Memo for change request

National Science Foundation

M E M O R A N D U M

DATE: August 12, 2019

TO: Office of Management & Budget, OIRA, NSF Desk Officer

FROM: Suzanne Plimpton, NSF Reports Clearance Officer

SUBJECT: National Science Foundation (NSF) Implementation of the NSTC-approved Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) for use with Final Project Reports

This memorandum provides information on the NSF implementation strategy for the NSTC-approved version of the RPPR for final performance reports. NSF received OMB/OIRA clearance on its existing version of the RPPR (OMB Control Number 3145-0221) on 7/16/ 2019, with an expiration date of 07/31/2022. Given that the changes necessary to implement the new format for final reports are relatively minor in nature (more detail is provided below), NSF believes that full re-clearance is neither required nor appropriate.

BACKGROUND:

The initial version of the RPPR for use with interim (less than final) project reports resulted from an initiative of the Research Business Models (RBM), an Interagency Working Group of the Social, Behavioral & Economic Research Subcommittee of the Committee on Science (CoS), a committee of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). One of the RBM Subcommittee’s priority areas ¹was to create greater consistency in the administration of Federal research awards. The format was approved for use by a joint OSTP/OMB memorandum on {Insert date}. NSF’s existing electronic system for reporting results served as the basis for the RPPR which permitted the Foundation the ability to utilize an expedited clearance approach to clear the initial version of the RPPR.

On July 23, 2015, NSF (on behalf of the NSTC RBM subcommittee) submitted a request for public comment on an Updated Standardized Research Performance Progress Report Format for use in preparation of both Interim and Final Performance Progress Reports in the Federal Register [Volume 80, No.141, pages 43802-43803, July 23, 2015]. All comments were carefully considered in developing the final version of the RPPR. It should be noted that substantive changes were not made to the RPPR as a result of the comment process.

The significant changes made to the interim format of the RPPR for use in providing final performance reporting information are: 1) the decision to utilize one report format for preparation of both interim and final reports; 2) the addition of a new reporting category for project outcomes; and 3) the addition of two new questions to the overall report format. Given that NSF has for many years utilized the last annual performance report as the final report, and, had already implemented a separate format for submission of project outcomes report, no changes to NSF’s existing collection are necessary to implement these changes.

As a result, to implement the final report format, NSF only will need to make the following enhancements to our approved RPPR format:

Participants – Organization

Format adds a new question to the participants section requiring senior project personnel to report if there has been a change in the active other support since the last reporting period.

Changes/Problems

Format adds a question to the Changes/Problems section requiring the PI to report a change of primary performance site from that originally proposed.

As previously stated, given the minor nature of these changes to the previously approved collection, we believe that full re-clearance is not required.

Thank you for your consideration of this request. So that we may meet the needs of our community, we are requesting your review and response to this request by August 27, 2019.

1 Since development and implementation of the initial RPPR format, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has served as the sponsor of this Federal-wide performance progress reporting format.

2