Supporting Statement A Instructions Biosketch

Supporting Statement A

Biographical Sketch Form for Use with Applications to the Maternal and Child Health Bureau Research Grants

OMB Control No. 0906-0048 Reinstatement

Terms of Clearance: None

A. Justification

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

HRSA is requesting reinstatement of the Biographical Sketch Form for use with applications to the Maternal and Child Health Bureau Research Grants (Biographical Sketch) for HRSA’s SF424 Research & Related (R&R) application package. These grants are funded by a number of authorities such as 42 U.S.C. § 701(a)(2) (Title V, § 501(a)(2) of the Social Security Act) and by 42 U.S.C. § 280i-1(f) (Title III, § 399BB(f) of the Public Health Service Act. The purpose of these grants is to advance the health and well-being of MCH populations and children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder by supporting innovative, applied, and translational intervention research studies on critical issues affecting these populations. This form was previously approved under OMB Control No. 0906-0048 and expired March 31, 2023.

The following modifications are proposed for the reinstatement:

• Clarifying instructions: Provides the applicant more information on what should and should not be included on the biographical sketch.

• Removal of Section D: Section E: Related Experience has been removed.

• Removal of Section E: Section E: Additional Information: Research Support and/or Scholastic Performance Awards has been removed.

• “Some Other Race” Category: At the request of our applicants, this category was added.

2. Purpose and Use of Information Collection

HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) plans to use the Biographical Sketch as a required element of the SF424 Research & Related application package. The applicants use the Biographical Sketch form to summarize the qualifications of each key personnel on their proposed research team, including education/training, positions and honors, contributions to science, and related experience. The grant reviewers will use this information to assess the capabilities of the research team to carry out the planned research project.

The Biographical Sketch form also collects demographic data (race, ethnicity, and gender) for the Principal Investigator and key program staff. For applicants that are uncomfortable reporting this information, they can mark their demographic information as “Not Reported/Unknown” or not fill out the demographic information. The demographic data will have no impact on funding decisions. Collecting demographic information allows MCHB to determine to what extent individuals of different backgrounds are participating. This information, in addition to other information including career stage, geographic location of the institution, and educational level assists MCHB in ensuring that federal grant and cooperative agreement awards are reaching a broad diversity of populations. MCHB has used the results of this information to modify their Notice of Funding Opportunities to encourage a more diverse applicant and grantee pool. Continued collection will inform MCHB if their efforts or working or if another avenue should be explored.

3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction

The use of technology to reduce burden is limited. The form is an editable MS word document. The applicant can fill out this document using any assistive technology that is needed. All biographical sketches must be submitted electronically through grants.gov at the time of application.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

The National Institutes of Health’s biographical sketch form are near identical to the proposed revision burden. The proposed biographical sketch only difference is additional guidance and the table request demographic information. This was a purposeful design to reduce burden. With a near identical form, researchers could reuse previously created biographical sketches and only need to add in their demographic information. Regardless of whether this form is approved or not, researchers must submit their biographical information every time they apply for a research competition.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

This activity does not have a substantial impact on small entities or small businesses.

6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

Biographical sketches are required to be submitted every time an application is submitted. Not collecting biographical sketches would mean that reviewers could not assess applicants’ capability of completed the proposed project. Demographic data cannot be collected less often because many applicants may only apply for a program once and then never again. Or if they are repeat applicants, the makeup of their key personnel can change.

There are no legal obstacles to reduce the burden.

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

The request fully complies with the regulation.

8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice/Outside Consultation

A 60-day Federal Register Notice was published in the Federal Register on March 1, 2023, vol. 88, No. 40; pp. 12953-12954. There were/were no public comments.

Section 8B:

Grantees and applicants provided feedback on the form and alterations were made to accommodate feedback. The feedback was primarily on the demographic table. The grantees found the instruction were too vague and took up too much valuable space in the application. In response to this, we clarified the instructions to let them know that unused columns and rows can be deleted and that only one chart is needed for all key staff except the PI. We also received feedback that the racial options provided were not sufficient. One grantee was of Middle Eastern descent and didn’t consider themselves to fit in any of the categories. In response to this, we added, ‘Some other race’ where they have an opportunity to self-identify. All issues that were brought up were resolved. Outside of the demographic table, several applicants remarked that “Other relevant experience,” was too vague and repetitive.

Year of Consultations: 2022 and 2023

Jess Higby
Contract Administrator,

RAND Corporation

(412) 683-2300 ext. 4269

higby@rand.org

Shira P. Rutman, MPH

Analyst

University of California, San Francisco

415-502-4048

shira.rutman@ucsf.edu

Azza H. Ahmed, DNSc, RN, IBCLC, CPNP

Associate Professor

College of Health and Human Sciences

School of Nursing, Purdue University

765-494-1272

ahmedah@purdue.edu

Nathan J. Blum, M.D.

Chief, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Director, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program

215-590-7474

blum@chop.edu

9. Explanation of any Payment/Gift to Respondents

Respondents will not receive any payments or gifts.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

All HRSA applications are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, if an applicant receives a FOIA request, HRSA’s FOIA office will contact to applicant to see what information they would like to be withheld. Aside from possible FOIA requests, the data will be kept private to the extent allowed by law. Reviewers must delete all application material once they have completed their review. All applicant information is housed on HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks System which contains the grant information on all HRSA grants.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

Collecting race/ethnicity and gender information allows MCHB to determine to what extent individuals of different backgrounds are participating. This information, in addition to other information including career stage, geographic location of the institution, and educational level assists MCHB in ensuring that federal grant and cooperative agreement awards are reaching a broad diversity of populations. MCHB has used the results of this information to modify their Notice of Funding Opportunities to encourage a more diverse applicant and grantee pool. Continued collection will inform MCHB if their efforts or working or if another avenue should be explored.

12. Estimates of Annualized Hour and Cost Burden

It is estimated that this will take 1.75 hours to fill in their educational information, compose their personal statement, write down their positions and honors, and write up their contribution to science. This burden estimate assumes that a respondent does not have a previously submitted a biographical sketch to HRSA or NIH, as that would significantly reduce burden.

12A. Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Type of Respondent	Form Name	No. of Respondents	No. Responses per Respondent	Average Burden per Response (in hours)	Total Burden Hours
Researcher	Biographical Sketch Form	200	5	1 ¾ hours	1750
Total		200	5	1 ¾ hours	1750

12B.

A number of different respondents could fill out this form, as ‘Researcher’ is a general term that could encompass research assistants, graduate students, physicians, nurses, epidemiologists, economists, dentists, and other professions. To accommodate the variety in compensation, cost estimations were based on the salary cap for grantees as of January 1, 2023. To accommodate the range of burden hours, the higher end was used. This will illustrate the high end of cost, but actual costs are anticipated to be much lower.

Estimated Annualized Burden Costs

Type of Respondent	Total Burden Hours	Hourly Wage Rate	Total Respondent Costs
Research (Maximum Salary Cap)	8.75	$102.00	$892
Total			$1784.00

13. Estimates of other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Recordkeepers/Capital Costs

Other than their time, there is no cost to respondents.

14. Annualized Cost to Federal Government

The estimated annual cost to the government for employees providing technical assistance and analyzing the information is $4,480 (1 GS 13-1 for 0.04 FTE).

There is no cost to the government regarding grant reviewers as grant reviewers are paid a flat fee per application.

Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

The proposed revisions will result in a net ¼ hour reduction in burden hours per respondent with an overall per respondent burden reduction of 50 hours. This is attributable to the removal of Section D: Related Experience and Section E: Additional Information: Research Support and/or Scholastic Performance Awards.

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

Respondents submit their information when they submit their application. At this time, no statistical analysis will be conducted with the information collected.

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

The OMB number and Expiration date will be displayed on every page of every form/instrument.

17. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

There are no exceptions to the certification.

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