Update on SRS Activities

1. Update on SRS Activities Lynda T. Carlson, Director Division of Science Resources Statistics SBE Advisory Committee November 20, 2008 Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS) National Science Foundation www.nsf.gov/statistics National Science Foundation Division of Science Resources Statistics

2. National Science Foundation SRS and SciSIP Division of Science Resources Statistics • SRS is the federal statistical agency with responsibility for data and analysis on the science and engineering (S&E) enterprise. • SRS conducts 11 ongoing, large scale statistical surveys covering the education of scientists and engineers, the S&E workforce, and research and development and also gathers data on public attitudes toward S&E. • SRS has been a partner in the SciSIP initiative with responsibility for improving several of its benchmark surveys of R&D and the S&E workforce and beginning development of new surveys and databases.

3. National Science Foundation Survey Redesign Activities Division of Science Resources Statistics • The complete redesign of the Business Research & Development and Innovation Survey • Intensive involvement from users in several workshops • Business expert panel providing advice over the last two years • Over 100 recordkeeping and cognitive visits to industry as part of the survey development • A full scale pilot of 40,000 companies goes into the field in early January • New data areas include: • R&D Financial Measures • R&D Management and Strategy • R&D Funded or Paid for by Others • R&D Human Resources • Intellectual Property, Technology Transfer and Innovation

4. National Science Foundation Survey Redesign Activities (cont’d) Division of Science Resources Statistics 2. Redesign of the Academic R&D Expenditures Survey • Data on R&D expenditures will now be collected for all fields, not just S&E fields • Data to be collected on funded R&D for interdisciplinary research • R&D personnel and head counts by faculty/non-faculty • R&D proposal and awards counts • Questions tracking intellectual property and commercialization at universities 3. Support for development of a data collection system on postdocs 4. Support for the development of a field of degree (FOD) question added to the American Community Survey 5. Preliminary review of potential sampling frames and data sources for a possible survey of R&D activities by nonprofit organizations

5. National Science Foundation Division of Science Resources Statistics 2009 COV for SRS • SRS will have a “COV-like activity” March 31-April 1 • SRS does not have a grants program, so this is the second COV structured as a review of progress with respect to a CNSTAT/NRC report • 2009 COV will focus on three sets of recommendations • Improvements to the industry R&D survey • Address the need to begin work on innovation • SRS as a statistical agency • COV-like activity will be chaired by Irwin Feller and the SBE AC members are Fred Gault and Janet Harkness

6. National Science Foundation SED Data Issues – Background Division of Science Resources Statistics • Change in policy for release of 2006 SED data on certain demographic variables to protect the confidentiality of individually identifiable data • Affected SED Summary Report and race/ethnicity/gender (REG) tables produced (and sold) by survey contractor • We erred in not soliciting user/community input as to how to implement the change • Resulted in extensive feedback and protests about the change

7. National Science Foundation SED Data Issues –Background (cont’d) Division of Science Resources Statistics • Re-released data for 2006 in same fashion as in the past but cannot do that for 2007 data • Engaging in extensive outreach to solicit input from data users, academic institutions, professional associations, and other interested parties to inform the development of alternative ways to present the data to meet the goals of protecting the confidentiality of respondents while maximizing the amount of data released • New tables will be developed by Spring 2009 • Confidentiality procedures will be reviewed by CNSTAT, National Academies before the data are released • Will inform the community of new procedures prior to release of 2007 data

8. National Science Foundation 2010 National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG) Division of Science Resources Statistics • A new sample frame for the NSCG is built every ten years from a sample of individuals drawn from the long form of the decennial census using education, occupation and demographic variables • The long form has been replaced by the American Community Survey (ACS) • In order to build a sample from the short form of the decennial census, a huge screening and inefficient survey would be needed; funded by NSF • Over the last five years SRS has worked with OMB, Census and Congressional staff to have a (FOD) of Bachelor’s Degree question added to the ACS

9. National Science Foundation 2010 National Survey of College Graduates (cont’d) Division of Science Resources Statistics • Two versions of the FOD question were tested on a methodology panel in 2007 and an open-ended version provided the most accurate data • FOD question will be part of the ACS beginning January, 2009 • SRS sought advice from CNSTAT/NRC on sampling design strategies utilizing the ACS for the 2010 NSCG • SRS AND Census now developing sampling scenarios

10. National Science Foundation SRS Expert Panels Division of Science Resources Statistics • A recommendation of two NRC reviews of SRS and the 2006 “COV-like activity” was for SRS to establish expert groups to provide outside advice on the data collections, needs of users and concerns of respondents • SRS has established 3 experts panels: • Human Resources Experts Panel which meets semi-annually and has helped to address issues on the S&E workforce and education surveys • Business Experts Panel meets semi-annually and has been extraordinarily helpful in the development of the BRDIS • Academic Experts Panel has met twice and has been providing input on the Academic R&D Expenditures Survey

11. National Science Foundation Briefing OMB Division of Science Resources Statistics • Over the last year SRS has provided a series of briefings to OMB hosted by the Statistical Policy Branch • Briefings designed to educate the OMB NSF examiner, examiners for other Science agencies and the DAD for Workforce on the data collections and analyses of SRS • Briefing on BRDIS • Briefing on Education and Workforce Surveys • Discussions on the ACS and FOD • One potential outcome may be assistance from OMB in our attempt to gain access to the SEVIS and H-1B files for sampling postdoctotates

12. National Science Foundation SEI 2010 Division of Science Resources Statistics • SRS serves as staff to the National Science Board with responsibility for writing the biennial Science and Engineering Indicators (SEI) • For 2010 SRS will also be responsible for the SEI Digest • Digest will be primarily an online graphical display of several major S&E “stories”

13. National Science Foundation Analytical Activities Division of Science Resources Statistics • Development and maintenance of an R&D satellite account to the National Accounts • Exploration of new bibliometrics databases • Support for workshops on innovation data • Providing input to the OECD Innovation Strategy through SRS’s membership on the National Experts in Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI) working group