FY2021 Weather Program Office Research Programs | NOAA OAR WPO 2021 2006592

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR WPO 2021 2006592

The FY2021 Weather Program Office Research Programs opportunity is a NOAA (Department of Commerce) funding announcement run through the Weather Program Office (WPO, formerly the Office of Weather and Air Quality). It is designed to support applied research and development that strengthens weather and water forecasting and related services, while also covering air quality and broader earth-system observing and modeling. The central idea is to fund work that closes key scientific and practical gaps across time scales ranging from short-fused, hours-ahead prediction to subseasonal and seasonal outlooks, and across disciplines that include physical science, observing systems, modeling, and the social, behavioral, and economic dimensions of how forecast information is used.

Funding is organized into three connected competitions under one umbrella notice, with a combined estimated value of about $7.75 million: (1) the Joint Technology Transfer Initiative (JTTI), which emphasizes moving promising research and innovations closer to real-world use; (2) an Observations competition focused on weather and water observing capabilities and related methods; and (3) a Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBES) competition aimed at improving how forecast and risk information is communicated, interpreted, and acted upon by individuals, communities, and decision-makers. Across all three, NOAA is looking for projects that not only advance scientific understanding but also produce outcomes that can realistically be taken up by NOAA or partner organizations.

A defining feature of this opportunity is its emphasis on transitionable results rather than purely exploratory research. NOAA frames this using Readiness Levels (RLs), a 1-to-9 scale commonly used across federal R&D to track maturity from early research concepts through development, demonstration, and eventual deployment. Applicants are expected to situate their work along that maturity spectrum and to design projects that push innovations forward toward usable prototypes, tools, datasets, methods, or decision-support capabilities. While the program strongly encourages acceleration toward operationalization or other forms of application, it explicitly notes that it does not directly fund the final handoff into NOAA operations (described as the RL 8-to-9 transition). Even so, awardees are expected to engage NOAA operational centers and plan for future transition pathways when relevant, aligning with NOAA Administrative Order 216-105B and its accompanying transition procedures.

The opportunity is also explicitly tied to the Weather Forecasting and Innovation Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-25), reinforcing NOAA's priority of collaborating with external researchers on shared, high-impact science gaps that ultimately improve forecasting services. NOAA highlights support for new or improved observing and forecasting applications, including better analysis approaches, enhanced statistical or dynamical modeling techniques, and more effective ways to communicate forecast information so it better informs the public and decision-makers. This reflects a broad view of forecasting innovation: it is not just about improving model skill, but also about improving end-to-end performance, from data collection and assimilation to interpretation, communication, and real-world decisions.

Administratively, the notice is a discretionary funding opportunity that can make awards as grants and/or cooperative agreements, indicating that some projects may involve substantial NOAA engagement during execution. The relevant CFDA number is 11.459. The listed award ceiling is $500,000, with an expected total of 32 awards, suggesting many projects will be relatively focused in scope but collectively cover a wide range of needs and approaches. The opportunity was posted on August 12, 2020, with an original closing date of November 18, 2020.

Finally, NOAA, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), and WPO emphasize diversity and inclusion as an expectation in both proposal development and project execution. In this context, diversity is framed as the mix of attributes and perspectives that help teams achieve better outcomes, and inclusion as the culture and practices that connect people to the work and organization. The stated intent is to strengthen creativity, productivity, and the long-term vitality of the weather and water research community that NOAA relies on to deliver improved services.

• 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 "FY2021 Weather Program Office Research Programs" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.459.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 12, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 18, 2020. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 32 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR WPO 2021 2006592

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