View ICR - OIRA Conclusion



0607-0912 200807-0607-005
Historical Active 200710-0607-007
DOC/CENSUS
Business R&D and Innovation Survey
Revision of a currently approved collection   No
Regular
Approved without change 10/21/2008
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA) 08/18/2008
OMB appreciates that the Science Resource Statistics Division (SRS) of NSF and the Census Bureau are making major efforts to redesign this collection, consistent with recommendations from the National Academies. We understand that the redesign may well create a break in series from the Survey of Industrial Research and Development, and strongly encourage SRS to communicate with major data users to set their expectations in this regard as well as to plan for feasible "bridge tables" between the SIRD data and the BRDIS data to distinguish between "actual" changes in the data and changes in the data attributable to changes in the redesigned survey. Further, we understand that SRS and Census are continuing to make improvements to the questionnaires. We applaud efforts to eliminate the questions already identified as unlikely to produce useful or accurate results, and encourage further efforts to reduce respondent burden and to ensure only questions that will elicit reliable data are collected. Census must submit to OMB, via an amendment to this collection, the final questionnaires prior to fielding them. SRS and Census will report back to OMB prior to its second year of data collection on the results of the first year. If the results suggest that any substantive changes are required, Census should submit a new clearance package. If the results suggest no substantive changes, SRS and Census should notify OMB of those findings, as well. These findings should include the result of efforts to identify alternative and more timely modes of data dissemination. Finally, prior to the commencement of each edition of the Business R&D and Innovation Survey forms distribution, the Census Bureau shall provide on its Internet site prominent links to a set of finalized survey forms, including instructions and cover letters, comparable to those provided for the 2007 Economic Census report forms. The final forms and letters shall reflect any changes in the survey year, OMB number and expiration date, and Census and NSF leadership from those submitted for review.
  Inventory as of this Action Requested Previously Approved
10/31/2011 36 Months From Approved 01/31/2011
40,000 0 32,000
155,450 0 70,750
0 0 0