Project Awards
Award Date: 09/28/2023
Project Number: ABSSyn-23-N06
Project Title: Creation of Data for Annual Business Survey (ABSSyn) and Use of Verification Metrics
Project Performers: Knexus Research Corp.
Award Amount: $997,916.00
Objective: The objective of this project is to test and compare methods for creating synthetic data to support a tiered access model; explore the use of synthetic data for evidence-building; and test the use of verification metrics in validating estimates produced from synthetic data. The Annual Business Survey (ABS) is an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of multiple sponsors, one of whom is the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. One objective in disseminating ABS data is the production of a public use microdata file that could be used by researchers, policy makers, and public-data users. To address disclosure concerns, a synthetic datafile option is being explored. This project would build on this work to inform the National Secure Data Service Demonstration Project (NSDS-D) and support tiered access through the development of a publicly available dataset that could be used without the barriers involved in accessing the restricted-use data.
Period of Performance: September 2023 – March 2026
Point of contact: Christine Task| Knexus Research Corp. | christine.task@knexusresearch.com
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Government has an interest in testing and comparing methods for creating synthetic data to support a tiered access model; exploring the use of synthetic data for evidence-building; and testing the use of verification metrics in validating estimates produced from synthetic data | 07/10/2023 | 07/31/2023 |
Award Date: 09/28/2023
Project Number: DCS-23-N03
Project Title: Models for a Data Concierge Service for an NSDS
Project Performers: NORC at the University of Chicago
Award Amount:$474,388.00
Objective: The objective of this project is to explore models for a data concierge service for a potential, future National Secure Data Service (NSDS). In the Year 2 report prepared by the Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence-Building (ACDEB), the need for a data concierge service was identified. A data concierge service would offer technical assistance to individuals seeking access to federal data. This concierge service would serve as a coordinator between data providers and data users, providing assistance to data users in answering general questions; identifying confidential data assets that meet their evidence building needs; directing them to subject matter experts and more focused guidance when needed; and support in developing evidence-building proposals to apply for access to confidential data. This project will explore the needs of data users who are investigating access to confidential data; the tools that would facilitate a data concierge service in assisting users; and the development of potential models for a data concierge service.
Period of Performance: September 2023 – March 2025
Point of contact: Lisa Blumerman | NORC at the University of Chicago | blumerman-lisa@norc.org
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Government is interested in exploring models for a data concierge service for a potential, future National Secure Data Service (NSDS). This project will explore the needs of data users who are investigating access to confidential data; the tools that would facilitate a data concierge service in assisting users; and the development of potential models for a data concierge service. | 07/10/2023 | 07/31/2023 |
Award Date: 09/28/2023
Project Number: SAP-23-A04
Project Title: Scientific Research Corporation (SRC) Standard Application Process (SAP) Portal
Project Performers: Scientific Research Corporation
Award Amount:$346,313.75
Objective: The objective of this project is to develop multiple prototypes of an online portal that allows users to search for confidential data held by federal statistical agencies, apply for access to that data, and allows data providers to review those applications and render a decision. This portal supports the implementation of Section 3583 of the Foundations for Evidence-based Policymaking Act of 2018. An online portal does currently exist with some of the functionality described in this project. A future portal would expand the current product to allow for expansion to non-statistical and state agencies in the future as well as additional functionality and higher workloads. The prototype portal would allow users to access a metadata catalog of federal statistical agency data assets. Users could apply for access to data by completing an application and submitting it to the relevant agencies. Data providers would be able to access these applications, review them, provide feedback when needed, and render a final decision.
Period of Performance: September 2023 – June 2024
Point of contact: Joseph Grochowski | Scientific Research Corporation | jgrochowski@scires.com
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Government is interested in developing multiple prototypes of an online portal that allows users to search for confidential data held by federal statistical agencies, apply for access to that data, and allows data providers to review those applications and render a decision. | 06/20/2023 | 07/11/2023 |
Award Date: 09/27/2023
Project Number: SDRN-23-N02
Project Title: Evaluation of Noise Infusion for the Survey of Doctorate Recipients
Project Performers: Knexus Research Corp.
Award Amount: $798,962.00
Objective: The objective of this research and development project is to evaluate the use of noise infusion for a demographic survey as a possible privacy-preserving method in the use of federally confidential data. Investigations will focus on use cases where noise infusion may be appropriate and use cases where noise infusion may introduce quality issues that reduce confidence in the use of estimates for decision making. The Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) is a sample survey that provides data on the characteristics of science, engineering, and health doctorate degree holders. The SDR provides data useful in assessing the supply and characteristics of U.S.-trained science, engineering, and health doctorates employed in educational institutions, private industry, professional organizations, and government in the U.S., as well as in other countries worldwide. To address disclosure concerns with the SDR while maximizing data utility, noise infusion is being explored as an alternative to augment other disclosure limitation methodologies currently in use with the SDR, both for the restricted-use data and the public-use microdata file. This project will inform the National Secure Data Service Demonstration Project (NSDS-D) by exploring noise infusion for a sample survey and assessing the disclosure protections and quality considerations for the resulting estimates.
Period of Performance: September 2023 – August 2025
Point of contact: Christine Task| Knexus Research Corp. | christine.task@knexusresearch.com
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Government would like to evaluate the use of noise infusion for a demographic survey as a possible privacy-preserving method in the use of federally confidential data. Investigations will focus on use cases where noise infusion may be appropriate and use cases where noise infusion may introduce quality issues that reduce confidence in the use of estimates for decision-making. | 06/26/2023 | 07/17/2023 |
Award Date: 09/27/2023
Project Number: PPRL1-23-N03
Project Title: Utilizing Privacy Preserving Record Linkage to Link Data from Two Federal Statistical Agencies
Project Performers: HealthVerity, Inc.
Award Amount: $735,132.18
Objective: The Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building (ACDEB) was charged with making recommendations to the OMB Director on how to promote the use of federal data for evidence building. This includes utilizing the CIPSEA 2018 requirements to enhance how the federal statistical system
facilitates evidence building and provide necessary frameworks to inform the development of the National Secure Data Service (NSDS).
Period of Performance: September 2023 – August 2025
Point of contact: David Kwasny | HealthVerity, Inc. | dkwasny@healthverity.com
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Government is interested in deploying a privacy preserving record linkage (PPRL) tool to link data from two federal statistical agencies and utilize a secure environment to analyze the resulting linked data file. This effort will include a proof of concept to develop a data sharing agreement between two federal statistical agencies that have not previously developed data sharing relationships. | 06/21/2023 | 07/12/2023 |
Award Date: 09/25/2023
Project Number: SCE-23-N01
Project Title: CHEESES: Computing with Homomorphic Encryption Environments for Security – Environmental Scan
Project Performers: Duality Technologies
Award Amount:$249,084.00
Objective: The objective of this project is to understand the current landscape of secure computing environments within the federal government as they pertain to data sharing and privacy and confidentiality restrictions within multiple statutes, to help inform a potential National Secure Data Service. This scan will include compiling legal requirements under different statutes for data protection and security, as they relate to IT infrastructure to store and utilize confidential data.
Period of Performance: September 2023 – June 2024
Point of contact: Kurt Rohloff | Duality Technologies | krohloff@dualitytech.com
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Government would like to understand the current landscape of secure computing environments within the federal government as they pertain to data sharing and privacy and confidentiality restrictions within multiple statutes, to help inform a potential National Secure Data Service. This scan will include compiling legal requirements under different statutes for data protection and security, as they relate to IT infrastructure to store and utilize confidential data. | 07/24/2023 | 08/14/2023 |
Award Date: 08/11/2023
Project Number: NVSS-23-N02
Project Title: NVSS-23 National Center for Health Statistics: National Vital Statistics System Modernization – New Opportunities for Interoperable Data
Project Performers: Clinovations Government + Health
Award Amount: $265,013.00
Objective: The objective of this project is to highlight new opportunities for the use of interoperable health data to support timely research and public health surveillance. For the purposes of this project, “data interoperability” encompasses a wide range of related topics—data quality, standards, metadata, definitions, systems, and technologies—needed to share information effectively and to support the creation of better evidence for decision-making.
Period of Performance: August 2023 – January 2024
Point of contact: Anita Samarth | Clinovations Government + Health | anita@govhealth.com
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents | Solicitation Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Government was seeking new opportunities for the use of interoperable health data to support timely research and public health surveillance. Insights from this project will help to modernize health data interoperability that can inform best practices for a possible, future National Secure Data Service (NSDS) and the broader data and evidence ecosystem. | 06/14/2023 | 07/06/2023 | FAQS |
Award Date: 02/22/2022
Project Number: DPT-23-N001
Project Title: Data Protection Toolkit Use Case Analysis
Project Performers: NORC at the University of Chicago
Award Amount: $243,172.00
Objective: The objective of this project is to conduct a use case analysis of the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology’s Data Protection Toolkit. This use case analysis would identify successful use cases and potential enhancements to the Toolkit for enabling access to federal data assets while protecting
confidentiality. The Data Protection Toolkit is located at https://nces.ed.gov/fcsm/dpt/.
Period of Performance: July 2023 – January 2024
Point of contact: Lisa Blumerman | NORC at the University of Chicago | Blumerman-Lisa@norc.org
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents | Solicitation Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Government was interested in conducting a use case analysis of the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology’s Data Protection Toolkit located here. | 04/25/2023 | 05/16/2023 | PPT PHASE I AND DPT RFS FAQS |
Award Date: 07/20/2023
Project Title: Privacy Preserving Technologies Phase 1 – Environmental Scan
Project Performer: RTI International, Flood Mason
Award Amount: $280,364.00
Objective: The objective of this project is to understand the current landscape of privacy preserving technologies (PPT) for the protection of persons, data, and systems that contribute to the use of confidential data, including both individual-level and business data, for evidence-building and policymaking. For the
purposes of this project, “PPT” includes technologies, techniques, methodologies, approaches, tools and other like terms that relate to preserving privacy.
Period of Performance: July 2023 – January 2024
Point of contact: Zixin Nie | RTI International | zixinnie@rti.org
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Government was seeking a compilation of pilots and projects currently testing or implementing privacy preserving technologies throughout government, academia, and the private sector. | 04/25/2023 | 05/16/2023 |
Award Date: 02/22/2022
Project Title: A Network Scale-Up and Ad-Tech Approach Examining Workforce Participation and International Mobility in the FBSE Population
Project Performers: Accenture Federal Services LLC, University of Florida, Storm King Analytics, Influence Apps
Award Amount: $599,250.49
Objective: The objective of this project is to collect data from US Government (USG) departments and agencies to integrate data into a single framework and utilize a novel network-based approach named network scale-up to conduct surveys and gather new data about FBSE subpopulations that do not fall within existing data sets, such as those without a doctorate or who enter the country with an existing degree.
Period of Performance: February 2022 – August 2023
Point of contact: Ian McCulloh | Accenture Federal Services LLC | ian.mcculloh@accenturefederal.com
Award Date: 02/23/2022
Project Title: Creating a New Data Infrastructure for Foreign-Born Scientist and Engineers: Data, Analysis and Use
Project Performers: Coleridge Initiative, Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University; Arkansas Department for Transportation and Shared Services, Division of Information Systems- ARDATA
Award Amount: $1,000,000
Objective: The objective of this project is to establish the foundations of a national data infrastructure to address unanswered questions about foreign-born scientists and engineers in the United States, beginning with estimating the economic return on investment on U.S. training of Foreign-Born Scientists and Engineers (FBSEs). The project will establish the feasibility of constructing a linked data infrastructure. Administrative data from three states on educational enrollments and completions with detailed instructional program codes will be linked to individual and firm level employment data. A baseline return on investment will be estimated.
Period of Performance: April 2022 – June 2023
Point of contact: Nathan Barrett | Coleridge Initiative | nathan.barrett@coleridgeinitiative.org
Lessons Learned
Award Date: 02/17/2022
Project Title: Building an Evidence-Based Foundation to Understand Foreign-Born Scientists and Engineers’ Participation in the US Workforce
Project Performers: NORC at the University of Chicago, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
Award Amount: $649,747
Objective: The objective of this project is to fill knowledge gaps surrounding FBSEs who hold degrees or certifications other than doctorates and suggest possible models for future linkages; and demonstrate the feasibility of acquiring, analyzing, and disseminating linked data files that bring together administrative records on Federal STEM education programs with existing information
Period of Performance: February 2022 – December 2023
Point of contact: Lisa Blumerman | NORC at the University of Chicago | Blumerman-Lisa@norc.org
Lessons Learned
Award Date: 03/02/2022
Project Title: Opportunity #1 Foreign-Born Scientists and Engineers and the U.S. Workforce
Project Performers: RTI International, Duke University
Award Amount: $649,998
Objective: The objective of this project is to use probability entity resolution (i.e., record linkage) to match National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG) responses to employer records.
Period of Performance: March 2022 – August 2024
Point of contact: Caren Arbeit | RTI International | carbeit@rti.org
Award Date: 02/25/2022
Project Title: Clarivate and Steppingblocks Proposal to Request for Solutions (RFS) Foreign Born Scientists and Engineers and the U.S. Workforce FBSE-22
Project Performers: Clarivate, Steppingblocks
Award Amount: $600,000
Objective: The objective of this project is to build profiles of foreign-born scientists and engineers (FBSEs) so that America’s DataHub Consortium /National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (ADC/NCSES) stakeholders can conduct analyses of these profiles to learn more about this important segment of the US research workforce
Period of Performance: March 2022 – March 2023
Point of contacts: Mary Van Allen | Clarivate | mary.vanallen@clarivate.com
Anand Desai | Clarivate | anand.desai@clarivate.com
Request for Solutions (Closed)
| Overview | Release Date | Submission Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Government was seeking whitepapers that support evidence building to understand the availability and demand for global science and engineering training and talent. | 11/05/2021 | 12/08/2022 |
