Foa_Content_of_NOAA-NMFS-SE-2027-33642 (1).pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

NOAA NOFO Page 1 of 19

Table of Contents

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Executive Summary Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information III. Eligibility Information IV. Application and Submission Information V. Application Review Information VI. Award Administration Information VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

Executive Summary Federal Agency Name Fisheries Southeast Region Program Office (SE)

Funding Opportunity Title SEFSC Bluefin Tuna Research Program

Announcement Type Competitive

Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-NMFS-SE-2027-33642

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.058

Dates Full proposals must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on December 31, 2026.

NOTE: We strongly encourage all prospective applicants to begin required registrations as early as possible. Completing the required registrations can take six weeks or longer. Submission due dates will not be extended because of registration delays. Submissions received after the due date will be considered late and will not be accepted.

Applicant organizations and individuals must register for three different Federal systems prior to submitting an application through Grants.gov (SAM.gov, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov).

Applicant organizations and individuals must first register with SAM.gov and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). After you obtain your UEI, you can complete your Grants.gov and eRA Commons registrations concurrently.

See Section IV(G) for detailed instructions on registration requirements. If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in this NOFO for submission instructions.

NOAA NOFO Page 2 of 19

Funding Opportunity Description The objective of the program is to provide a basis for advancing science-based fisheries management for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Such advancement will depend upon improvements in understanding of the fisheries, total abundance, and biology of bluefin tuna, especially regarding the effects of mixing and movement between the eastern and western Atlantic populations. Contracting Parties to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), of which the US is one, and other partners have embarked upon a multi-year research program on bluefin tuna as a step toward improving ICCAT's science-based management of Bluefin fisheries. Research sponsored under this funding opportunity represents a contribution to this partnership. Proposals that demonstrate collaborations with the ICCAT Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Research Program and other ICCAT partners are strongly encouraged.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective The objective of the program is to provide a basis for advancing science-based fisheries management for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Such advancement will depend upon improvements in understanding of the fisheries, total abundance, and biology of bluefin tuna, especially regarding the effects of mixing and movement between the eastern and western Atlantic populations. Contracting Parties to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), of which the U.S. is one, and other partners have embarked upon a multi-year research program on bluefin tuna as a step toward improving ICCAT's science-based management of Bluefin fisheries. Research sponsored under this funding opportunity represents a contribution to this partnership. Proposals that demonstrate collaborations with the ICCAT Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Research Program and other ICCAT partners are strongly encouraged.

B. Program Priorities

NOAA NOFO Page 3 of 19

The main premise for a Bluefin Tuna Research Program (BTRP) project is to provide usable and relevant information to aid fishery researchers, scientists, and managers to make informed management decisions. The Standing Committee for Research and Statistics (SCRS), which develops scientific advice for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), has developed a list of priorities for research needed to improve bluefin tuna stock assessments. These priorities are summarized below, in no particular order of importance. Proposals must address one of these priority areas as they pertain to Atlantic bluefin tuna Federal fisheries management plans. If you select more than one priority, you should list first on your application the priority that most closely reflects the objectives of your proposal.

Research priorities for this funding opportunity include:

1. Representative sampling of hard and soft tissues and associated analytical techniques for studies of population genomics, stock composition, age composition, growth, and total reproductive contribution by size and age.

2. DNA sampling (i.e. finclips, biopsies, or other non-lethal method) of US recreational catch-and-release fisheries, targeting but not limited to young school, school, or large-school size bluefin tuna in support of close-kin mark-recapture and gene-tagging studies.

3. Research to evaluate bluefin tuna spawning areas outside of the Gulf of Mexico, including the Slope Sea. Targeted research activities might include larval collections; DNA sampling; sampling of stock, length, and age compositions; and studies on reproduction (maturity/fecundity/recruitment).

4. Large-scale electronic and genetic tagging experiments specifically designed to estimate movement rates, abundance, and mortality of the eastern or western stocks.

5. Developing novel fishery-independent techniques to estimate abundance, mortality or to implement novel management strategies (e.g., using advanced technology, genomics or enhancing coverage through effective multi-institution partnerships).

6. Integration of satellite remote sensing, oceanographic modeling and other multidisciplinary scientific products to evaluate environmental effects upon biology (recruitment, mortality, movement, etc) or fishery operations.

C. Program Authority Authority for the BTRP is provided by the following: 16 U.S.C. 661.

II. Award Information A. Funding Availability Approximately $600,000 may be available for projects. Actual funding availability for this program is contingent upon availability of funds. The NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center estimates awarding approximately five (5) projects that will range from $25,000 to $300,000. The expected average award is $125,000. Publication of this notice does not obligate NMFS to award any specific grant or cooperative agreement or any of the available funds.

B. Project/Award Period The period of award will be funded as a single year, up to 18 months; or awards may be funded as multiyear awards, not to exceed four years, with future funding contingent upon fund availability.

C. Type of Funding Instrument Proposals selected for funding will be funded through a cooperative agreement. NMFS is substantially involved as a partner in the BTRP activities with the recipient. Substantial involvement includes planning, scheduling, conducting, and analyzing proposed project activities and frequent contact with the grantee to help solve technical problems/situations as they arise during the performance of the award.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants

NOAA NOFO Page 4 of 19

Eligible applicants may be institutions of higher education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, individuals, and state, local, and Indian Tribal governments. Federal agencies or institutions are not eligible. Foreign governments, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign governments, and international organizations are excluded for purposes of this solicitation since the objective of the BTRP is to optimize research and development benefits from U.S. marine fishery resources.

NOTE: We strongly encourage all prospective applicants to begin required registrations as early as possible. Completing the required registrations can take six weeks or longer. Submission due dates will not be extended because of registration delays. Submissions received after the due date will be considered late and will not be accepted.

Applicant organizations and individuals must register for three different Federal systems prior to submitting an application through Grants.gov (SAM.gov, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov).

Registration Requirements: Applicant organizations and individuals must first register with SAM.gov and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). After you obtain your UEI, you can complete your Grants.gov and eRA Commons registrations concurrently.

See Section IV(G) for detailed instructions on required registrations. If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in this NOFO for submission instructions

B. Cost Share or Matching Requirement There is no cost sharing requirement.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility All applicants must include a written agreement with a person employed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), who will act as a partner in the proposed research project. This written agreement must be signed by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Director or a designee.

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package Applications and all required forms must be submitted through www.grants.gov. Please refer to Section G. for submission requirements.

The standard application package is available at https://www.Grants.gov. If an applicant has problems with Grants.gov, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@Grants.gov. If you do not have internet access, or if Grants.gov is inaccessible, you can obtain an application package by contacting Dax Ruiz, Federal Grants Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS/SERO; 263 13th Avenue, South, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, Phone: (727) 824-5324, e-mail: Dax.Ruiz@noaa.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application

NOAA NOFO Page 5 of 19

1. Format Requirements:

A complete standard NOAA grant application package is required in accordance with the guidelines in this document. Applications that are not complete on the closing date of this announcement will not be reviewed. Your application must contain all required documents and forms; if these forms are not signed via the www.Grants.gov application process, they MUST be signed in ink. Paper applications without inked signatures on their forms will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. The Authorized Representative MUST sign and date these forms in the space reserved for electronic signature.

Signatures (electronic or ink) must match the name printed in the “Authorized Representative” section of the SF-424 Block 21. Another Authorized Representative may not sign on behalf of the individual noted in Block 21. An incomplete application or one that does not follow the format requirements will not be reviewed and will be withdrawn from the competition.

All application materials should be submitted in Adobe PDF or a common word processing format, and when printed out should meet all format requirements. All pages must be no less than single-spaced printed or typed, in at least 12-point font, and printable on 8.5-inch x 11- inch paper, with 1-inch margins. If these requirements are not followed, the proposal will be withdrawn without consideration.

2. Content Requirements:

Each application must include (listed below are minimum requirements that must be included in the proposal submission. If any of these are not included the proposal will not be considered and will be withdrawn from the competition):

Standard Form 424 - Application for Federal Assistance Standard Form 424A - Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs Standard Form 424B - Assurances - Non-Construction Programs Standard Form 424C - Budget Information - Construction Programs Standard Form 424D - Assurances - Construction Programs Standard Form LLL - Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Form CD-511 - Certification Regarding Lobbying The budget justification/narrative requirement should reference the GMD Budget Narrative Guidance at https://coast.noaa.gov/funding/forms.html.

Data Sharing Plan (Clearly identified and included in the Project Narrative or Supporting Documents).

NOAA NOFO Page 6 of 19

The following information must be included. Failure to submit it will result in an application not being reviewed.

a. Signed Title Page: The Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) must be signed by the authorized representative. Electronic signatures submitted through grants.gov satisfy this requirement.

b. Project Synopsis (1-page limit): It is critical that the project synopsis accurately describes the project being proposed and conveys all essential elements of the activities. It is imperative that potential applicants tie their proposals to one of the program priorities described in Section I.B. The Project Synopsis must identify the principal investigator(s) and contain a brief statement of qualifications.

c. Project Description (6-page limit): The applicant should describe and justify the project being proposed and address each of the evaluation criteria as described below in Section V. Project descriptions should include clear objectives and specific approaches to achieving those objectives, including methods, timelines, and expected outcomes.

d. Data Management plan (2-pages): Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan. See Section VI.B., Administrative and National Policy Requirements, below for additional information on what the plan should contain.

e. Literature Cited: If applicable.

f. Budget and Budget Justification: All applications must have a detailed budget narrative explaining and justifying the Federal and non-Federal expenditures as listed on the SF-424A budget forms. Refer to NOAA Grants Management Division’s Budget Narrative Guidance at https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/document/2019/Jun/gmd_budget_narrative_guidance_- _05-24-2017_final.pdf Provide justifications for all budget items in sufficient detail to enable the reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of the funding requested.

g. Resumes (2 pages maximum for each major participant).

h. Standard Application Forms: Assurances, Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B); and Certifications Regarding Lobbying (CD-511). These forms are available on Grants.gov. Please refer to the appropriate application package available through www.grants.gov. If you do not have internet access, an application package may be received by contacting Dax Ruiz, Federal Grants Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS/SERO;

263 13th Avenue, South, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, Phone: (727) 824-5324, e-mail: Dax.Ruiz@noaa.gov.

i. NOAA NEPA Questionnaire (https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/docs/NOAA-Grants Questionnaire-final.pdf).

Applicants are required to submit answers to the NOAA NEPA Questionnaire (https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/docs/NOAA-Grants Questionnaire-final.pdf), questions 1-37. See Section VI.B., Administrative and National Policy Requirements, below for additional NEPA information. Note: It is strongly recommended that applicants complete this questionnaire when initially submitting a full proposal application. A completed NOAA NEPA Questionnaire should be uploaded as its own file and not included in any other attachment.

j. Applications must identify the principal participants and include copies of any agreements describing the specific tasks to be performed by participants. Project applications should give a clear presentation of the proposed work, the methods for carrying out the project, its relevance to managing and enhancing the use of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishery resources, and cost estimates as they relate to specific aspects of the project. Budgets must include a detailed breakdown, by category of expenditures, with appropriate justification for both the Federal and non-Federal shares.

k. Applications should exhibit familiarity with related work that is completed or ongoing. Successful applicants are required to collect and manage data in accordance with standardized procedures and format approved or specified by NMFS and to participate with NMFS in specific cooperative activities that are determined by consultations between NMFS and successful applicants before project grants are awarded. All data collected as part of an awarded grant must be provided to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan (up to 2 pages). See Section VI.B., Administrative and National Policy Requirements, below for additional information on what the plan should contain.

NOAA NOFO Page 7 of 19

Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan (up to 2 pages). See Section VI.B., Administrative and National Policy Requirements, below for additional information on what the plan should contain.

C. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR 25.110(d)) is required to: (i) Be registered in SAM before submitting its application;

(ii) Provide a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) in its application; and (iii) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. NOAA may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time NOAA is ready to make a Federal award, NOAA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

D. Submission Dates and Times Applications must be submitted by https://www.Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on December 31, 2026.

Note: It may take www.grants.gov up to two (2) business days to validate or reject an application. Please keep this in mind when developing your submission timeline. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. Applications received later than five calendar days following the closing date will not be accepted. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. See Section IV F. Other Submission Requirements for complete mailing.

E. Intergovernmental Review Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order (E.O.) 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of E.O. 12372. To find out about and comply with a State’s process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management and Budget’s home page at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SPOC-list-as-of-2023.pdf

F. Funding Restrictions Construction is not an allowable activity under this program. Therefore, applications will not be accepted for construction projects.

The BTRP Program will not consider expenses associated with fees, fund-raising activities, travel for activities not directly related to project implementation, travel or salaries for Federal employees, or profit as allowable costs in the proposed budget. NOAA funds may not be used to support ongoing efforts to comply with legal requirements, including permit conditions, mitigation and settlement agreements.

Applicants will not be reimbursed for time expended or costs incurred in developing a project or in preparing an application, or in any discussions or negotiations with the agency prior to the award.

G. Other Submission Requirements

NOAA NOFO Page 8 of 19

Registration requirements NOTE: We strongly encourage all prospective applicants to begin required registrations as early as possible. Completing the required registrations can take six weeks or longer. Submission due dates will not be extended because of registration delays. Submissions received after the due date will be considered late and will not be accepted.

Applicant organizations and individuals must register for three different Federal systems prior to submitting an application through Grants.gov (SAM.gov, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov). See below for more detailed information on each required registration process. Additional information on the grant application process an associated webinar is available here:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-financial-services/grant-application-process

1. System for Award Management (SAM.gov) SAM.gov registration is required to do business with the U.S. government. After registering with SAM.gov, you will receive a 12-character Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) that you will use throughout the application process.

We recommend allowing at least three weeks for initial SAM.gov registrations and at least two weeks for SAM.gov registration renewals. Additional information on SAM.gov registration is available here:

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

You must update your SAM.gov registration any time your entity’s information changes. You must also renew and revalidate your entity’s SAM.gov registration at least every 12 months from the date you last certified to and submitted the registration. The renewal process may take up to two weeks. Your SAM.gov account’s primary point of contact will receive an email message alerting them to the renewal requirement at 60 days, 30 days, and 15 days prior to expiration. If you do not renew your registration by the deadline, it will expire.

2. eRA Commons After completing your SAM.gov registration and receiving your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), you must register with eRA Commons and create several required user accounts. NOAA uses eRA Commons to process grant applications and manage grant awards.

NOTE: eRA Commons requires applicants to create one ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE and two USER ACCOUNTS before submitting an application. These requirements are described in detail below.

We recommend allowing at least three weeks for eRA Commons registration. This process can be completed concurrently with your Grants.gov registration. Additional information on the eRA Commons registration process is available here: https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/key-initiatives/gems/register-your-organization-era-commons

After creating an overall account for your “institution”, which may be for your organization or yourself as an individual, eRA Commons requires you to set up at least two user accounts: one Signing Official (SO) account and one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account.

• The Signing Official (SO) user account must be assigned to an individual with signature authority to legally bind the organization in grants administration matters. The SO will receive 4-5 emails throughout the registration process.

• The Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account must be assigned to an individual with primary responsibility for the project(s) described in the grant application. The eRA Commons User ID (Username) for the PD/PI must also be listed on the SF-424 form for item 4 (Applicant Identifier).

Your SO and PD/PI user accounts must be active before you submit an application. Both accounts can be assigned to the same individual if appropriate.

3. Grants.Gov After completing your SAM.gov registration and receiving your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), you must complete a one-time registration process with Grants.gov. Grants.gov is a government-wide portal used to solicit and accept grant applications.

NOAA NOFO Page 9 of 19

We recommend allowing at least two weeks for Grants.gov registration. This process can be completed concurrently with your eRA Commons registration. Additional information on the Grants.gov registration process is available here: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration

Submission Validation The Grants.gov and eRA Commons validation processes for a submitted application can take up to two business days after submission. Only validated applications are sent to NOAA to review. To ensure successful submission of an application, we strongly recommend that you submit a final and complete application at least two business days prior to the submission deadline.

• Grants.gov and eRA Commons will not accept submissions if the applicant has not been authorized or if credentials are incorrect. Submissions may also be rejected if:

• The Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI)’s account username within eRA Commons is not provided on the SF-424 form for item 4 (Applicant Identifier).

• The Universal Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov is not provided on the SF-424 form for item 8.c

(UEI).

• The Congressional District is not entered in the correct format on the SF-424 form for item 16 (Congressional Districts). The correct format is: [State Abbreviation]-[three digit district number]. For example, Virginia’s 1st Congressional District would be listed as VA-001.

• PDF files are not flattened. To flatten a fillable PDF, you can use the “Print to PDF” function from any web browser or PDF reader application.

• File sizes exceed 100 MB.

• Page sizes are greater than 8.5x11.

• File names exceed 50 characters (including spaces).

• File names include special characters.

After you submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by NOAA.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be accompanied by FOUR automated responses (1- Grants.gov Submission Receipt; 2-Grants.gov Submission Validation Receipt for Application; 3-Grants.gov Grantor Agency Retrieval Receipt for Application; 4-Grants.gov Agency Tracking Number Assignment for Application).

In addition to the Grants.gov automated notification messages, once an electronic application is accepted in eRA Commons, you will receive an automated notification from eRA Commons that the completed application was received and that an application number will be assigned. If there are errors in the application, eRA Commons will send an automated email notification(s) of any errors or warnings identified by eRA Commons. You must resolve all eRA Commons errors prior to the application due date in order for the application to be processed.

You should save and print the proof of submission messages from both Grants.gov and eRA Commons.

If you do not receive an acceptance message from both Grants.gov and eRA Commons, you should follow up with the eRA Helpdesk at 1-866-504-9552 and the agency contact listed in Section VII to confirm NOAA’s receipt of the complete submission.

H. Address for Submitting Proposals

NOAA NOFO Page 10 of 19

Applications should be submitted to www.grants.gov. If the applicant is unable to submit electronically, paper applications will be accepted. Paper applications must be submitted with completed, signed, inked signatures, with original forms in hard copy and an electronic copy of the entire application on a thumb drive, including scanned signed forms. The Authorized Representative MUST sign and date forms SF-424, SF-424B, and CD-511. Signatures (electronic or ink) must match the name printed in the “Authorized Representative” section of the SF-424 Block 21. Paper applications must be postmarked or provided to a delivery service and documented with a receipt (private metered postmarks are not acceptable) and sent to Dax Ruiz, Federal Grants Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS/SERO; 263 13th Avenue, South, St.

Petersburg, FL, 33701, Phone: (727) 824-5324, e-mail: Dax.Ruiz@noaa.gov.

V. Application Review Information Evaluation Criteria Instructions Applications responsive to this solicitation will be evaluated by three or more appropriate private and/or public sector experts to determine their technical merit. These reviewers will provide individual evaluations of the proposals. No consensus advice will be given. These reviewers provide comments and assign scores to the applications based on the following criteria, with the points shown in parentheses:

1. Importance/relevance and applicability of proposed projects to the program goals

Maximum Points: 30

This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, Federal, regional, state, or local activities.

Does the proposal describe its relevance to a Bluefin Tuna Research Program Priority, and how information gathered will contribute to NOAA’s mission to enhance the understanding of the fishery resource and contribute to the body of information on which management decisions are made? Does this study address an important problem, providing a clear definition of the problem, need, issue, or research need?

Using the scale below (lowest score possible is 0) Marginally Adequately Frequently Strongly Highly 0-------------10----------------15------------------25-------------30

2. Technical/scientific merit

Maximum Points: 25

This criterion assesses whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and objectives. Proposals should provide a clear definition of the approach to be used, including descriptions of field work, theoretical studies, and laboratory analysis to support the proposed research.

Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Is sufficient detail provided about the methods proposed for monitoring and evaluating the success of the project, and are they appropriate? Are the objectives in the proposal clearly defined and focused, realistic and attainable within the proposed project period?

Does the project demonstrate support, cooperation, and/or collaboration with the fishing industry and members of the international science community?

Using the scale below (lowest score possible is 0)

0-------------10----------------15------------------20-------------25

NOAA NOFO Page 11 of 19

3. Overall qualifications of applicants

Maximum Points: 20

This criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project.

Does the applicant have the expertise to conduct the proposed work? Does the applicant describe the facilities, equipment and/or administrative resources available to support and successfully manage the work and award responsibilities? Does the proposal include resumes of the Principal Investigator(s)?

Using the scale below (lowest score possible is 0)

0-------------5----------------10------------------15-------------20

4. Project costs

Maximum Points: 20

This criterion evaluates the budget to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time frame.

Is the proposed budget sufficiently detailed, with appropriate breakdown and justification of costs by object class? Is the proposed budget cost-effective and realistic based on the applicant’s stated objectives and time frame?

Using the scale below (lowest score possible is 0)

0-------------5----------------10------------------15-------------20

5. Data Management Plan Technical Soundness

Maximum Points: 5

This criterion assesses whether the Data Management Plan ensures that the data collected and/or created will be made available to general users in a timely manner free of charge, or at minimal cost.

Using the scale below (lowest score possible is 0)

0-------------2----------------3------------------4-------------5

Review and Selection Process When we receive applications, we will screen them to ensure that they were received by the deadline date (see Submission Dates and Times); include an SF 424 authenticated by an authorized representative;

were submitted by an eligible applicant; address one of the funding priorities for federally managed species; and include a budget, statement of work, and milestones, and identify the principal investigator.

We do not have to screen applications before the submission deadline in order to identify deficiencies that would cause your application to be rejected so that you would have an opportunity to correct them.

However, should we do so and provide you information about deficiencies, or should you independently decide it is desirable to do so, you may correct any deficiencies in your application before the deadline.

After the deadline, the application must remain as submitted; no changes can be made to it.

NOAA NOFO Page 12 of 19

If your application does not conform to these requirements and the deadline for submission has passed, the application will be returned without further consideration.

Following the technical review, we will determine the score for each individual review and average the individual technical review scores to determine the final technical score for each application. Then, we will rank applications in descending order by their average technical scores. The top twenty applications may be forwarded to a panel for further review. Those applications that are not in the top twenty category will be eliminated from further consideration.

Those applications that meet the top twenty ranking may be presented to a panel of bluefin fishery experts known as the BTRP panel. Each member of the BTRP panel individually considers: if needs of the Agency are addressed in each proposal and if the project addresses issues that are important to Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishery management. Needs of the Agency follow the information identified in the Magnuson- Stevens Act, Title III, Sections 301 and 404. The individuals on the BTRP Panel provide comments and will independently assign a numerical rating between 1.0 and 5.0 (marginally meets the need to highly meets the need) for each of these proposals according to the following scale. The BTRP Panel will give no consensus advice. After the BTRP Panel scores are submitted, a compilation of all proposals in rank order is developed based on the average score from the BTRP Panel. In the event that there are two or more projects tied in the panel's percent selected category that are competing for the final available funds, all tied projects will be given equal consideration by the selecting official regardless of their peer review score. The selecting official will resolve any ties by selecting the projects that are most pertinent to the research needs as listed under the program priorities in Section I.B., at the time of selection. Program priorities are not listed in order of importance because the importance can change over time.

Each member of the panel will independently assign a numerical rating between 1 and 5 for each application according to the following scale, and provide comments to support their score (zero and fractions of whole numbers will not be accepted):

1– Application marginally meets the need to the evaluation criteria in this section but does not address program priorities outlined in the NOFO.

2– Application adequately meets the need to the evaluation criteria in this section and marginally addresses program priorities outlined in the NOFO.

3– Application frequently meets the need to the evaluation criteria in this section and partially addresses program priorities outlined in the NOFO.

4 – Application strongly meets the need to the evaluation criteria in this section and satisfactorily addresses program priorities outlined in the NOFO.

5– Application highly meets the need to the evaluation criteria in this section and exceptionally addresses program priorities outlined in the NOFO.

Selection Factors The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based on one or more of the following factors:

1. Availability of funding.

2. Balance/distribution of funds:

a. geographically

b. by type of institution

c. by type of partners

NOAA NOFO Page 13 of 19

d. by research priority

e. by project types

3. Duplication of other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA/Federal agencies.

4. Program priorities and policy factors.

5. Applicant’s prior award performance.

6. Partnerships with/Participation of targeted groups.

7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a NEPA determination and draft necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to the Grants Officer.

Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates Subject to the availability of funds, successful applications are usually recommended for funding within 243 days from the date of publication of this notice. Successful applicants will receive notification of funding from the NOAA Grants Management Division. Applicants should not initiate any project in expectation of federal funding until they receive a grant award document signed by an authorized NOAA Grants Officer.

The exact amount of funds awarded, the final scope of activities, the project duration, and specific NMFS cooperative involvement with the activities of each project are determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant, the NOAA Grants Office and the NMFS Program Office.

VI. Award Administration Information A. Award Notices PRE-AWARD COSTS. Written pre-approval is required from NOAA for pre-award costs but prior approval will be waived for awards designated by NOAA as research. Award recipients expend pre-award costs up to 90 days before the period of performance start date at the applicant’s own risk and in accordance with the applicant’s internal policies and procedures. Such costs are allowable only to the extent that they would have been allowable if incurred after the date of the Federal award. This does not include direct proposal costs (as defined at 2 CFR 200.460). In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for direct proposal preparation costs. Pre-award costs will be a portion of, not in addition to, the approved total budget of the award. Pre-award costs expended more than 90 days prior to the period of performance start date require approval from the Grants Officer. This does not change the period of performance start date.

GRANTS OFFICER SIGNATURE. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation are not considered awards until the Grants Officer has signed the grant agreement. Only Grants Officers can bind the Government to the expenditure of funds. The Grants Officer’s digital signature constitutes an obligation of funds by the federal government and formal approval of the award.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. Funding for programs listed in this notice is contingent upon the availability of funds. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds may not have been appropriated yet for the programs listed in this notice. Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, COST PRINCIPLES, AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS.

Through 2 C.F.R. § 1327.101, the Department of Commerce adopted Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, which applies to awards in this program. Refer to http://go.usa.gov/SBYh and http://go.usa.gov/SBg4.

http://go.usa.gov/SBYh http://go.usa.gov/SBg4

NOAA NOFO Page 14 of 19

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PRE-AWARD NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS. The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register notice of December 30, 2014 (79 FR 78390) are applicable to this solicitation and may be accessed online at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-12-30/pdf/2014-30297.pdf.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (DOC) TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Successful applicants who accept a NOAA award under this solicitation will be bound by the DOC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions. This document will be provided in the award package in eRA at https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financial-assistance-policy.

BUREAU TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Successful applicants who accept an award under this solicitation will be bound by bureau-specific standard terms and conditions. These terms and conditions will be provided in the award package in the eRA system. For NOAA awards only, the Administrative Standard Award Conditions for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Financial Assistance Awards U.S. Department of Commerce are applicable to this solicitation and may be accessed online at https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/financial-assistance

HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH. For research projects involving Human Subjects an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or an exemption determination will be required in accordance with DOC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions Section G.05.i “Research Involving Human Subjects” found at https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financial-assistance-policy.

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA). NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant projects or proposals which are seeking NOAA federal funding opportunities. Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following NOAA NEPA website: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6.pdf, and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation regulations, http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/NEPA- 40CFR1500_1508.pdf. Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under their description of their program activities, applicants are required to provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist (e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non- indigenous species, impacts to endangered and threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef systems). In addition to providing specific information that will serve as the basis for any required impact analyses, applicants may also be requested to assist NOAA in drafting an environmental assessment, if NOAA determines an assessment is required. Applicants will also be required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. Failure to do so shall be grounds for not selecting an application. In some cases if additional information is required after an application is selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental compliance information sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on the environment.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. Department of Commerce regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552, are found at 15 C.F.R. Part 4, Public Information. These regulations set forth rules for the Department regarding making requested materials, information, and records publicly available under the FOIA. Applications submitted in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity may be subject to requests for release under the Act. In the event that an application contains information or data that the applicant deems to be confidential commercial information that should be exempt from disclosure under FOIA, that information should be identified, bracketed, and marked as Privileged, Confidential, Commercial or Financial Information. In accordance with 15 CFR § 4.9, the Department of Commerce will protect from disclosure confidential business information contained in financial assistance applications and other documentation provided by applicants to the extent permitted by law.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-12-30/pdf/2014-30297.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financial-assistance-policy https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/financial-assistance https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financial-assistance-policy http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/ http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6.pdf http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/NEPA-40CFR1500_1508.pdf http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/NEPA-40CFR1500_1508.pdf

NOAA NOFO Page 15 of 19

DATA SHARING PLAN.1. Environmental data and information collected or created under NOAA grants or cooperative agreements must be made discoverable by and accessible to the general public, in a timely fashion (at the time of publication or within two years of the project ending), free of charge or at no more than the cost of reproduction, unless an exemption is granted by the NOAA Program. Data should be available in at least one machine-readable format, preferably a widely-used or open-standard format, and should also be accompanied by machine-readable documentation (metadata), preferably based on widely used or international standards. 2. Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages describing how these requirements will be satisfied. The Data Management Plan should be aligned with the Data Management Guidance provided by NOAA in the Announcement. The contents of the Data Management Plan (or absence thereof), and past performance regarding such plans, will be considered as part of proposal review. A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project; the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected;

and prior experience in making such data accessible. The costs of data preparation, accessibility, or archiving may be included in the proposal budget unless otherwise stated in the Guidance. Accepted submission of data to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is one way to satisfy data sharing requirements; however, NCEI is not obligated to accept all submissions and may charge a fee, particularly for large or unusual datasets. 3. NOAA may, at its own discretion, make publicly visible the Data Management Plan from funded proposals, or use information from the Data Management Plan to produce a formal metadata record and include that metadata in a Catalog to indicate the pending availability of new data. 4. Proposal submitters are hereby advised that the final pre-publication manuscripts of scholarly articles produced entirely or primarily with NOAA funding will be required to be submitted to NOAA Institutional Repository after acceptance, and no later than upon publication. Such manuscripts shall be made publicly available by NOAA upon publication by the journal.

More information can be found on NOAA’s Data Management Procedures at: NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 212-15B: Management of NOAA Data and Information, Data Management Handbook.pdf and at NAO 212-15 Management of Environmental Data and Information:

https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-212-15-management-of-environmental-data-and-information

NOAA SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION AND RESPONSE POLICY. NOAA

requires organizations receiving federal assistance to report findings of sexual harassment, or any other kind of harassment, regarding a Principal Investigator (PI), co-PI, or any other key personnel in the award.

NOAA expects all financial assistance recipients to establish and maintain clear and unambiguous standards of behavior to ensure harassment free workplaces wherever NOAA grant or cooperative agreement work is conducted, including notification pathways for all personnel, including students, on the awards. This expectation includes activities at all on- and offsite facilities and during conferences and workshops. All such settings should have accessible and evident means for reporting violations and recipients should exercise due diligence with timely investigations of allegations and corrective actions.

For more information, please visit: https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/noaa-workplace-harassment-training-for-contractors-and-financial.

https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/NAO_212-15B_-_Data_Management_Handbook.pdf https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/NAO_212-15B_-_Data_Management_Handbook.pdf https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/noaa-workplace-harassment-training-for-contractors-and-financial https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/noaa-workplace-harassment-training-for-contractors-and-financial

NOAA NOFO Page 16 of 19

SCIENCE INTEGRITY. 1. Maintaining Integrity. The non-Federal entity shall maintain the scientific integrity of research performed pursuant to this grant or financial assistance award including the prevention, detection, and remediation of any allegations regarding the violation of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct, and the conduct of inquiries, investigations, and adjudications of allegations of violations of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct. All the requirements of this provision flow down to subrecipients. 2. Peer Review.