Mini SSA SBIR TTC Personas Research

Mini Supporting Statement A

NCI Personas and Journey Mapping: Business Audience (NCI)

Sub-study under,

“A Generic Submission for Formative Research,

Pretesting, and Customer Satisfaction of

NCI’s Communication and Education Resources”

OMB No. 0925-0046

Expiration Date: 11/30/2022

Date: January 22, 2019

Contact Information

Nina Goodman

goodmann@mail.nih.gov

Analytics and Audience Research Branch (AARB)

Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL)

National Cancer Institute

Attachments

• Attachment 1 – Co-Developing and Licensing Business Audience

• Attachment 2 – Intramural Researchers Business Audience

• Attachment 3 – Investing Business Audience

• Attachment 4 – SBIR Awardees and Prospects Business Audience

• Attachment 5 – Questionnaire

• Attachment 6 - Email Invites

Mini Supporting Statement A

A.1 Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) will conduct a research project to develop personas, journey maps, and an experience map focused on groups identified by NCI within NCI’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and (Technology Transfer Center) TTC audiences.

The personas and journey maps will indicate the unique characteristics of the small business and technology transfer audience and map the phases of the journeys including interactions with the SBIR website (www.sbir.cancer.gov) or Technology Transfer website (techtransfer.cancer.gov).

It is important to understand the audiences that use SBIR and TTC information in order to ensure these programs are offering information and resources in a clear way that meets their audiences’ needs. Persona development and journey maps are customary tools in human-centered and website design used to ensure programmatic efforts are aligned with the audiences they serve. Ultimately, this ensures that these NCI programs are providing information as effectively and efficiently as possible.

A.2 Purpose and Use of the Information Collection

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) will be conducting phone interviews with influencers and decision makers from SBIR companies that are seeking funding or are currently funded by NCI to develop next generation cancer technology. Participants will be asked about their professional experiences with the process of seeking SBIR funding from NIH/NCI. Previous SBIR funding is not required to participate.

The information collected will guide NCI’s human-centered design approach and will improve the user experience with the SBIR and TTC websites and programs, consequently decreasing the volume of questions about SBIR and TTC processes, increasing the number of qualified participants in the programs, and improving the quality of candidates and application submissions.

A contractor will facilitate meetings and discussions with stakeholders, collecting data from groups within the SBIR and TTC audience identified by NCI. The contractor will develop research materials and final deliverables, including up to five user personas, up to five journey maps, one experience map, and an audience toolkit.

This involves a series of interviews with multiple audiences including:

1. SBIR Prospects who have been disqualified, not accepted, or have not yet applied

2. Successful SBIR grant applicants with a variety of experience

3. Representative from businesses that invest in SBIR companies funded by NCI

4. Representative from businesses that are co-developing or licensing technology from NCI

5. Intramural researchers who have engaged with the NCI Technology Transfer Center

A.3 Use of Information Technology and Burden Reduction

Interviews will be made over the phone. The contractor will program the online screener and provide NCI with the link to include it in the email invitations, LinkedIn, Twitter, NCI Intranet, and NCI Enterprise social media accounts will be used to reach the potential users of the research. A written report will be created but no formalized system of data collection will be used and PII will not be kept.

NCI’s SBIR/TTC can identify previous applicants, businesses, and researchers and will be using historical documentation of submissions to assess who to invite to participate. Only name and email address will be used when reaching out to potential participants.

The SBIR/TTC offices, with support from the contractor, will be responsible for sending the study invitations and/or posting messages through communication channels they use to reach potential or former grant applicants.

A.4 Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

This information is unique to the SBIR and TTC audiences identified by NCI and is not found elsewhere.

A.5 Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

There will be no negative impact on small business, only a potentially positive one with an increase in the number of participants in the SBIR program.

A.6 Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

This is a one-time information collection.

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

This questionnaire will be implemented in a manner that fully complies with 5 C.F.R. 1320.5.

A.8 Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside Agency

N/A

A.9 Explanation of Any Payment of Gift to Respondents

All external participants (i.e., SBIRs, businesses investing, businesses co-developing/licensing technology, businesses investing in SBIRs) will receive a $150 prepaid Visa gift card. Intramural researchers do not qualify for a gift card.

Since the business investors and leaders, who will be asked to participate in this study, will have similar or higher salaries than our physician population and by participating in the interview, the result will be a significant lost wages or income for participants, we believe this honorarium amount will be necessary to recruit this population to participate. These limits fall within the incentive amounts listed in NCI’s Generic Submission for Formative Research, Pretesting and Customer Satisfaction, OMB# (0925-0046) Expiration Date 11/30/2022 (Generic SSA).

A.10 Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

All information will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.

A.11 Justification for Sensitive Questions

No sensitive questions are contained in this information collection. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is collected including name, email address, phone number, title, organization, educational level, sex, age, and race/ethnicity. Federal regulations for the protection of human subjects do not apply to this activity.

A.12 Estimated Annualized Burden Hours and Cost to the Respondents

The estimated total number of respondents is 125. The instruments are broken up into five business areas, each with 5 Respondents. The interviews should take approximately 60 minutes to complete. The total estimated burden hour included for this information collection is 33 (Table A.12-1) and the cost to the respondents is estimated to be $1,672.44 (Table A.12-2).

A.12-1 Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	No. of Responses per Respondent	Time per Response (in hours)	Total Burden Hours
Individuals - SBIR Prospects (Attachment 1)	5	1	1	5
Individuals - SBIR Awardees (Attachment 1)	5	1	1	5
Individuals – Investing Business Audience (Attachment 2)	5	1	1	5
Individuals - Co-Developing and licensing (Attachment 3)	5	1	1	5
Individuals - Intramural Researchers (Attachment 4)	5	1	1	5
Individuals - Questionnaire	100	1	5/60	8
Totals		125		33

A.12-2 Annualized Cost to the Respondents

Category of Respondent	Total Burden Hours	Hourly Wage Rate*	Total Burden Cost
Individuals - Medical Scientists (all categories above)	33	$50.68	$1,672.44
Total			$1,672.44

*Source of the mean Hourly Wage Rate is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupation title “Medical Scientists” 19-1040, https://www.bls.gov/oes/2017/May/oes_nat.htm#00-0000.

A.13 Estimate of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents or Record Keepers

There are no additional costs.

A.14 Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

The annual cost to the federal government is $86,816.01. Federal personnel including a Program Manager and a Subject Matter Expert will oversee the design and of the screener and interview guide, data analysis plan, connect the contractor to the appropriate contacts for implementation, and review all materials and reports. The contractor is responsible for drafting and finalizing the screener and interview guides, recruiting participants, implementing the structured interview protocol, providing data analysis, project management, tracking, and preparation of reports and presentations.

A.14 Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

Staff	Grade/Step	Salary**	% of Effort	Fringe (if applicable)	Total Cost to Gov’t
Federal Oversight
Public Health Advisor	14/6	$136,725	5%		$6,836.25
Contractor Cost					$75,967.26
Travel					$0
Other Cost (ODC)					$4,012.50
Total					$86,816.01

**The Salary Table of a Federal Employee can be referenced at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/19tables/html/DCB.aspx

A.15 Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

N/A

A.16 Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

There are no plans for tabulation or publication of faculty recruitment applications. The findings of this research will guide NCI’s human-centered design approach that will improve the user experience with the SBIR and TTC websites and programs, consequently decreasing the volume of questions about SBIR and TTC processes, increasing the number of qualified participants in the programs, and improving the quality of candidates and application submissions.

The data collection will happen as soon as approval is granted, the project will be completed within 3-4 months after receiving approval.

A.17 Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate

We are not requesting an exemption to the display of the OMB Expiration date.

A.18 Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

This survey will comply with the requirements in 5 CFR 1320.9.

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