of Information Technology and Burden Reduction

Information will be collected via surveys designed and disseminated through Questionnaire Design Studio 3.0, a secure, web-based information collection system. A web-based survey method was chosen over other phone interviews, as the time difference would make phone interviews challenging.

A4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

No similar collection of information exists.

A5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

No small businesses will be involved in this study.

A6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

This is a one-time collection.

A7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5

This project will be implemented in a manner that fully complies with the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5.

A8. Comments in Response to Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside Agency

No efforts have made to consult with others.

A9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents

No payment or gifts will be given to respondents.

A10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

All information will be kept private to the extent allowable by law.

A11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

Personally identifiable information (PII) is not being collected.

A12. Estimates of Hour Burden Including Annualized Hourly Costs

The following tables estimates the annualized burden of hours to survey respondents, cost to respondents, and cost to the federal government. The total annual burden is 9 hours (Table A12-1). The study activities will be electronic surveys. The estimated response is 30 minutes, and the frequency of response will be once. Each respondent will only complete one survey. The total cost to the respondents is $386.82 (Table A12-2), as determined using estimated value for Medical Scientists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The cost of this information collection to the federal government is $5,875.72/year (Table A.14-1). This estimate arises from the labor of one federal program staff and one contractor, at a GS12 level or equivalent, spent on the development of the study, the review of the responses, and the program assessment.

Table A12-1. Estimates of Hour Burden

Type of Respondent	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses Per Respondent	Average Burden Per Response (in hours)	Total Burden Hours
Medical Scientists	18	1	30/60	9
Totals	18	18		9

Table A12-2. Cost to Respondents

Type of Respondent	Total Burden Hours	Wage Rate	Respondent Cost
Medical Scientists	9	$42.98	$386.82
Totals	9	$42.98	$386.82

The hourly mean wage rates are based on http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm.

A13. Estimate of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Record Keepers

There are no capital costs, operating costs, or maintenance costs to report.

A14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

The annualized cost to the federal government is estimated to be $5,875. The federal perssonel will oversee the contractor.The Contractor costs are for data evaluation.

Table A14-1. Cost to the Federal Government

Staffing	Task	Annualized Cost
NCI	NCI GS-12 Program Analyst (5% time for 12 months)	$3,875
Contractor
	Data Evaluation	$2,000
Total		$5,875

A15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

This is a regular sub-study.

A16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

There are no plans for statistical analysis. Simple quantitative analysis will be employed for some of the questions. For the other questions, qualitative techniques will be used to analyze and identify common themes.

The study will begin once OMB approval is granted. Interviews will occur over a three month period of time, then analysis and summaries will be conducted. The contractor will provide NCI with a summary report of findings.

The project time schedule is outlined in Table A.16-1.

Table A16-1. Project Time Schedule

Activity	Months after OMB Approval
Information collection	0 – 1
Collate data	1 - 2
Conduct statistical analysis	2 - 3
Summary report	3

A17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date Is Inappropriate

The OMB Clearance Number, Expiration Date, and Burden Disclosure Statements will be displayed on the applications.

A18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

There are no exceptions to the Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions.

List of Attachments

Attachment 1_BIG CAT Program Invitation Email

Attachment 2_BIG CAT Program Study Questionnaire