FY2020 Office of Weather and Air Quality Research Programs | NOAA OAR OWAQ 2020 2006188

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR OWAQ 2020 2006188

The FY2020 Office of Weather and Air Quality Research Programs funding opportunity is a NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ) solicitation that supports research and development aimed at improving weather, water, air quality, and broader earth-system observing and forecasting. The opportunity is framed around NOAA's mission to strengthen forecasting services by partnering with the external research community to tackle shared scientific and technical gaps. The scope is intentionally broad, spanning time scales from short-fuse hazards (hours to days) through subseasonal and seasonal prediction, and it also welcomes work that connects physical science with social and behavioral science, especially where that helps communicate risk and forecast information more effectively to the public.

Funding under this notice is organized into three related but distinct competitions, with a combined value of about $7 million: (1) the Joint Technology Transfer Initiative (JTTI), (2) the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment - Southeast U.S. (VORTEX-SE), and (3) the Climate Testbed (CTB). Across these tracks, NOAA is looking for proposals that can lead to tangible improvements in observing systems, data assimilation and analysis methods, statistical and dynamical modeling approaches, forecast techniques, and the way forecast information is conveyed and used. The solicitation emphasizes work that has a clear pathway toward practical use, meaning tools, methods, or prototype capabilities that could ultimately be adopted by NOAA or commercialized for broader impact.

A central theme of the announcement is "research-to-application" progress, described using NOAA's Readiness Level (RL) framework (a 1-to-9 scale commonly used across federal R&D). Applicants are expected to describe the maturity of their work and how it will advance along the RL spectrum, moving from foundational research toward development, demonstration, and eventual deployment. Different competitions may favor different starting maturity levels, so the most competitive proposals are likely to be those that not only advance science but also demonstrate credible plans for testing, validation, and transition planning. While the programs encourage acceleration toward operationalization and real-world use, the notice clarifies that it does not directly fund the final step of transitioning a capability into NOAA operations (the RL 8-to-9 step). Even so, projects that generate results suitable for NOAA operations are expected to coordinate with NOAA operational centers to map out transition strategies that NOAA could pursue after the award ends.

This opportunity is aligned with the Weather Forecasting and Innovation Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-25), reinforcing a focus on modernizing forecasting and improving the scientific basis for NOAA services through sustained engagement with universities, private-sector partners, and other research organizations. The announcement also points to a companion FY2020 National Weather Service (NWS) funding opportunity through the CSTAR Program, noting the difference in emphasis: CSTAR often targets local or regional applications at individual Weather Forecast Offices, while OWAQ-funded work more often aims for broadly applicable methods and capabilities that can benefit national centers or multiple forecast offices.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a Department of Commerce discretionary funding opportunity (CFDA 11.459) that can be awarded as a grant or cooperative agreement. It was posted August 26, 2019, with an original application deadline of November 20, 2019. NOAA anticipated roughly 23 awards, with an award ceiling of $500,000 per award. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with further clarification expected in the full announcement's eligibility section. Finally, NOAA explicitly encourages applicants to incorporate diversity and inclusion principles both in proposal development and in project execution, framing this as a way to strengthen creativity, productivity, and the long-term health of the weather and water research community that NOAA relies on for innovation.

• 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 "FY2020 Office of Weather and Air Quality 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 26, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 20, 2019. (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 23 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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