OMB2021-SupportingStatement-v07 (002)

Supporting Statement A

for

OMB Clearance Number: 0925-0299, exp., date 6/30/2022

NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education –

Application, Registration, and Alumni Systems

Office of the Director

January 2021

Check off which applies:

 New

X Revision

 Reinstatement with Change

 Reinstatement without Change

 Extension

 Emergency

 Existing w/o OMB approval

Federal Government Employee Information:

Sharon Milgram, Ph.D.

Director, Office of Intramural Training & Education

National Institutes of Health

2 Center Drive: Building 2 / 2E06

Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0234

Phone: 301-594-9605

Fax: 301-594-9606

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: http://www.training.nih.gov

Table of Contents

A. ABSTRACT 4

A1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary 4

A2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection 5

A3. Use of Information Technology and Burden Reduction 8

A4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information 8

A5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities 8

A6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently 8

A7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5 9

A8.1. Comments in Response to Federal Register Notice 9

A8.2. Efforts to Consult Outside Agency 9

A9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents 9

A10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents 10

A11. Justification for Sensitive Questions 10

A12. Estimates of Hour Burden Including Annualized Hourly Costs 10

A13. Estimate of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Recordkeepers 14

A14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government 14

A15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments 15

A16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule 15

A17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date Is Inappropriate 16

A18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions 16

Attachments for Accessing Specific OITE Sponsored Training Program Descriptions, Applications, Directions, and Frequently Asked Questions

Attachment-01. High School Scientific Training & Enrichment Program (HiSTEP) – Orientation

Attachment-02. High School Scientific Training & Enrichment Program 2.0 (HiSTEP 2.0) – Orientation

Attachment-03. HiSTEP & HiSTEP2 – Alumni Tracking

Attachment-04. Summer Internship Program (SIP) – Application

Attachment-05. Summer Internship Program (SIP) – Recommendation Letter

Attachment-06. Amgen Scholars at NIH – Supplemental Application

Attachment-07. Amgen Scholars at NIH – Feedback

Attachment-08. Amgen Scholars at NIH – Alumni Tracking

Attachment-09. Community College Summer Enrichment Program (CCSEP) – Alumni Tracking

Attachment-10. College Summer Opportunities to Advance Research (C-SOAR) – Alumni Tracking

Attachment-11. Graduate Summer Opportunities to Advance Research (G-SOAR) – Alumni Tracking

Attachment-12. Graduate Data Science Summer Program (GDSSP) – Alumni Tracking

Attachment-13. Native American Visit Week (NAVW) – Application

Attachment-14. Native American Visit Week (NAVW) – Recommendation Letters

Attachment-15. Native American Visit Week (NAVW) – Feedback

Attachment-16. Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) – Application

Attachment-17. Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) – Recommendation Letters for Applicants

Attachment-18. Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) – Certificate of Exceptional Financial Need

Attachment-19. Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) – Scholar Contract

Attachment-20. Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) – Evaluation of Scholar PayBack Period

Attachment-21. Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) – Renewal Application

Attachment-22. Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) – Recommendation Letters for Renewals

Attachment-23. Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) – Deferment Form

Attachment-24. Postbaccalaureate Training Program (PBT) – Application

Attachment-25. Postbaccalaureate Training Program (PBT) – Recommendation Letters

Attachment-26. NIH Academy – Fellow & Certificate Programs Application

Attachment-27. NIH Academy – Enrichment Program Application

Attachment-28. Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) – Application

Attachment-29. Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) – Recommendation Letters for Application

Attachment-30. Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) – Interview Experience Survey

Attachment-31. Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) – Registration

Attachment-32. Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) – Awards Certificate

Attachment-33. MyOITE – User Accounts

Attachment-34. MyOITE – NIH Alumni

Attachment-35. Blog – Success Stories

Attachment-36. Academic Internship Program (AIP) – Application

Attachment-37. Academic Internship Program (AIP) – Recommendation Letter

Attachment-38. PIA – Research & Training Opportunities (RTO) & Research & Training Programs (RTP)

Attachment-39. Privacy Act Memo

A. Justification

The Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE) administers a variety of programs and initiatives to recruit pre-college through post-doctoral educational level individuals into the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program (NIH-IRP) to facilitate their development into future biomedical scientists and to track the placement of former trainees after completion of their training program. Selection of participants in the NIH Intramural Research Program for a series of online collection forms for prospective, current, and alumni trainees. The collection forms are either open year-round or have specific time periods for collections. The OITE advertises the collection periods within the website https://www.training.nih.gov.

A1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

The Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE) administers a variety of programs and initiatives to recruit pre-college through post-doctoral educational level individuals into the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program (NIH-IRP) to facilitate their development into future biomedical scientists and to track the placement of former trainees after completion of their training program.

The legal authority granted to NIH to train future biomedical scientists comes from several sources. Title 42 of the U.S. Code, Sections 241 and 282(b)(13) authorize the Director, NIH, to conduct and support research training for which fellowship support is not provided under Part 487 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (i.e., National Research Service Awards), and that is not residency training of physicians or other health professionals. Sections 405(b)(1)(C) of the PHS Act and 42 U.S.C. Sections 284(b)(1)(C) and 285-287 grant this same authority to the Director of each of the Institutes/Centers at NIH.

Identification of participants to matriculate into the programs and initiatives comes from applications, registrations, alumni tracking, user accounts, success stories and related forms hosted through the OITE Web site https://www.training.nih.gov.

The principal appointment authority for the training programs is the Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) or Cancer Intramural Training Award (CRTA), which are restricted to U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals of the U.S., and individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States. The IRTA and CRTA appointment mechanisms were established in response to studies showing declining numbers of U.S. college graduates pursuing careers in biomedical research. These mechanisms were designed to facilitate and enhance the systematic development of future U.S. biomedical scientists by making available unique research training opportunities in laboratories of the NIH during the formative stages of their academic training or research careers. The CRTA appointment mechanism is used exclusively by the National Cancer Institute.

The Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) extends admission to foreign citizens through the Visiting Fellowship (VF) appointment mechanism. The VF is an award to a foreign scientist offering advanced research experience and training and not requiring the performance of services for the NIH. VFs are authorized by section 307 of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 242l] and PHS Regulations at 42 CFR, Part 61, Subpart A.

Participants in the Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) are appointed as FTEs and therefore must be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents or qualifying foreign nationals.

Amgen Scholars at NIH are funded by the Amgen Foundation and the program is managed by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. These scholars are appointed via the IRTA/CRTA appointment mechanism during their training experience at NIH.

Participants in the NIH Visit Week are visitors and receive financial support from National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

The financial support provided to participants comes from a variety of sources: appropriated funds, management funds, NIH-IRP investigators’ budgets, supply & service funds from OITE, donations from foundation(s), university programs, scholarship programs, or other non-NIH sources. If the trainee does not receive financial support from NIH, then the appointment mechanism used for onboarding is the Special Volunteer, regardless of the educational and citizenship status.

A2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection

The purpose of the proposed information collection activity is to assure that prospective trainees to the NIH Intramural Research Program meet basic eligibility requirements; to assess their potential as future scientists; to determine where mutual research interests exist; and to make decisions regarding which applicants will be proposed and approved for traineeship awards. In each case, completing the application, registration, user accounts, alumni tracking, and success stories is voluntary. However, in order for prospective trainees to be considered for admission, all required fields must be completed and the form submitted by the specified deadline, if one applies.

This clearance request is being submitted as a revision because of programmatic changes since the previous clearance approval in calendar year 2019. Several collection forms were updated to become more streamlined, specifically: field reduction and modification of the NIH Alumni form, one field addition and increase number of submissions to the NIH Academy Enrichment Program (NAEP) application, and creation of a new training program call the Academic Internship Program (AIP).

The OITE is requesting approval to use the collection forms for three years. Details of the modifications from the previous approval are summarized below.

The OITE applications, registrations, and alumni forms use many of the following information fields:

• Personal information (name, date of birth, fluencies, student identification number);

• Parental information for minors (parent name, email address, and phone number);

• Eligibility information (minimum age, citizenship, certification questions, previous or current affiliation with NIH, trainee status, financial aid, relative at NIH (name, Institute-Center), distance between school and NIH campus for training);

• Contact information (mailing, email, phone for current, permanent and future address);

• Contact information of parents/guardians (phone number, email address, and relationship to minor);

• Admission preferences (training program selection, sub-program selection, Institute-Center, campus location)

• Scientific discipline interests (research interest keywords, Institute-Center);

• Educational history (university, academic major, attendance dates, degree awarded/anticipated, grade point average);

• Employment / training history and interests (type of employment / training, organization, department, address, title, salary, employment package benefits, category);

• Standardized examination scores (GRE, MCAT);

• Reference information (name, contact information, waive access);

• Resume components (cover letter, research experience, publications, presentations, awards / honors, extracurricular activities, personal statement / research proposal, evaluate and describe your aptitude);

• Dissertation research information;

• Identify relatives at NIH to prevent nepotism (all relative name, relative Institute-Center)

• Letter of recommendation (letter and evaluation form);

• Travel information for candidate interviews;

• Future networking contact;

• Feedback questions about recruitment resources;

• Feedback questions to renew program participation;

• Feedback questions about interviews;

• Alumni Tracking

• MyOITE Accounts

• MyOITE Alumni Accounts

• OITE Success Stories

Applicants to the Summer Internship Program (SIP) are granted an option to be considered for admission into a variety of sub-programs (Attachment-04):

• High School Summer Internship Program (HS-SIP)

• High School Scientific Training & Enrichment Program (HiSTEP)

• High School Scientific Training & Enrichment Program 2.0 (HiSTEP 2.0)

• Community College Summer Enrichment Program (CCSEP)

• College Summer Opportunities to Advance Research (C-SOAR)

• Amgen Scholars Program at NIH

• Graduate Summer Opportunity to Advance Research (G-SOAR)

• Graduate Data Science Summer Program (GDSSP)

Applicants to the Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) must demonstrate their eligibility for admission by providing feedback on statements pertaining to:

• Non-delinquent status;

• Information is true, complete, and accurate;

• Authorization of release of information about academic, financial, services, etc…

In addition, UGSP applicants must complete the Undergraduate Institution Certification of Exceptional Financial Need (EFN) form to ensure eligibility based on financial need. Applicants that become UGSP Scholars must complete the Academic Enrollment Certification and Service Obligation Deferment Request form if they need to defer the service obligation associated with the scholarship. UGSP Scholars that wish to continue their scholarship or have not yet fulfilled the payback requirement must complete the Scholarship Contract.

UGSP scholars that wish to renew their award, must complete a UGSP Renewal Application that contains additional information about their current academic progress, benefits received from the UGSP, how participation has impacted career choices, and future goals. A recommendation letter from an NIH or university mentor is also requested.

Applicants selected to participate in the Postbaccalaureate Training Program are provided an option to participate in one of three NIH Academy programs by completing an application form:

• NIH Academy Fellows Program

• NIH Academy Certificate Program

• NIH Academy Enrichment Program

Applicants selected to interview and receive an admission offer into the Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) will be asked to respond anonymously to feedback questions that will be used to evaluate the interview process and identify factors that were essential in their decision to accept or decline the admission offer. Responses to the questions will be used to improve the interview sessions and recruiting material.

The OITE staff and NIH investigators have access to applications for select programs based on their affiliation. Access to the information contained in each application is restricted by a login password that will be regulated and monitored by the OITE staff. For some programs, investigators select their own trainees; for others, an admission committee makes selections. In the latter case, as decided by the admissions committee, a student displaying the ability to perform well in a training program will receive a notice to interview for a research-training award. Depending on the interview results, a student may receive an offer for admission into a training program of the NIH-IRP.

Over the last several years, the number of trainees in the NIH-IRP has ranged between 4700 and 5200, with slight variations in the distribution across training programs. To ensure the entire trainee population is receiving training and mentoring experiences to transition from student to colleague, the OITE has created a series of workshops and activities to address research skills and career development. Listed below is a small sample of the types of workshops / activities provided to the trainee populations:

• Orientation

• Teaching Courses

• Mindfulness Course

• Improving Spoken English Programming

• Diversity and Inclusion in a Multicultural Society

• Grant-Writing Workshops

• Leadership and Management Training

• Scientific Skill Development Training (creating posters, giving scientific talks, reading scientific papers)

• Getting into Graduate School or Professional School

• Career Services

  • Advice on Graduate and Professional School

  • Mock Interviews

  • CV, Resume, and Personal Statement Review

  • Help Exploring Career Options

  • Exploration of Skills, Values, and Interests as they Relate to Careers

  • Career Exploration

  • Guidance in Informational Interviewing and Networking

  • Job Search Assistance

  • Help with Interpersonal Skills such as Assertiveness and Getting Along in the Laboratory

• Special Events

  • Postbaccalaureate Poster Day

  • Summer Poster Day

  • Graduate & Professional School Fair

  • Graduate Student Research Symposium

  • Career Symposium

  • International Expo

  • Fellows Award for Research Excellence (FARE)

• Alumni Database

• Career Blog

• Videocasts and Online Resources

MyOITE user accounts are used to restrict access to the registration for OITE sponsored events. User accounts are based on user type: NIH trainee / fellow, NIH staff scientist / staff clinician, other NIH staff, and guest (Attachment-33).

Upon completion of the Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) training experience, participants are invited to complete the GPP Awards Certificate, providing information such as: contact information, graduate university information, NIH information, and certificate award preferences.

The OITE Alumni Database is designed to track where the NIH-IRP trainees go once they leave the NIH but also to use the alumni population to further enhance the training experience of the program matriculants, a service already performed by many university alumni databases (Attachment-34). The Alumni Database collection form is open to all NIH trainees, regardless of the appointment mechanism. Alumni tracking questions are very similar to the application/registration collections, but include questions such as: trainee committee memberships, current employment details, most helpful/useful item learned from NIH experience, applications submitted for internships or scholarships, willingness to speak to career counselors, and future networking contact information. No financial support is provided to the NIH alumni. Participants in select training programs have program-specific alumni surveys that are designed to collect more detailed information to track outcomes (Attachment-03, Attachment-08, Attachment-09, Attachment-10, Attachment-11, Attachment-12).

At any point after departure, NIH alumni are welcome to complete and submit the collection form to collect success stories for the OITE Blog website; content is edited and approved prior to posting. Information collected pertains to contact information, current position, information about NIH training, preparation for interview, and what the current position entails (Attachment-35).

A3. Use of Information Technology and Burden Reduction

The OITE applications are web-based and accessible through the OITE website: https://www.training.nih.gov.

In addition, prospective trainees are able to review webpages hosting application directions, registration directions, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) prior to submitting a collection form for admission consideration. The details posted within the webpages ensure adequate time to carefully complete and submit a well-organized application.

OITE's online system reduces the burden on every applicant by streamlining the application process, improves agency efficiency and responsiveness to the public, and reduces the financial cost to applicants (there is no application fee for OITE programs).

Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) have been updated and submitted for the application database systems for the OITE training programs: Research & Training Opportunities and Research & Training Programs (Attachment-38).

A4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

In general, applicants for admission into the OITE programs must complete and submit the appropriate collection form through the RTO (Research & Training Opportunities) or Research & Training Programs (RTP) software programs because there are no duplicate sources available, except for the Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) application. Applicants to the Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) may have a university application that contains much of the information required for admission consideration; however, this information is considered proprietary, and is therefore inaccessible by the GPP staff and admission committees.

Trainees wishing to participate in an OITE sponsored event or activity must register through their MyOITE account. There is no other option for registration.

Alumni tracking, via overall or program-specific collection forms, is only available through OITE collection forms. There is no other option for obtaining this information.

A5. Impact on Small Businoesses or Other Small Entities

No small business or other small entities will be affected by the implementation of the Office of Intramural Training & Education application, registration, and alumni systems.

A6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

Without approval to collect information for the various training programs, the OITE would be compromised in the ability to identifying highly qualified trainees of various educational levels for the NIH-IRP: summer interns, post-baccalaureates, and graduate students. Applicant information remains active for one year and is then archived / disposed of based on the NIH policy for Keeping and Destroying Records (http://go.usa.gov/49xB). In addition, alumni tracking forms are used to make long-term assessments on program effectiveness on the education and placement of participants.

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

Collected information is consistent with these guidelines. Individuals that complete and submit an application, registration, or alumni system collection form do so voluntarily.

A8.1 Comments in Response to Federal Register Notice

Notification of this information collection for the OITE Training Programs was originally published on November 2, 2020 in Volume 85, Number 212, Pages 69337 - 69338. No comments were received during the 60-day notice.

A8.2 Efforts to Consult Outside Agency

Since the inception of the Office of Intramural Training & Education both formal and informal consultations with the NIH Office of Human Resources, Intramural Research Programs of the Institutes-Centers, and university communities have been convened to discuss concerns and ideas about training future biomedical scientists within the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP). Specific areas of interest and discussion included but were not limited to the following:

• Recruitment of high-ability trainees

• Application and interview process

• Requirements for advanced degrees

• Structure of NIH-University partnerships

• Trainee support and stipends

• Development of the NIH trainee community

• Monitoring, steering, and evaluation of training programs

• Faculty composition

A9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents

Neither payments nor gifts will be distributed to individuals to encourage the completion and submission of an application, registration, or alumni collection form. However, students matriculating into the NIH-IRP may receive a stipend, health benefits, and tuition based on eligibility regulations and outside support. For select OITE programs, financial support is renewable annually up to 5-years based on factors such as citizenship, research progress, etc. All trainees are supported by NIH investigators’ budgets, Institute-Center budgets, university contributions, and/or other sources. First-year graduate students enrolled in institutional partnerships are supported by the GPP through pooled funds collected from Institute-Center donations; the NIH mentor for dissertation research supports subsequent years. The UGSP provides scholarship funding up to $20,000.00 for reasonable educational expenses, while selected UGSP Scholars are at their respective universities. When scholars return for their payback, the UGSP provides the salary and benefits for students returning without a terminal degree. For those returning with a terminal degree to conduct their payback, the UGSP provides half of the salary and benefits. Amgen Scholars at NIH receive financial support from the Amgen Foundation. Participants of the NIH Visit Week receive a grant from NIGMS.

A10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

Information collected is available only to NIH scientific and program officials who recommend or approve awards and to administrative, human resources, and financial officials who prepare the necessary documentation to arrange for stipend payments and to activate, renew, and terminate approved awards. These individuals are assigned login credentials, including "strong" passwords that conform to standards used by the NIH Center for Information Technology, and the online tools these individuals use to access applicant data are restricted to OITE-approved users. Applicants receive login credentials, including randomly generated or user-defined passwords, when they first apply. Also, references submit their letters of recommendation via a password-protected website.

The information collected is subject to the Privacy Act, and is collected and maintained in accordance to the following records system numbers:

• OPM/GOVT-1 – General Personnel Records

• OPM/GOVT-5 – Recruiting, Examining, and Placement Records

• 09-90-0020 – Suitability for Employment Records

• 09-25-0014 – Clinical Research: Student Records

• 09-25-0108 – Personnel: Guest Researchers, Special Volunteers, and Scientists Emeriti

• 09-25-0140 – International Scientific Researchers in Intramural Laboratories

• 09-25-0158 – Administration Records of Applicants and Awardees of the Intramural Research Training Awards Program

• 09-25-0165 – Office of Loan Repayment and Scholarship (OLRS)

OITE uses two systems for the management of information obtained from the collection forms: Research & Training Opportunities (RTO) and Research & Training Programs (RTP) systems.  The contractors who manage each system use web-based software for the maintenance of the collected information.  The RTO Contractor develops software on a shared NIH server residing inside the NIH firewall.  Development occurs on contractor-owned servers, with staging occurring on NIH servers.  Information contained in the archive database is protected in a similar manner as the original database. The RTP Contractor uses contractor-owned servers for the creation and production of software and a cloud service provider for hosting. 

A11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

The OITE applications do not contain sensitive questions as described in the Points to Consider in A.11. These applications do collect Personally Identifiable Information (PII), including name, contact information, education, financial aid history, and employment history.

Information about whether an applicant has a relative at the NIH is collected to ensure compliance with the NIH Nepotism Chapter 2300-310-1 (see http://go.usa.gov/49aj).

Participants of the HiSTEP program provide name and contact information (including phone number, email address, and relationship) for their parents / legal guardians for participation in an orientation and completion of appointment paperwork two months before the start of the program.

A12.1 Estimates of Hour Burden Including Annualized Hourly Costs

The estimated time to complete a collection form is based on the number and configuration of questions. The burden times for the collection forms range from 3-minutes to 60-minutes (see Table 12A-1) for each response.

Table A12-1. Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Type of Respondent	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses Per Respondent	Average Time / Response (hours)	Total Annual Burden Hours
High School Scientific Training & Enrichment Program (HiSTEP) - Orientation	25	1	10 / 60	4
HiSTEP2 - Orientation	25	1	10 / 60	4
HiSTEP & HiSTEP2 - Alumni Tracking	125	2	30 / 60	125
Summer Internship Program (SIP) - Application	8,000	1	45 / 60	6,000
SIP - Recommendation Letters	16,000	1	10 / 60	2,667
Amgen Scholars at NIH - Supplemental Application	535	1	10 / 60	89
Amgen Scholars at NIH - Feedback	20	1	15 / 60	5
Amgen Scholars at NIH - Alumni Tracking	127	1	30 / 60	64
Community College Summer Enrichment Program (CCSEP) - Alumni Tracking	158	1	10 / 60	26
College Summer Opportunities in Advanced Research (C-SOAR) - Alumni Tracking	158	1	10 / 60	26
Graduate Summer Opportunities in Advanced Research (G-SOAR) - Alumni Tracking	114	1	30 / 60	57
Graduate Data Science Summer Program (GDSSP) - Alumni Tracking	30	1	30 / 60	15
Native American Visit Week - Application	15	1	20 / 60	5
Native American Visit Week - Recommendation Letters	15	1	10 / 60	3
Native American Visit Week - Feedback	15	1	15 / 60	4
Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) - Application	125	1	60 / 60	125
UGSP - Recommendation Letters for Applicants	375	1	10 / 60	63
UGSP - Exceptional Financial Need (EFN) - Completed by Applicant	125	1	3 / 60	6
UGSP - EFN - Completed by University Staff	125	1	15 / 60	31
UGSP - Scholar Contract	25	1	10 / 60	4
UGSP - Evaluation of Scholar PayBack Period	30	1	15 / 60	8
UGSP - Renewal Application	15	1	45 / 60	11
UGSP - Recommendation Letters for Renewals	15	1	10 / 60	3
UGSP - Deferment Form - Completed by UGSP Scholar	25	1	3 / 60	1
UGSP - Deferment Form - Completed by University Staff	25	1	5 / 60	2
Postbaccalaureate Training Program (PBT) – Application	2,250	1	45 / 60	1,688
PBT - Recommendation Letters	6,750	1	10 / 60	1,125
NIH Academy - Fellow & Certificate Programs Application	300	1	15 / 60	75
NIH Academy - Enrichment Program Application	300	1	15 / 60	75
Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP) - Application	325	1	60 / 60	325
GPP - Recommendation Letters for Application	975	1	10 / 60	163
GPP - Interview Experience Survey	30	1	10 / 60	5
GPP - Registration	175	1	15 / 60	44
GPP - Awards Certificate	75	1	30 / 60	38
MyOITE - User Accounts	6,000	1	3 / 60	300
MyOITE - NIH Alumni	500	1	15 / 60	125
OITE Careers Blog - Success Stories	7	1	45 / 60	5
Academic Internship Program (AIP) - Application	500	1	45 / 60	375
AIP - Recommendation Letters	1,000	1	10 / 60	167
Totals	45,434	45,559		13,858

Table A12-2. Annualized Cost to Respondents:

The following table indicates the annualized cost to respondents.

Type of Respondent	Total Burden Hours	Hourly Wage	Burden Cost
HiSTEP (High School Scientific Training & Enrichment Program) - Orientation	4	11.54	46.16
HiSTEP2 - Orientation	4	12.87	51.48
HiSTEP & HiSTEP2 - Alumni Tracking	125	14.24	1,780.00
SIP (Summer Internship Program) - Application	6,000	14.83	88,980.00
SIP - Recommendation Letters (2 / Application)	2,667	61.59	164,260.53
Amgen Scholars at NIH - Supplemental Application	89	14.83	1,319.87
Amgen Scholars at NIH - Feedback	5	13.51	67.55
Amgen Scholars at NIH - Alumni Tracking	64	17.34	1,109.76
CCSEP (Community College Summer Enrichment Program) - Alumni Tracking	26	18.9	491.40
C-SOAR (College Summer Opportunities in Advanced Research) - Alumni Tracking	26	14.79	384.54
G-SOAR (Graduate Summer Opportunities in Advanced Research) - Alumni Tracking	57	19.29	1,099.53
GDSSP (Graduate Data Science Summer Program) - Alumni Tracking	15	17.39	260.85
Native American Visit Week - Application	5	15.59	77.95
Native American Visit Week - Recommendation Letters (1 / Application)	3	61.59	184.77
Native American Visit Week - Feedback (100% response rate)	4	15.59	62.36
UGSP (Undergraduate Scholarship Program) - Application	125	14.08	1,760.00
UGSP - Recommendation Letters for Applicants (3 / Application)	63	61.59	3,880.17
UGSP - EFN (Exceptional Financial Need) - Completed by Applicant	6	14.08	84.48
UGSP - EFN - Completed by University Staff	31	46.24	1,433.44
UGSP - Scholar Contract (New and Renewal Scholars)	4	15.59	62.36
UGSP - Evaluation of Scholar PayBack Period (1 / Participant)	8	61.59	492.72
UGSP - Renewal Application	11	14.83	163.13
UGSP - Recommendation Letters for Renewals (1 / Renewal Application)	3	61.59	184.77
UGSP - Deferment Form (Completed by UGSP Scholar)	1	14.08	14.08
UGSP - Deferment Form (Completed by University Staff)	2	46.24	92.48
PBT (Postbaccalaureate Training Program) - Application	1,688	15.59	26,315.92
PBT - Recommendation Letters (3 / Application)	1,125	61.59	69,288.75
NIH Academy - Fellow & Certificate Programs Application	75	16.35	1,226.25
NIH Academy - Enrichment Program Application	75	16.35	1,226.25
GPP (Graduate Partnerships Program) - Application	325	15.59	5,066.75
GPP - Recommendation Letters for Application (3 / Application)	163	61.59	10,039.17
GPP - Interview Experience Survey	5	15.59	77.95
GPP - Registration	44	16.92	744.48
GPP - Awards Certificate	38	20.38	774.44
MyOITE - User Accounts	300	17.94	5,382.00
MyOITE - NIH Alumni	125	17.35	2,168.75
OITE Careers Blog - Success Stories	5	13.51	67.55
AIP (Academic Internship Program) - Application	375	13.34	5,002.50
AIP - Recommendation Letter (2 / Application)	167	61.59	10,285.53
Totals	13,858	N/A	406,010.67

Hourly wage rates for trainees are based on the 2018 NIH IRTA Trainee Stipends (https://www.training.nih.gov/predoctoral_irta_stipend_levels), 2020 GS Schedule (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2020/DCB.pdf), and Bureau of Labor and Statistics tables. (https://www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic/).

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

Over the last decade, the OITE has been using online application systems for the collection and processing of information submitted by prospective trainees for participation in NIH-IRP training programs and special events. Through the years, these applications have been merged and enhanced based on changes in the trainee environment and administration needs. At present, the OITE has two contracts for the collection of information: Research & Training Opportunities (RTO) and Research & Training Programs (RTP). A summary of both contract costs, federal employees, and office staff contractors are presented in the table below. On average, the annual cost of the OITE application system is $690,063.33.

Table A14-1. Cost to the Federal Government

Cost Descriptions	Grade/Step	Salary*	% of Effort	Fringe (if applicable)	Total Cost to Gov’t
Federal Oversight
Directors	Title 42	$88.94	0.65		$3,006.25
Science Supervisors	G13-S10	$64.17	2.92		$9,742.95
Program Analysts	G13-S08	$60.88	26.39		$83,537.55
Science Program Specialists	G13-S03	$52.65	8.27		$22,640.78
Science Program Specialists	G11-S06	$40.40	1.81		$3,802.54
Contractor Cost
Contractors		$49.81	7.48	~	$19,374.14
Software - RTO Contract		~	~	~	$380,045.58
Software - RTP Contract		~	~	~	$157,913.56
Travel					$0.00
Other Cost					$0.00
Total					$690,063.33

*The Salary in table above is cited from https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2020/DCB.pdf.

A15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

The OITE currently uses 0925-0299 to cover the collection of information for the various training programs and special events of the NIH Intramural Research Program. Over the last three years, program changes have resulted in a modification of the estimated burden hours, detailed below.

The following modifications result in an increase in the respondent burden:

• Reassessment of the number of respondents for the NIH Academy Enrichment Program (NAEP) application (Attachment 27).

• Additional question in the NIH Academy Enrichment Program (NAEP) application (Attachment 27)

• Reduction in the number of fields and configuration of the NIH Alumni form (Attachment 34)

• Creation of Academic Internship Program (Attachment 36 and Attachment 37)

• Resubmission of the UGSP Certificate of Exceptional Financial Need form by applicants and university personnel is no longer needed (Attachment 18)

• Increase in the number of UGSP scholars completing a portion of the UGSP Deferment Form

• Reduction in the burden time for university personnel completing a portion of the UGSP Deferment Form

These additions have results in a net increase of 561 hours.

Table A15-1. Change in Burden Hours

OMB Clearance Year	Burden Hours
Current Submission	13,858
Previous Submission (Expiration Date June 2022)	13,297
Difference (Current – Previous)	561

A16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

The information collected in the OITE applications will not be published for the general public but will be used for annual program assessments and more comprehensive program reviews on a five-year schedule that assess services provided to the NIH trainee community by the OITE.

Federal regulations for the protection of human subjects do not apply to this activity.

Table A16-1. Project Time Schedule: Application Opening and Closing Dates

Form	Type of Respondent	Open Date	Close Date
1	High School Scientific Training & Enrichment Program – Orientation	April	May
2	High School Scientific Training & Enrichment Program 2 – Orientation	April	May
3	HiSTEP & HiSTEP2 - Alumni Tracking	May	December
4, 5	Summer Internship Program - Application	November	March
6	Amgen Scholars at NIH - Supplemental Application	November	February
7	Amgen Scholars at NIH - Feedback	April	August
8	Amgen Scholars at NIH - Alumni Tracking	April	August
9	Community College Summer Enrichment Program - Alumni Tracking	May	December
10	College-Summer Opportunities in Advanced Research - Alumni Tracking	May	December
11	Graduate-Summer Opportunities in Advanced Research - Alumni Tracking	May	December
12	Graduate Data Science Summer Program - Alumni Tracking	November	January
13, 14	Native American Visit Week - Application	January	March
15	Native American Visit Week - Feedback	August	August
16, 17, 18	Undergraduate Scholarship Program - Application	January	May
19	Undergraduate Scholarship Program - Scholar Contract (New and Renewal Scholars)	July	August
20	Undergraduate Scholarship Program - Evaluation of Scholar PayBack Period	All Year	All Year
21, 22	Undergraduate Scholarship Program - Renewal Application	June	August
23	Undergraduate Scholarship Program - Deferment Form	June	September
24	Postbaccalaureate Training Program - Application	All Year	All Year
26	NIH Academy - Fellow & Certificate Programs Application	May	August
27	NIH Academy - Enrichment Program Application	May	August
28	Graduate Partnerships Program - Application	August	December
30	Graduate Partnerships Program - Interview Experience Survey	February	May
31	Graduate Partnerships Program - Registration	All Year	All Year
32	Graduate Partnerships Program - Awards Certificate	All Year	All Year
33	MyOITE - User Accounts	All Year	All Year
34	MyOITE - NIH Alumni	All Year	All Year
35	OITE Careers Blog - Success Stories	All Year	All Year
36, 37	Academic Internship Program – Application	All Year	All Year

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

The OITE will display the OMB Clearance Number, Expiration Data, and Burden Disclosure Statements on our applications in the following configuration in order to prevent confusion by applicants:

A18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

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

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