Proposal Process

KRDC is secure facility and access is restricted to those researchers with approved projects and who have received designation of Special Sworn Status by the U.S. Census Bureau. Graduate students are eligible to work in KRDC on projects with faculty sponsorship. In addition, non-U.S. citizens are eligible provided that cumulative residency in the United States is at least three years prior to application.

For researchers at one of the consortium institutions, costs for use of the facility are governed under the KRDC consortium agreement. There are no fees charged to approved members of consortium institutions, except for those additional fees assessed by the NCHS, BLS, and BEA for their data products. If you are not a researcher at one of the KRDC consortium institutions, fees for using the KRDC depend on the amount of time you will need to complete a project. Projects using restricted data at a federal statistical research data center can last 3-5 years. Direct your inquiries to the KRDC Executive Director for usage fees.

The KRDC operates under Title 13 and Title 26 of the U.S. Code security protocol; thus, researchers wishing to use the facility must develop a project proposal, receive approval for the project, and undergo security clearance. Researchers cleared to use the facility have access to secure terminals that enable access to restricted data. Because of the nature of available data, researchers who violate security and disclosure protocol are subject to loss of privileges, as well as civil and criminal penalties.

All data intended for use in published works or public presentations must undergo disclosure review before presentation to the public.

Prospective researchers interested in applying to use the non-public Census, NCHS, and BLS datasets for statistical purposes are encouraged to first discuss their ideas with advisory board representatives at our partner institutions. Those with a developed research idea should then consult with the KRDC Administrator about the content and form of a research proposal before starting the proposal development process. The KRDC Administrator will help researchers prepare and submit materials for review, and can assist researchers in determining data availability and in preparing high-quality proposals. It is not uncommon for the proposal process to take 6 months, and sometimes longer, if the project requires multi-agency review.  Interested graduate students must submit a letter of support from their academic advisor prior to beginning the proposal process outlined below.

For projects using Census economic, demographic, or mixed data, the steps, in order, include:

• Contact the KRDC Administrator about your project to make sure it is a good fit for the RDC and submit your inital project idea through ResearchDataGov.
• Submit to the KRDC Administrator a 2-3 page project summary of your project that includes: (1) your main research idea/question, (2) KRDC datasets you want to use, (3) any external non-KRDC datasets you want to use, (4) your methodology, and (5) statistical output you want to take out of KRDC.
• Work with KRDC Administrator in developing your proposal using the template outlined in the CES proposal instructions, bearing in mind that Census projects must: (i) Provide benefit to Census Bureau programs; (ii) Demonstrate scientific merit; (iii) Require non-public data; (iv) Be feasible given the data; and (v) Pose no risk of disclosure.
• Once approved by the US Census Bureau, there may be additional agency reviews, depending on the specific datasets the researcher requests.
• Once approved, you will work with the KRDC Administrator to obtain Special Sworn Status (SSS). To receive special sworn status, the applicant must pass a background check and swear to protect respondent confidentiality for life. This process establishes the researcher as a temporary uncompensated employee of the U.S. Census Bureau.