The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan proposes to develop standardized tools for researchers to discover and apply to use confidential microdata across agencies in the Federal Statistical System (FSS). These tools will include (1) a Web portal for learning about available restricted microdata, and (2) an application system for requesting to use those resources. The Web portal and application system together will comprise the Application Portal for Restricted Data in the Federal Statistical System (App-FSS). Both components of App-FSS will be developed and hosted at ICPSR.

The agencies using App-FSS will initially include the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. By providing a single system through which researchers can discover and apply for access to restricted-use data, App-FSS will maximize the standardization and efficiencies for federal agency data providers and external parties requesting use of restricted data.