Get Funding for Weather & Air Quality Innovation

There will be eight grant competitions from this notification valued at approximately $16,200,000 as follows: 1) High Impact Weather Testbeds, 2) Joint Technology Transfer Initiative (JTTI), 3) Air Quality Research and Forecasting, 4) Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment - Southeast U.S. (VORTEX-SE), 5) Infrasound Detection of Tornadoes and High Impact Weather, 6) Next Generation of Mesoscale Weather Observing Platforms, 7) Snowpack and Soil Moisture Observations and Data Assimilation to Improve the National Water Model (NWM), and 8) Subseasonal to Seasonal (S2S). These eight competitions in this notification of funding opportunity reflect multiple science objectives spanning time scales from the very short-term (hours) to seasonal and from weather and water observations and modeling to social and behavioral science. It is focused on improving NOAA’s understanding and ultimately its weather and water forecasting services through engagement with the external scientific community on key science gaps of mutual interest through funded grant opportunities.

One of the key themes is supporting applied research and development that leads to the demonstration in NOAA’s testbeds during the project period of new high impact weather, water, and air quality observing and forecasting applications, including new data or products, improved analysis techniques, better statistical or dynamic forecast models and techniques, and communication of that information to better inform the public. It is expected that NOAA’s support of these new capabilities will speed the transition of this new research into operations in order to improve NOAA weather and water services for the public. The subseasonal to seasonal objectives focus on baseline understanding of predictability, advancement of community-driven, NOAA modeling initiatives, and increasing the utility of multi-model ensembles for end users. By facilitating new capabilities on the subseasonal to seasonal range, NOAA seeks to increase resiliency of national infrastructure, support land- and marine-based economic vitality and mitigation efforts, advance month-to-month operational applications, and better position local, regional, and national decision-makers for successful responses to adverse weather events.

VORTEX-SE is a NOAA-led effort to understand the aspects of tornadoes in the Southeast U.S. that lead to an increased risk of death and injury in that region. The project emphasizes research, often interdisciplinary in nature, across the spectrum from meteorology to social, behavioral, economic, and engineering sciences. This year’s funding opportunity continues the emphases of previous years.

Finally, this announcement includes three competitions focused on improving the critical observing system technologies needed to underpin improved forecasts. They are focused on improved snowpack and soil moisture observations, improved mesoscale observations, and innovation in infrasound technology for detection of severe weather. NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) is also announcing a companion Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 federal grant funding opportunity to this OAR opportunity through their Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) Program in early October 2018. Please search for funding opportunity number NOAA-NWS-NWSPO-2019-2005754 in https://www.grants.gov to learn more about this additional NOAA funding opportunity.

CSTAR funds research that is often directed toward local forecasting applications at NWS Weather Forecast Offices, while OAR/OWAQ funds research that is often directed at national forecasting applications at NWS national forecast centers, though there can be overlap.