NOAA Climate Program Office Opens FY 2012 Competition for ~60 Research Awards

Overview

NOAA's Climate Program Office (CPO) has announced its FY 2012 competitive funding opportunity (NOAA-OAR-CPO-2012-2003041) under the Department of Commerce, making an estimated $15,500,000 available for approximately 60 new awards, pending budget appropriations. The program carries no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Most awards are anticipated to fall between $50,000 and $200,000 per year, with some exceptions for larger awards, according to the announcement.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, international organizations, and state, local, and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies and institutions are explicitly not eligible to receive federal assistance under this notice.

Program Purpose and Framework

The CPO manages competitive research programs conducted in regions across the United States, at national and international scales, and globally. The notice explains that the program is guided by NOAA's Next Generation Strategic Plan (NGSP), which establishes four five-year climate objectives: (1) improved scientific understanding of the changing climate system and its impacts; (2) assessments of current and future states of the climate system that identify potential impacts and inform decisions; (3) mitigation and adaptation choices supported by sustained, reliable, and timely climate services; and (4) a climate-literate public that understands its vulnerabilities to a changing climate and makes informed decisions.

Core Capabilities and Societal Challenges

According to the notice, achieving improved scientific understanding requires support for core capabilities broadly categorized as: understanding and modeling; observing systems, data stewardship, and climate monitoring; predictions and projections; and integrated service development and decision support. These capabilities are to focus on five societal challenges identified in the NGSP: Climate Impacts on Water Resources; Coasts and Climate Resilience; Sustainability of Marine Ecosystems; Changes in Extremes of Weather and Climate; and Information for Mitigating Climate Change. Each competition announced under the funding opportunity addresses one or more of these core capabilities or societal challenges.

Application Requirements

The notice states that applications submitted in response to the opportunity must identify their relevance to NOAA's climate science and services by indicating which core capabilities and/or societal challenges the proposed work will address. Application abstracts are required to include a paragraph describing the work's relevance to the NGSP's long-term goal of climate adaptation and mitigation, as well as to the specific competition being targeted. The CPO also provides strategic guidance and oversight for the agency's climate science and services programs, and helps integrate capabilities from across the agency to provide enhanced services to constituents.