66908 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 187 / Thursday, September 28, 2023 / Notices 

Exchange Street, Providence, RI 02903. 

The event will also be streamed live via 

Zoom videoconference for those not 

able to attend in person. Registration is 

not required. Details are available on 

NCD’s event page at https://ncd.gov/ 

events/2023/upcoming-council-meeting. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: 

Day 1—Following welcome remarks 

and introductions, Chairman Gallegos 

will host a fireside chat discussion with 

former Chair Sandra Parrino; then a 

brief break; followed by a town hall 

public comment session about housing 

concerns and opportunities; followed by 

a housing concerns panel presentation 

and questions from the Council. 

Following a lunch break, a town hall 

public comment session about 

transportation concerns and 

opportunities is followed by a 

transportation concerns panel 

presentation and questions from the 

Council; followed by a briefing on 

NCD’s upcoming progress report 

Toward Economic Security, before 

adjourning. 

Day 2—Welcome remarks and 

introductions are followed by the 

Chairman’s report; Executive Committee 

report, Executive Director’s report; 

policy updates; Council member report 

outs; a break; annual ethics training; and 

any old or new business, before 

adjourning. 

AGENDA: The times provided below are 

approximations for when each agenda 

item is anticipated to be discussed (all 

times Eastern Standard Time): 

Thursday, November 16, 2023 

9:00–9:15 a.m.—Welcome and Call to 

Order 

9:15–10:15 a.m.—Fireside Chat with 

Sandy Parrino 

10:15–10:30 a.m.—BREAK 

10:30–11:15 a.m.—Housing Concerns 

and Opportunities Town Hall 

11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.—Housing 

Concerns and Opportunities Panel, 

Q&A 

12:15–1:30 p.m.—LUNCH BREAK 

1:30–2:15 p.m.—Transportation 

Concerns and Opportunities Town 

Hall 

2:15–3:15 p.m.—Transportation 

Concerns and Opportunities Panel, 

Q&A 

3:15–3:30 p.m.—BREAK 

3:30–4:30 p.m.—Toward Economic 

Security progress report briefing 

and respondent panel 

4:30 p.m.—Adjourn 

Friday, November 17, 2023 

10:00–10:05 a.m.—Welcome and Call to 

Order 

10:05–10:15 a.m.—Chairman’s Report 

10:15–10:30 a.m.—Executive Committee 

Report 

10:30–10:40 a.m.—Executive Director’s 

Report 

10:40–11:15 a.m.—Policy Updates 

11:15–11:45 a.m.—Council Member 

report outs on community outreach/ 

input 

11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.—BREAK 

12:00–1:00 p.m.—Annual Ethics 

Training 

1:00–1:15 p.m.—Old Business/New 

Business 

1:15 p.m.—Adjourn 

PUBLIC COMMENT: Your participation 

during NCD’s public comment period 

provides an opportunity for us to hear 

from you—individuals, businesses, 

providers, educators, parents and 

advocates. Your comments are 

important in bringing to the Council’s 

attention and issues and priorities of the 

disability community, and help inform 

open research projects the Council has 

underway as well as the potential for 

future ones. 

For the November 16 Council 

meeting, NCD will have two town hall 

format public comment sessions focused 

on housing concerns and opportunities, 

and transportation concerns and 

opportunities for people with 

disabilities. Commenters will be limited 

to three minutes each to accommodate 

as many comments as possible. 

Additional information on specifics of 

the topic is available on NCD’s public 

comment page at https://ncd.gov/publiccomment. 

The Council will prioritize in-person 

commenters, but as time permits, will 

also receive public comment by video or 

audio over Zoom, and always accepts 

advance public comments via email. 

Due to the hybrid nature of the event, 

in-person presentations will be given 

priority. 

To provide public comment during an 

NCD Council Meeting in any form (inperson or by Zoom), NCD now requires 

advanced registration by sending send 

an email to PublicComment@ncd.gov 

with the subject line ‘‘Public Comment’’ 

and your name, organization, state, and 

topic of comment included in the body 

of your email. Deadline for registration 

is November 14, 8:00 p.m. EST. Please 

indicate if you are providing the 

comment in-person, over Zoom, or only 

submitting via email. All individuals 

desiring to make public comment are 

strongly encouraged to read NCD’s 

guidelines for public comment in 

advance of the meeting at: https://

ncd.gov/public-comment. 

While public comment can be 

submitted on any topic over email, 

comments during the meeting should be 

specific to experiences with housing 

concerns and opportunities for people 

with disabilities. 

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

Nicholas Sabula, Public Affairs 

Specialist, NCD, 1331 F Street NW, 

Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004; 202– 

272–2004 (V), or nsabula@ncd.gov. 

ACCOMMODATIONS: ASL Interpreters will 

be provided in-room and included 

during the live streamed meeting, and 

CART has been arranged for this 

meeting and will be embedded into the 

Zoom platform as well as available via 

streamtext link. The web link to access 

CART (in English) is: https://

www.streamtext.net/player?event=NCD. 

If you require additional 

accommodations, please notify Stacey 

Brown by sending an email to sbrown@

ncd.gov as soon as possible and no later 

than 24 hours prior to the meeting. 

Due to last-minute confirmations or 

cancellations, NCD may substitute items 

without advance public notice. 

Dated: September 25, 2023. 

Anne C. Sommers McIntosh, 

Executive Director. 

[FR Doc. 2023–21421 Filed 9–26–23; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 8421–02–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Comment Request; Awardee 

Reporting Requirements for the 

Established Program To Stimulate 

Competitive Research (EPSCoR) 

Research Infrastructure Improvement 

Programs 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The National Science 

Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans 

to renew this collection. In accordance 

with the requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing 

opportunity for public comment on this 

action. After obtaining and considering 

public comment, NSF will prepare the 

submission requesting Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

clearance of this collection for no longer 

than 3 years. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received by November 27, 2023 

to be assured consideration. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

Send comments to address below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 

Officer, National Science Foundation, 

2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 

W18200, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 187 / Thursday, September 28, 2023 / Notices 66909 

telephone (703) 292–7556; or send email 

to splimpto@nsf.gov. Individuals who 

use a telecommunications device for the 

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339, which is accessible 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a 

year (including Federal holidays). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments: Comments are invited on 

(a) whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

Agency, including whether the 

information shall have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the Agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information; (c) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information on respondents, 

including through the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology; and (d) ways to 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on those who are to 

respond, including through the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Title of Collection: Awardee Reporting 

Requirements for the Established 

Program to Stimulate Competitive 

Research (EPSCoR) Research 

Infrastructure Improvement Programs. 

OMB Number: 3145–0243. 

Expiration Date of Approval: February 

29, 2024. 

Type of Request: Intent to seek 

approval to renew an information 

collection. 

Proposed Project: The mission of the 

National Science Foundation (NSF) is to 

promote the progress of science; to 

advance the national health, welfare, 

and prosperity; and to secure the 

national defense, while avoiding the 

undue concentration of research and 

education. In 1977, in response to 

congressional concern that NSF funding 

was overly concentrated geographically, 

a National Science Board task force 

analyzed the geographic distribution of 

NSF funds, which resulted in the 

creation of an NSF Experimental 

Program to Stimulate Competitive 

Research (EPSCoR). The American 

Innovation and Competitiveness Act 

(Pub. L. 114–329, Sec 103 D) effectively 

changed the program’s name from 

‘‘Experimental’’ to ‘‘Established’’ in FY 

2016. Congress specified two objectives 

for the EPSCoR program in the National 

Science Foundation Authorization Act 

of 1988: (1) to assist States that 

historically have received relatively 

little Federal research and development 

funding; and (2) to assist States that 

have demonstrated a commitment to 

develop their research bases and 

improve science and engineering 

research and education programs at 

their universities and colleges. 

The EPSCoR Research Infrastructure 

Improvement (RII) Investment Strategies 

advance science and engineering 

capabilities in EPSCoR jurisdictions for 

discovery, innovation and overall 

knowledge-based prosperity. These 

projects build human, cyber, and 

physical infrastructure in EPSCoR 

jurisdictions, stimulating sustainable 

improvements in their Research & 

Development (R&D) capacity and 

competitiveness. 

EPSCoR projects are unique in their 

scope and complexity; in their 

integration of individual researchers, 

institutions, and organizations; and in 

their role in developing the diverse, 

well-prepared, STEM-enabled workforce 

necessary to sustain research 

competitiveness and catalyze economic 

development. In addition, these projects 

are generally inter- or multi-disciplinary 

and involve effective jurisdictional and 

regional collaborations among 

academic, government, and private 

sector stakeholders that advance 

scientific research, promote innovation, 

and provide multiple societal benefits. 

They also broaden participation in 

science and engineering by engaging 

multiple institutions and organizations 

at all levels of research and education, 

and people within and among EPSCoR 

jurisdictions. These projects usually 

involve between 100 to 300 participants 

per year over the performance period, 

and the projects reach thousands more 

through their extensive STEM outreach 

activities. The American Innovation and 

Competitiveness Act of 2016, Section 

103 (Pub. L. 114–329) requires NSF 

EPSCoR to submit annual reports to 

both Congress and OSTP that contain 

data detailing project progress and 

success (new investigators, broadening 

participation, dissemination of results, 

new workshops, outreach activities, 

proposals submitted and awarded, 

mentoring activities among faculty 

members, collaborations, researcher 

participating on the review process, 

etc.). 

EPSCoR RII Track-1 and Track-2 

projects are required to submit annual 

reports on progress and plans, which are 

used as a basis for performance review 

and determining the level of continued 

funding. To support this review and the 

management of EPSCoR RII projects, 

teams are required to develop a set of 

performance indicators for building 

sustainable infrastructure and capacity 

in terms of a strategic plan for the 

project; measure performance and revise 

strategies as appropriate; report on the 

progress relative to the project’s goals 

and milestones; and describe changes in 

strategies, if any, for submission 

annually to NSF. These indicators are 

both quantitative and descriptive and 

may include, for example, the 

characteristics of project personnel and 

students; aggregate demographics of 

participants; sources of financial 

support and in-kind support; 

expenditures by operational component; 

characteristics of industrial and/or other 

sector participation; research activities; 

workforce development activities; 

external engagement activities; patents 

and patent licenses; publications; 

degrees granted to students involved in 

project activities; and descriptions of 

significant advances and other outcomes 

of the EPSCoR project’s efforts. Part of 

this reporting takes the form of several 

spreadsheets to capture specific 

information to demonstrate progress 

towards achieving the goals of the 

program. Such reporting requirements 

are included in the cooperative 

agreement which is binding between the 

awardee institution and NSF. 

Each project’s annual report addresses 

the following categories of activities: (1) 

research, (2) education, (3) workforce 

development, (4) partnerships and 

collaborations, (5) communication and 

dissemination, (6) sustainability, (7) 

diversity, (8) management, and (9) 

evaluation and assessment. 

For each of the categories the report 

is required to describe overall objectives 

for the year; specific accomplishments, 

impacts, outputs and outcomes; 

problems or challenges the project has 

encountered in making progress towards 

goals; and anticipated problems in 

performance during the following year. 

Use of the Information: NSF will use 

the information to continue its oversight 

of funded EPSCoR RII projects, and to 

evaluate the progress of the program. 

The change would facilitate reporting 

better aligned with program goals and 

provides data as legislatively required 

for NSF EPSCoR. 

Estimate of Burden: 100 hours per 

project for twenty-eight projects for a 

total of 2,800 hours. 

Respondents: Non-profit institutions; 

federal government. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Report: One. 

Dated: September 25, 2023. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2023–21281 Filed 9–27–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1