Qs and As

OMB comments.

3145-0101

10/31/2010

201107-3145-004

NSF

Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

ICR Rein w Chg

1. We anticipated that the number of respondents and burden hours would go down given the exclusion of the NIH-funded portion of the facilities.  Can you break out the NIH-related decrease, then explain the source(s) of increase, so we can work out way from the last approved levels (627 annual responses and 19,263 hours) to the current request.  In addition, the burden estimates in ROCIS do not appear to quite match those in the SS A, so please reconcile those for us.

2. Please respond to the last full clearance package Terms of Clearance: OMB appreciates that the Science Resources Division of NSF has decided to enhance the clarity of its confidentiality pledge on selected items on this survey according the memorandum dated October 5, 2007. SRS should report back to OMB on the results of any testing or analysis of these changes.

NCSES Response.

Item 1. The total number of burden hours for academic institutions for the FY 2011/FY2013 Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is estimated to increase from FY 2009 because the size of the universe increased and the response rate is estimated to increase (based on the FY 2009 data collection). In FY 2011 the academic universe size is 495 (18 additional institutions compared to FY 2009). The response rate is estimated to be 95% (1% higher than FY 2009), or 470 academic institutions. Consequently, it is estimated that 22 more institutions will respond than in FY 2009. The burden for each institution is 41 hours. The total additional burden is 902 hours.

The total estimated burden for academic and biomedical was 19,202. Of this, 895 hours were for biomedical institutions and 18,368 for academic institutions. If the additional 902 hours from the above paragraph are subtracted from the 18,368 academic burden hours, the number of burden hours for FY 2009 and FY 2011 is the same.

Item 2. NCSES did not conduct any formal testing on the impact of adding the confidentiality statements to the FY 2007 survey. However, there generally was no/little difference in the item nonresponse rates for confidential animal space questions that were on both the FY2005 and FY 2007 Facilities Surveys. For example, in both survey years institutions were asked for their net assignable square footage for animal research space. Item nonresponse for FY 2005 was 0.3%; item nonresponse for FY 2007 was 0.2%.