Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A: A federal statistical agency is a component of the federal government whose principal function is the compilation and analysis of data and the dissemination of information for statistical purposes.

A: Please use the links below to explore additional statistical information.

A: Please use the links below to explore international statistical resources.

A: Solicitations are posted on sam.gov. You will find them listed under Contract Opportunities.

A: Solicitations are typically posted around December 1 and can be found by navigating to sam.gov.

A: BAA awards are designed to last no more than 2 years due to the experimental nature of the work and the potential for this research to be only the first stage of a larger endeavor.

A: BAA funding awards may vary, but they will not exceed a budget of $500,000.

A: No, the BAA is its own unique funding mechanism and operates much like a cooperative agreement. Unlike a traditional contract, which can be highly prescriptive, the BAA offers considerable flexibility for the applicant to propose an innovative research plan. Institutions that are awarded a BAA research project will follow contract protocols as opposed to grant reporting mechanisms used by the National Science Foundation. Awardees will still specify deliverables but are given the flexibility to adjust the research plan if results are pointing in a new direction.

A: Past BAA solicitations may be referenced below.

A: Methodological experiments on surveys by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) may focus on determining an optimal incentive amount, identifying respondents’ mode preference, evaluating usability of online instruments, and exploring the most effective contact strategies, as well as implementing adaptive design.

A: NCSES has partnered with the Coleridge Initiative’s Applied Data Analytics programs to encourage researchers to use NCSES data to explore questions about pathways to STEM education and careers and its relevance to science policy.

A: A few examples of past analysis projects include:  

A: Each NCSES survey form has an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) number with an expiration date that represents federal approval and authorization for the agency to collect the information from you. Some NCSES surveys are conducted by the Census Bureau and some are conducted under contract with private survey research organizations to collect the information on our behalf.  Although the contracting organizations are not official government agencies, we require and verify strict security and confidentiality protections are in place by our contractors to collect and store NCSES survey data. In addition, we include NCSES staff contacts for any questions or concerns you may have regarding the survey when contacted by the Census Bureau or our contractor organizations.

A: NCSES is required by law to keep your responses confidential and can use your information only for statistical purposes. In response to those confidentiality protections, the information you provide when completing the survey is used only in aggregate form to produce and publish NCSES statistical reports. For more information on the steps that NCSES takes to protect survey data, please see the Implementation Guidance for the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA).