Proposed Cooperative Institute to support NOAA Marine Research and Ecosystem Management | NOAA OAR CIPO 2021 2006680

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR CIPO 2021 2006680

The Proposed Cooperative Institute (CI) to support NOAA Marine Research and Ecosystem Management is a Department of Commerce, NOAA-led cooperative agreement opportunity designed to build a long-term research partnership focused primarily on the US West Coast. The central idea is to establish a collaborative institute, led by one or more qualified universities or non-profit degree-granting institutions (including a consortium model), that will work side-by-side with NOAA scientists and programs to improve how marine ecosystems are observed, understood, and managed. The CI is meant to strengthen NOAA's ability to monitor changing ocean conditions, anticipate ecosystem shifts, and deliver practical information that supports real-world decisions about ocean and coastal resources.

A major emphasis of the institute is marine ecosystem research, conservation, and management tied to sustainable use and stewardship. The work is framed around developing and applying improved tools and approaches to track ecosystem health and forecast change, including how people and communities respond to that change. This includes research to improve fisheries assessments and evaluate fisheries management strategies, including the effectiveness of management actions and tradeoffs. It also covers research on the impacts of human activities on marine habitats and ecosystems, which can involve detailed habitat characterization, ecosystem condition assessments, and the evaluation of pressures from multiple uses of the ocean. The scope also explicitly includes aquaculture, such as techniques, impacts, and safety considerations, as well as social science research that helps explain and support the sustainability and resilience of coastal communities, both the natural systems and the human communities that depend on them.

The institute is also expected to contribute to oceanographic, climatic, and geologic hazard-related research that aligns with NOAA's goal of reducing societal impacts from severe weather and other environmental phenomena. Specific topics highlighted include understanding and evaluating marine heat waves, hypoxia, and ocean acidification, particularly their impacts on living marine resources and the conditions that lead to those events. In addition, the opportunity calls for research on seafloor processes connected to hazards such as marine earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, reflecting an interest in linking ocean conditions and seafloor dynamics to risks that affect coastal regions.

Another distinct component is the capacity to investigate hydrothermal vent systems, including their micro- and macro-fauna, the physical and chemical properties of vent environments, and how these systems contribute to marine nutrient cycling. This signals NOAA's interest in supporting advanced exploration and interdisciplinary study of deep-sea ecosystems and their broader oceanographic significance.

Across these themes, the CI is encouraged to use a wide range of modern methods and platforms. The prospectus points to the use of genetic and genomic techniques, acoustics, and autonomous vehicles, alongside other observational and analytical approaches. The institute is also expected to contribute to NOAA's research-to-operations pipeline by supporting research, development, and transition activities. On the mission support side, this includes engineering and data science development and applications, as well as enhancements to the fleet of vessels used for NOAA research, including both crewed ships and autonomous systems. In practical terms, NOAA is looking for an institute that not only produces science but also improves the technical and operational capacity needed to collect data, manage it, and turn it into products NOAA can use.

The collaborative structure is a defining feature. The proposed CI will work closely with multiple NOAA entities, especially NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), along with other NOAA offices as appropriate. While the focus is on West Coast priorities, the CI may also collaborate with other Cooperative Institutes and NOAA-funded programs such as Sea Grant Colleges when broader, coast-wide coordination is necessary, including work spanning the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. The prospectus emphasizes that these collaborations should be purposeful and coordinated with the NOAA offices responsible for the relevant projects, and that the CI's work should complement rather than duplicate existing CI efforts except where overlap provides clear benefits.

Eligibility is limited to non-Federal public and private non-profit universities, colleges, and research institutions that offer accredited graduate-level degree programs in NOAA-relevant sciences. NOAA also strongly encourages the CI to build a broad network of partners beyond the core academic-NOAA collaboration, including other government agencies, private industry, non-traditional partners, NOAA labs and data centers, other Cooperative Institutes, Cooperative Science Centers, and Sea Grant institutions.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism (meaning NOAA expects substantial involvement in shaping and conducting the work). The opportunity number is NOAA OAR CIPO 2021 2006680 under CFDA 11.432. The original application closing date listed is 2021-02-08, the award ceiling is $36,800,000, and the posting was created on 2020-12-10.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Proposed Cooperative Institute to support NOAA Marine Research and Ecosystem Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.432.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $36,800,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA OAR CIPO 2021 2006680

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