Expanding the Frame for NSF's Higher Education R&D Survey: Methodological Challenges and Lessons Learned

• Activity Number: 221
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 1, 2011 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Government Statistics
• Author(s): Stephen Cohen*+ and Ronda Britt and Jeri Metzger Mulrow
• Companies: National Science Foundation and National Science Foundation
• Keywords: establishment survey ; screener survey

Abstract

The National Science Foundation (NSF) conducts an annual survey of roughly 800 research-performing universities and colleges called the Higher Education R&D (HERD) Survey. The survey collects data on academic R&D expenditures at 4-year and above postsecondary institutions by source of funding and field. In the past, the survey population was identified through administrative records of federal funding to universities. In 2010, NSF decided to undertake a complete census of institutions to expand the frame to include all R&D performers regardless of federal funding. A screening survey was administered to over 2000 colleges and universities to collected limited data on R&D. The major challenge of the screening effort was identifying and securing cooperation from the appropriate office within the institution. Many were not research-oriented or familiar with NSF and its mission. The mailing materials were carefully crafted to simplify the purpose of the survey and the concept of R&D. This presentation summarizes the methodology used to contact the institutions, results, and lessons learned.