02-32365. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Training Tomorrow's Scientists: Linking Minorities and Mentors Through the Web

SUMMARY:

Under the provisions of section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a requests for review and approval of the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2002, page 64652 and allowed 60-days for public comments. No public comments were received. The purposes of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implement on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Proposed Collection: Title: Training Tomorrow's Scientists: Linking Minorities and Mentors Through the Web. Type of Information Collection Request: REVISION, OMB control number 0925-0475, Expiration Date 1/31/2003. Need and Use of Information Collection: This website allows federally-funded researchers supported by any of 27 Institutes and Centers of the NIH to submit an electronic form describing his or her research areas, as well as interests in mentoring minority students or junior faculty. The researcher's description is posted on the website for searching by interested minority applicants. Minority students or junior faculty search the website to identify researchers with whom they would like to work. The research projects in the database are located all over the country and involve cutting edge research activities by scientists funded through the Institutes and Centers of the NIH. These research projects range from studies of children to research on older adults, from laboratory research to field research, from social research to a combination of biological and behavioral research. Applicants conduct an electronic search using categories such as research areas of interest, desired geographic location of the researcher, and their level of education. The primary objective of the program is to ensure that, in the coming decades, a concentration of minority researchers will be available to address behavioral and social factors important in improving the public health and eliminating racial disparities. Increasing the number of minority scientists in the U.S. will expand our currently limited knowledge about the epidemiology and treatment of diseases in minority population. Frequency of Response: On occasion. Affected Public: Individuals or households. Type of Respondents: Students, Post-doctorals, Junior Faculty, and Principal Investigators. The annual reporting burden is as follows: Estimated Number of Respondents: 50; Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1; Average Burden Hours Per Response: 10 minutes; and Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours Requested: 8. There is no annualized cost to respondents. There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs and/or Maintenance Costs to report.

Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected agencies are invited on one or more of the following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, contact: Ms. Dana Sampson, Program Analyst, OBSSR, OD, NIH, Building 1, Room 256, 1 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, or call non-toll-free number [phone] or E-mail your request, including your address to: [e-mail].

Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30-days of the date of this publication.

Dated: December 13, 2002.

John Jarman,

Executive Officer, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health.