NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2022-2006992 NOFO Report (2).pdf

Integrated Research on Coastal and Ocean Acidification and Harmful Algal Blooms

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 9 C. Program Authority 10

II. Award Information 10 A. Funding Availability 10 B. Project/Award Period 11 C. Type of Funding Instrument 11

III. Eligibility Information 13 A. Eligible Applicants 13 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 15 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 15

IV. Application and Submission Information 15 A. Address to Request Application Package 15 B. Content and Form of Application 15 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 25 D. Submission Dates and Times 25 E. Intergovernmental Review 26 F. Funding Restrictions 26 G. Other Submission Requirements 26

V. Application Review Information 27 A. Evaluation Criteria 27 B. Review and Selection Process 28 C. Selection Factors 31 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 32

VI. Award Administration Information 32 A. Award Notices 32 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 32 C. Reporting 37

VII. Agency Contacts 40 VIII. Other Information 40

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 41

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: Integrated Research on Coastal and Ocean Acidification and Harmful Algal Blooms

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2022-2006992

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.478, Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research - Coastal Ocean Program

Dates: The required letters of intent (LOI) must be submitted by e-mail to nccos.grant.awards@noaa.gov and received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 14, 2021.

Applicants will receive an email verification of receipt.

Responses to LOIs should be expected by approximately October 28, 2021.

Full applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 19, 2022. Electronic submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

Investigators are advised to submit full applications well in advance of the deadline as a precaution against unanticipated delays. Applicants must register with Grants.gov before submitting application materials. When developing your submission timeline, keep in mind the following information regarding application submission on Grants.gov:

1. Grants.gov requires applicants to complete a free annual registration process in the electronic System for Award Management (SAM), which may take between three and five business days or as long as several weeks to process as described in Section IV.G. of this Announcement.

2. If you submit a full application via Grants.gov, you will receive a series of email notifications for up to two business days before learning via validation or rejection whether NOAA has received your application.

If use of Grants.gov is not feasible, contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator (see section VII for contact information) as soon as possible and no later than a week before the due date to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 41 assess whether alternative arrangements can be made.

Funding Opportunity Description: The purpose of this document is to advise the public that NOAA/NOS/National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)/Competitive Research Program (CRP) and the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) are soliciting proposals for research that must address the interaction between coastal and ocean acidification and harmful algal blooms.

Funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2022 Federal appropriations. It is anticipated that up to approximately $1,500,000 may be available in Fiscal Year 2022 for the first year for all projects combined. If funds become available for this program, 3-5 targeted projects are expected to be funded at the level of $300,00 to $500,000 per year per proposal (including ship time). Projects are expected not to exceed 3 years in duration. NCCOS/CRP will not accept any proposals submitted with an annual budget that is greater than $500,000 for any year. It is anticipated that projects funded under this announcement will have a September 1, 2022 start date.

NOAA encourages applicants and awardees to support the principles of diversity and inclusion when writing their proposals and performing their work. Diversity is defined as a collection of individual attributes that together help organizations achieve objectives. Inclusion is defined as a culture that connects each employee to the organization. Promoting diversity and inclusion improves creativity, productivity, and the vitality of the research community in which NOAA engages.

The required LOI should be sent by e-mail to nccos.grant.awards@noaa.gov. Full proposals will not be considered if a LOI was not submitted.

Electronic Access: Proposals should be submitted through Grants.gov. Sign up to receive any potential amendments to this Announcement via www.grants.gov.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 41

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

1. Growing Concern regarding HAB and OA Co-Occurrence and Impacts

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are caused by diverse organisms, including toxic and noxious phytoplankton, some protists, cyanobacteria, benthic algae, and macroalgae. Blooms can extend over large geographic areas, be composed of more than one harmful or toxic species, and cause significant impacts on fisheries, recreation, human health and wellbeing, economies, and the ecology of both marine and freshwater bodies. HABs are now a recurrent and serious problem in many areas of the U.S., and HAB impacts on public health and local/regional economies are increasing in some regions. Costs are attributable to maintenance of toxin monitoring programs; closures of shellfish beds; collapse of some fisheries; mortality of fish, shellfish, turtles, birds, and mammals; disruptions in tourism;

threats to public and coastal resource health; publication of watershed, health, drinking water and seafood advisories; and medical treatments. Despite greater public awareness and advisories of bloom events, human illnesses and even fatalities continue to be reported.

Additionally, some toxins may cause only a few documented illnesses but result in serious public reaction and temporary aversion to local seafood products and activities. These deleterious impacts have increased public awareness and demand for intervention to reduce or eliminate bloom impacts on coastal resources, local economies, and public health.

Appropriate response requires an understanding of HAB causes and impacts. Over the course of the last decade, numerous reports have described the magnitude of the HAB problem and outlined research plans to systematically address the issue. These reports are accessible at this site: https://hab.whoi.edu/research/research-publications-reports/research-publications-reports-national/.

The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has been rapidly increasing for over 250 years, since the onset of the industrial revolution. The world's oceans act as a sink for a portion of the carbon dioxide emitted by humans, and this absorption is causing significant changes in ocean chemistry including a reduction in surface ocean pH, known as ocean acidification (OA). A growing number of laboratory experiments have demonstrated that OA adversely affects many marine organisms. However the effects of OA on HABs are largely unknown. OA has the potential to threaten the future health of the world's oceans and the ecosystem services they provide.

Both HABs and OA are threats to marine ecosystems and human communities in the

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 41 coastal zone. While research to date has provided insights into the many factors that regulate HAB dynamics, toxicity, and impacts, only a few of these have included OA. Similarly, OA studies have examined ocean biogeochemistry and impacts to marine resources and economies and have started to expand into multi-stressor research studies (e.g., with hypoxia and warming). Recent studies indicate that increased CO2 concentrations support higher phytoplankton densities and that OA parameters (e.g., pCO2 and pH) have variable effects on growth rate and cellular toxin production in different HAB species and strains. There is a growing need to understand OA-HAB interactions and their cascading impacts to coastal ecosystems, communities, and economies to inform management decisions. OA and HABs can impact the same coastal resources (e.g., aquaculture, wild fisheries, and tourism) in different ways and there may be synergistic or antagonistic effects that are not recognized by current research efforts. OA and HABs have some common drivers in coastal areas and often co-occur in space and time, which will likely become more common in the future.

NOAA uses the following definitions:

- HABs are marine and freshwater phytoplankton that have proliferated to high concentrations, resulting in nuisance conditions or harmful impacts on marine and aquatic ecosystems, coastal communities, and human health through the production of toxic compounds or other biological, chemical, and physical impacts of the algae outbreak (33 USC 4008(3)). “High concentrations” of phytoplankton are relative to baseline conditions or abundances observed during non-bloom or non-nuisance conditions, or in the absence of harmful impacts.

- OA is driven predominantly by ocean uptake of atmospheric CO2, resulting in global-scale changes in ocean chemistry with predictions of broad-scale ecosystem impacts.

Coastal acidification, which refers to a pH decline over decadal or longer time scales, resulting not only from atmospheric CO2, but also from changes in coastal biogeochemical and hydrographic processes, is recognized as the coastal manifestation of OA. Throughout this Notice of Funding Opportunity, the term "OA" represents both ocean and coastal acidification processes in marine and Great Lakes ecosystems.

2. Legislative Mandates and Justification

The NCCOS Competitive Research Program (CRP), the administrative lead for this Announcement, supports the development of actionable information and tools that improve how the nation protects, manages, and conserves ocean and coastal ecosystems. As authorized under the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA), NCCOS/CRP funds HAB research through a competitive, peer-reviewed

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 41 process to: (1) advance a holistic ecosystem understanding of HABs (physiology, dynamics, trophic impacts, and toxin transfer) critical for improved prediction; (2) enhance HAB mitigation capacity through improved observing and detection, early warning and forecasting, and approaches that reduce or eliminate toxic and non-toxic effects; (3) develop and advance HAB control strategies; and (4) support better measures of the social and economic impacts of HABs. Abstracts of projects previously funded under the National Competitive HAB Programs are available online at https://hab.whoi.edu/research/research-projects/.

The Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) was established by the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act of 2009. The OAP coordinates OA research, monitoring, and other activities to improve our understanding of how the chemistry of the ocean is changing, how variable that change is by region, and what impacts these changes are having on marine organisms, people, and the local, regional, and national economies that depend on the ocean. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the world’s oceans, share that knowledge, and conserve coastal and marine ecosystems.

The OAP plays an integral role in NOAA’s mission by monitoring changes in ocean chemistry, measuring the biological response of ecologically and economically important species, assessing the socioeconomic impacts of the ocean chemistry changes and organismal responses, promoting ocean acidification educational opportunities; engaging in national public outreach activities related to ocean acidification and its impacts; and coordinating ocean acidification activities with other agencies and international ocean science bodies.

NCCOS/CRP and OAP have complementary objectives to address multi-stressor research questions in the coastal environment. The need for multi-stressor research has been identified in strategic planning and research prioritization efforts over the past decade, which led to a focused workshop to engage scientists and stakeholders in the identification of research needs and priorities at the intersection of OA and HABs.

The Ocean Acidification and Harmful Algal Blooms: Defining a Research Agenda Workshop was convened in August 2020 to review the state of the science at the intersection of OA and HABs and identify research needs (https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/HABOA2020.aspx). The workshop determined the need for multi-stressor research to address the following questions:

- How are OA and HAB dynamics linked?

- How does OA influence the growth or toxicity of HABs?

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 41

- What are the food web impacts of OA and HABs in concert?

- Are some marine species more vulnerable or more resilient to combined OA and HAB impacts?

- What are the synergistic OA and HAB impacts to fisheries and coastal economies?

- Can future conditions be projected on relevant timescales for both OA and HABs (e.g., nowcasts/days, seasonal forecasts/months, decadal, and climate projections/50-100 years)?

- Can the combined impacts of OA and HABs be incorporated into useful information and products for managers and policymakers (e.g., Are existing HAB models improved with the addition of OA parameters)?

The following list of cross-regional research needs emerged from the workshop:

(1) Continued basic research on OA impacts on HABs across ecological levels (species, population, community, food web, and ecosystem).

(2) Evaluation of OA as a multi-stressor with multiple potentially co-varying chemical drivers (e.g., pH, pCO2, calcium carbonate saturation state), each of which may have different impacts and/or interactions; i.e., research should take a holistic approach to OA by focusing on carbonate chemistry as a system rather than one carbon species.

(3) Experimental designs that account for the co-occurrence of OA with other environmental conditions, such as eutrophication and hypoxia, which each may have separate or interactive effects on HABs; i.e., proposed research that includes field experiments should incorporate concurrent measurements of confounding environmental conditions (e.g., nutrients and dissolved oxygen).

(4) Research which is maximally relevant to important resource species, coastal economies, and social systems (e.g., combined impacts of OA and HABs on shellfish production).

(5) Improved modeling for prediction, attribution, and sensitivity testing.

(6) Efforts to leverage existing monitoring assets to add OA and HAB parameters

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 41 measured simultaneously to address a specific research question.

(7) Data management to foster integration of disparate data types and data from independent projects and sources.

(8) Data product development, with data available in near real time for integration and synthesis; augmentation of existing data products is encouraged.

(9) Continued and enhanced communication and outreach efforts, both as a delivery mechanism for research results and to identify the needs of stakeholders.

The full workshop report, including regional research priorities, is available at URL https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/30908. In addition, a suite of strategic planning and research documents listed below have emphasized the need for multi-stressor research, including evaluating the interactions between OA and HABs.

- The U.S. Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification (2014) calls for research to understand how OA will interact with other stressors, as well as the development of new and enhanced models to project how combined stressors will affect marine ecosystems and the socioeconomic and cultural impacts to communities (https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/Portals/42/Images/IWGOA%20Strategic%20Plan.pdf).

- The NOAA Ocean Coastal and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan: 2020- 2029 overarching goal is to understand and predict ecosystem response and adaptive capacity of ecologically and economically important species to acidification and co-stressors, and throughout the research plan, HABs are called out as an important co-stressor (https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/ResearchPlan2020/Download.aspx).

- The Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Comprehensive Research Plan and Action Strategy (2016) calls for comprehensive monitoring programs to determine the effects of climate change on HABs, including the potential impacts of increased OA on HAB toxicity (https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/NSTC/final_habs_ hypoxia_research_plan_and_action.pdf).

- The HABs and Hypoxia in the United States: An Interagency Progress and Implementation Report (2018) has emphasized that research on “understanding of the influence of climate change, atmospheric deposition of nutrients, and other contributing

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 41 factors on the occurrence, frequency, and severity of HABs and hypoxia” is one of the six greatest challenges moving forward (https://cdn.coastalscience.noaa.gov/page-attachments/research/FINAL_USEC%20signed%20- %20Progress%20and%20Implementation%20Report_HABHRCA.pdf).

B. Program Priorities

NCCOS/CRP and OAP are soliciting proposals to address the science needs identified in the Ocean Acidification and Harmful Algal Blooms: Defining a Research Agenda Workshop (Section I.A.2, above). Proposals must directly address research questions/needs involving both OA and HABs, but other coastal stressors (e.g., warming, hypoxia) may also be included. We encourage the use of existing datasets and augmentation of existing data products.

Projects must include at least one of the following approaches:

- Analysis of new or existing OA and HAB observational data in combination with other environmental parameters to assess potential relationships and inform meaningful experiments to improve model predictions.

- Lab and field studies that target OA effects on toxin-producing HABs that affect human health or HABs that directly affect important marine resources (e.g., fish and shellfish).

- Studies of OA and HAB interactions across different ecological levels, such as species, population, community, and food web.

Possible research products and outputs may include: (1) Vulnerability and/or risk assessments of combined OA-HAB impacts for coastal resources and communities; such assessments can also include social or economic impacts; (2) Maps of OA and HAB “hot spots” that are both static and forward-looking and overlap resource maps with monitoring assets; (3) Dashboards offering data access for OA and HAB parameters; (4) Warnings and bulletins with identification of important OA and HAB thresholds; (5) Evaluation of recovery/mitigation strategies including scenario analyses of management actions; (6) Coordinated monitoring plans and guidance for multi-stressor monitoring to facilitate collaboration between OA and HAB research communities; (7) Integration of data from multiple sources (e.g., research, monitoring, resource management agencies, citizen science) to answer a research question or inform/validate models; or (8) Communication and outreach efforts that identify stakeholder needs and effectively deliver results.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 9 of 41

Application of research results for use by managers, policy-makers, and other end users through a highly integrated and collaborative approach is a central objective of NCCOS/CRP and OAP. Proposals should clearly articulate outcome-based management goals of the project (more information can be found in Section IV.B. and at https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/fundingopportunities/outputs-and-outcomes/) and a continuous engagement process with relevant end users. Engagement activities with end users may include, but are not limited to, annual meetings, workshops, training sessions on how to apply information or tools, and inclusion on coordination calls.

The applicant will be expected to work with the NCCOS/CRP and OAP Program Managers and relevant staff to develop outreach and education materials (e.g., materials for websites, handouts, and social media; incorporating research into the classroom; and highlighting research findings/discoveries as they emerge). The NCCOS/CRP and OAP Program Managers will work closely with the Lead Principal Investigator (PI) to ensure that the appropriate management representatives (as end users of the program outputs) are engaged as advisors to the project. This may involve establishing a Management Transition Advisory Group (MTAG) to ensure effective collaboration between the project PI(s) and end users and successful transfer of research results to the intended end user(s). Proposers are encouraged to work with one or more of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Associations (https://ioos.noaa.gov/) and their stakeholders to take advantage of existing observations, data management infrastructures, and data/information portals.

C. Program Authority

33 U.S.C. §4001-4009, the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (HABHRCA), as amended; Public Law 102-567, §201(c), Coastal Ocean Program; 33 U.S.C. Chapter 50, Sec. 3701-3708, Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act (FORAM).

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Funding is contingent upon availability of Federal appropriations. If funds become available for this program, it is anticipated that up to approximately $1,500,000 may be available in Fiscal Year 2022 for the first year for all projects. Approximately 3-5 targeted projects are expected to be funded at the level of $300,000 to $500,000 per year per proposal (including ship time). Projects are expected not to exceed 3 years in duration. NCCOS/CRP will not accept any proposals submitted with an annual budget that is greater than $500,000

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 41 for any year.

B. Project/Award Period

Full proposals may cover a project/award period from 1 to 3 years.

Awards may be funded incrementally, generally on an annual basis, but once awarded, those awards will not compete for funding in subsequent years. Once approved, full applications are not required for continuation in the out years. While applicants are not required to divide Federal assistance project activities into annual increments based on appropriations law, this approach may be constructive given the possibility that funding may not be available in subsequent years.

Funding for each year's activity is contingent upon the availability of appropriations, satisfactory performance, and is at the sole discretion of the agency.

During the implementation phase of research projects funded under this Announcement, regardless of the funding mechanism used, NCCOS/CRP and OAP Program Managers will analyze financial statements and progress reports for each continuing award, and will have dialogue with the PIs and Authorized Representatives of the recipient institutions to discuss research progress and expected timelines for the remaining award period. If NOAA experiences budget fluctuations in future fiscal years, the amount of funding provided in any given fiscal year will be determined on a project-specific basis by the remaining tasks to be completed, the overall pace of the research and the length of time remaining on the award, and/or across the board reductions or increases based on the overall funds available.

Regardless of the budget for any given fiscal year, NCCOS/CRP and OAP Program Managers will consider the length of time remaining for each project, the amount of funds available, the tasks to be completed in the upcoming fiscal year, the pace of research, and any delayed progress relative to that originally proposed, before determining the funding amount in any given fiscal year.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

In an effort to maximize the use of limited resources, applications from non-Federal, non-NOAA Federal, and NOAA Federal applicants will be evaluated in the same competition, with different funding instruments applicable to the type of applicant.

The funding instrument for a research application selected for funding from a non- Federal researcher is expected to be a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement is appropriate when substantial Federal government involvement is anticipated. This means

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 41 that the recipient can expect substantial agency collaboration, participation, or intervention in project performance. Substantial involvement exists when: responsibility for the management, control, direction, or performance of the project is shared by the assisting agency and the recipient; or the assisting agency has the right to intervene (including interruption or modification) in the conduct or performance of project activities. "Substantial involvement” will be coordinated and communicated by the NCCOS/CRP and OAP Program Managers, and can include collaboration and participation by NOAA (see Section III.A.5-6), as well as NCCOS/CRP and OAP Program Manager involvement in PI meetings, setting up MTAGs, development of management transition plans, and communication of project results.

If the non-Federal applicant is at an institution that has a NOAA Cooperative Institute (CI), https://ci.noaa.gov/, it is allowed to submit applications that reference the CI by attaching a cover letter to the application stating its desire to have the application associated with the CI. This letter should specify the name of the CI, the CI cooperative agreement number, and the NOAA-approved research theme and task that applies to the proposal. The application will use the Facilities & Administrative (F&A, or indirect cost) rate associated with the main CI agreement. If the application is selected for funding, NOAA will notify the university that a separate award will be issued with its own award number. However, the award will include two Special Award Conditions (SACs): (1) the existing University/NOAA Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) would be incorporated by reference into the terms of the competitive award, and (2) any performance report(s) for the competitive project must follow the timetable of the funding program and be submitted directly to the funding program. Report(s) will be copied to the CI's administrator when due, to be attached to the main cooperative agreement progress report as an appendix. This will allow the CI to coordinate all the projects submitted through the CI, since the terms of these awards will specify that this is a CI project via the MOA.

If the non-Federal applicant is at an institution that has a NOAA approved Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), http://www.cesu.psu.edu/, and meets the criteria described below for using that status, they may include a cover letter with their application stating their desire to have the application associated with that CESU. This letter should specify the name of the CESU. Of the 17 CESUs across the nation, NOAA is a member of 10: North and West Alaska, California, Hawaii-Pacific Islands, South Florida-Caribbean, Gulf Coast, Piedmont- South Atlantic Coast, Chesapeake Watershed, North Atlantic Coast, Pacific Northwest, and Great Plains. The following criteria must be met for NOAA to use the established partnerships with CESUs:

1. The proposed project must fit within the objectives of the National CESU

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 41

Network Program, which are to provide research, technical assistance, and education to Federal land management, environmental, and research agencies and their partners in biological, physical, social, cultural, or engineering disciplines needed to address natural and cultural resource management issues at multiple scales and in an ecosystem context.

2. The proposed project must fit the intent of the CESU’s existing cooperative and joint agreement, which means (1) the research partnership will carry out or stimulate an activity (e.g., data, products, or services) for a public purpose, and (2) NOAA will be significantly involved in the work.

The funding instrument for a selected application from an eligible NOAA Federal applicant will be an intra-agency transfer of funds.

The funding instrument for a selected application from a non-NOAA Federal applicant will be through an inter-agency transfer of funds, provided legal authority exists for the Federal applicant to receive funds from another agency. Non-NOAA Federal applicants that intend to be the lead institution should contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator (refer to Section VII) to discuss how to structure budgets and prepare required documentation.

PLEASE NOTE: Before non-NOAA Federal applicants may be funded, they must demonstrate that they have applicable legal authority for an inter-agency transfer of funds.

Because the nature of the funding under this competition is assistance, the Economy Act (33 USC 1535) would not be applicable.

Support may be solely through NCCOS/CRP or partnered with other Federal offices and agencies.

The intra- and inter-agency transfers of funds are not Federal assistance (grants or cooperative agreements), and the policies described in this Announcement applicable to Federal assistance awards do not apply to Federal entities receiving intra- and inter-agency transfers of funds. In the agreements implemented in these situations, NOAA will be substantially involved in the projects in a manner similar to the cooperative agreements with non-Federal parties. Contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator for more information (refer to Section VII).

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for Federal financial assistance in this competition are U.S.

institutions of higher education, other non-profits, state, local, Indian Tribal Governments, Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 41

U.S. Territories, and for-profit organizations. Federal agencies that possess the statutory authority to receive transfers of funds are eligible to submit applications for intra- or inter-agency funds transfers through this competition. Department of Commerce (DOC)/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages women and minority individuals and groups to submit applications to its programs. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. DOC/NOAA encourages applications involving any of the above institutions to apply.

Please note that:

(1) PIs must be employees of an eligible entity listed above; and applications must be submitted through that entity. Non-Federal researchers should comply with their institutional requirements for application submission.

(2) Non-Federal researchers affiliated with NOAA-University Cooperative/Joint Institutes will be funded through cooperative agreements.

(3) Foreign researchers must apply as subawards or contracts through an eligible U.S.

entity.

(4) Federal applicants are eligible to submit applications for intra- or inter-agency funds transfers through this competition. Non-NOAA Federal applicants will be required to submit certifications or documentation showing that they have specific legal authority to accept funds for this type of research.

(5) An eligible U.S. entity may propose Federal agency researchers as funded or unfunded collaborators. If Federal agency researchers are proposed as funded collaborators, the applicant should present the collaborator's funding request in the application in the same way documentation is provided for a subrecipient for purposes of project evaluation, even though intra- or inter-agency funding transfers will generally be used if the project is selected.

(6) NCCOS researchers may apply through an eligible U.S. entity as funded or unfunded collaborators, but cannot be the Lead PI on the application. NOAA researchers from other entities can be lead PIs.

(7) Federal salaries are allowed under an interagency agreement, but cannot exceed 7

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 41 months per year.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

None.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

Applications that did not submit an LOI are not eligible and will be rejected. Each application must substantially comply with the 15 elements listed under Section IV.B(b) Content and Form of Application: Full Proposal Required Elements (1) - (15), or it will be returned to sender without further consideration. A checklist with the required and requested application elements can be found in Section VIII.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Proposal materials are available at http://www.grants.gov as part of the electronic proposal package. Please contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator (see section VII) should you have an issue accessing the materials.

B. Content and Form of Application

(a) Letter of Intent (LOI)

LOIs are required. Any full proposals submitted without a prior timely LOI submission will not be considered. The purpose of the LOI process is to provide information to potential applicants on the relevance of their proposed project and the likelihood of it being competitive in advance of preparing a full application. Full applications will be encouraged only for LOIs deemed relevant; however, the final decision to submit a full proposal is made by the investigator. The LOI should provide a concise description of the proposed work and its relevance to program priorities. The LOI should be no more than two pages (front only) in length, single spaced in 12-point font with 1-inch margins and should include in order the components listed below. If all these components are not included, the LOI will not be considered.

(1) Tentative project title.

(2) Name phone number, email address, and institution of all PIs and specification of which individual is the Lead PI.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 41

(3) Approximate cost of the project.

(4) Statement of the problem and its management relevance.

(5) Brief summary of work to be completed, methodology to be used and the plan for transitioning results to management application.

NCCOS/CRP and OAP Program Managers will review each LOI to determine whether it is responsive to the Program's goals, as advertised in this Announcement. Letters or emails to encourage or discourage a full application are scheduled to be sent out approximately two weeks after the LOI due date. Late LOIs will not be considered and any associated full applications will not be considered.

(b) Example Application

A sample application package and other guidance can be found under “Information for Applicants” located on the NCCOS website at:

https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/funding-opportunities/application-forms/.

(c) Collaborative Proposals

If more than one institution is collaborating in a project awarded funds, the lead institution will be the only institution to directly receive funds from NOAA and will be responsible for distributing funds to the partner institutions with the exception of Federal agency partners. Federal agencies will be funded with either intra- or inter-agency agreements initiated by NCCOS. Only one full proposal per project must be submitted via grants.gov. Collaborating institutions expected to receive funds must be budgeted as subawards or contracts in the submitted proposal and provide the lead institution with their documents for submission by the lead. Unfunded collaborators may also participate.

(d) Full Proposal Required Elements

Each application must substantially comply with the following 15 elements to be forwarded for merit review. The Summary Title Page, Abstract, Project Description, References, Biographical Sketch, and Budget Narrative must be single spaced in 12-point font with one-inch margins. The Collaborators List must be an Excel spreadsheet. The 15 elements are as follows:

(1) Standard Form 424. The applicant must submit the Standard Form, SF-424, Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 41

“Application for Federal Assistance,” to indicate the total amount of funding proposed for the whole project period. This form is to be the cover page for the original application and is the first required form in the grants.gov application package.

(2) Summary Title Page. One-page maximum. The Summary Title Page identifies the project's title (starting with the acronym HAB-OA 2022) and the PI’s name, affiliation, complete address, phone, and email information. The requested funding amounts for each fiscal year should be included on the Summary Title Page. If this proposal is a resubmission from a previous NCCOS or OAP competition, indicate that information on the Summary Title Page.

(3) One-page Abstract/Project Summary. The summary (abstract) should appear on a separate single page, headed with the proposal title, institution(s), investigator(s), total proposed cost, and budget period. It should be written in the third person. The project summary should include an introduction of the problem, rationale, scientific objectives and hypotheses to be tested, and a brief summary of work to be completed. The summary is used to help compare proposals quickly and allows the respondents to summarize their key points in their own words. Project summaries of applications that receive funding may be posted on program-related websites.

(4) Project Description. The description of the proposed project must include four narrative sections: the Proposed Research, its Application to Management, a Data Management Plan, and a Statement of Diversity and Inclusion. The proposal shall not exceed more than 15 pages for the description of the Proposed Research and Application to Management; two pages for the Data Management Plan; and one page for the Statement of Diversity and Inclusion. These four sections must include the information as described below.

a. Proposed Research

The Proposed Research narrative section should be thorough and explicitly indicate its relevance to the program goals and scientific priorities by:

i. Identifying the topic that is being addressed by the proposal;

ii. Describing the proposed scientific objectives and research activities in relation to the present state of knowledge in the field and in relation to previous and current work by the proposing PI(s);

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iii. Discussing how the proposed project lends value to the program goals; and

iv. Identifying the function of each PI. The Lead PI will be responsible for communicating with the NCCOS/CRP and OAP Program Managers on all pertinent verbal or written information.

[Note: If the proposal is a resubmission from a previous competition, any concerns identified with the Project Description in the previous review process and provided to the applicant(s) should be addressed in the resubmitted proposal.]

b. Application to Management

The Application to Management Narrative should establish the connection to relevant resource management needs by explicitly identifying the end user group(s) including evidence of the linkage between the scientific questions and management needs. The format and role of MTAG (see Section I.B.), if applicable, should be included in this section. The narrative should provide the management justification for the research by:

i) Articulating the coordination with one or more end users, if applicable.

ii) Discussing the expected significance of the project to management priorities and needs. Specific management targets, with proposed outputs and outcomes, should describe how this project will improve management capabilities. Outputs are defined as products (e.g., publications and models) or activities that lead to outcomes (changes in management knowledge or action). Definitions and examples of outputs and outcomes can be accessed at https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/funding-opportunities/outputs-and-outcomes/. The timeline for achieving outputs should be included in the Milestone Chart (below).

iii) Describing specific activities, such as workshops or development of outreach materials, that will enhance information transfer from project scientists to relevant management entities, other end-users, or the public.

iv) Describing the structure, size, and activities of the MTAG, if applicable, particularly by including a plan for how the MTAG will engage with project PIs. Members of the MTAG should be named, when possible. Letters may be included, but are not required, to indicate that they have agreed to serve on the MTAG; these letters do not count against the page limits.

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c. Data Management Plan

Proposals must provide a detailed Data Management Plan that describes how metadata and data collected as part of the project will be disseminated to the broader community, and plans for longer term archiving of these data. PIs that propose to collaborate with data centers or networks, except the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI), are advised to obtain letters of commitment that affirm the collaboration. Where possible, all PIs are strongly encouraged to use existing data centers and data portals to archive and disseminate their data. All ocean acidification data must be archived and accessible through NCEI (http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/oads/index.html). Costs associated with use of data centers, or data archiving, should be included in the application budget. See the section on the NOAA Data Reporting requirements in Section VI.C.

d. Statement of Diversity and Inclusion

NOAA recognizes that it has a particular and unique opportunity to support NOAA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion by taking an intentional step that encourages program applicants to consider diversity and inclusion as part of their scientific projects. This action has the potential to make an impact on not only the diversity and inclusion in science at NOAA, but also beyond the agency. In this section, describe how the proposed activity broadens the participation of underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

(5) References cited. Reference information is required. Each reference should include the names of all authors in the same sequence they appear in the publications, the article title, the journal or book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publications. While there is no established page limitation, this section should include bibliographic citations only and should not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the Project Description.

(6) Milestone chart. Provide timelines of major tasks covering the duration of the proposed project.

(7) Biographical sketch. All PIs and co-PIs must provide summaries of up to two pages that include the following:

a. A listing of professional and academic credentials and mailing address; and

b. A list of up to five publications most closely related to the proposed project and

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(8) Current and Pending Support. Describe all current and pending Federal financial/funding support for all PIs and co-PIs. Continuing grants must also be included. A current and pending support form is available on the NCCOS website for your use:

https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/application-forms. You should respond to this element if you do not have any current and/or pending support by indicating “not applicable.”

(9) A list of all known applicable permits that will be required to perform the proposed work. You should respond to this requirement element whether or not permits are required.

(10) Accomplishments from Prior Federal Support. If any PI or co-PI identified on the project has received Federal funding in the past five years for research on harmful algal blooms and/or ocean acidification, information on the award(s) is required. Each PI and co- PI who has received more than one award (excluding amendments) must report on the ONE award most closely related to the proposal. This section should not exceed two pages (in total, NOT per investigator) in addition to the Project Description.

The following information on accomplishments should be provided:

a. the award number, amount, and period of support;

b. the title of the project;

c. a summary of the results of the completed work;

d. publications resulting from the award;

e. a brief description of outputs and outcomes; and

f. as appropriate, a description of the relation of the completed work to the proposed work.

When applicable, this information will be considered by reviewers in the evaluation of overall qualifications of applicants. You should respond to this element even if the applicant has no accomplishments from prior Federal support on research on harmful algal blooms, and/or ocean acidification by stating “no prior Federal research on research on harmful algal blooms, and/or ocean acidification.”

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(11) Budget Narrative. In order to allow reviewers to fully evaluate the appropriateness of costs, all applications must include a detailed budget narrative to support all proposed budget categories for each fiscal year. For additional budget guidance, see https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/budget-narrative-guidance-for- NOAA-grants.pdf.

Personnel costs should be broken out by named PI, number of months, and percentage of time requested per year per PI. Support for each PI should be commensurate with their stated involvement each year in the milestone chart (see Required Elements: (6) Milestone Chart). Any unnamed personnel (graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, technicians) should be identified by their job title and their personnel costs explained similar to PI personnel costs. The contribution of any personnel to the project goals should be explained.

Travel costs should be broken out by number of people traveling, destination and purpose of travel, and projected costs per person (i.e., hotel rate, meals and incidentals, and transportation). Registration fees belong in the “h. Other” category in the SF424A and budget justification.

Equipment costs should describe the equipment to be purchased, and its contribution to the achievement of the project goals.

Any ship time needs must be clearly identified in the proposed budget. The applicant is responsible for requesting ship time through appropriate channels and for meeting all requirements to ensure the availability of requested ship time. If any NOAA personnel will be present during ship operations, vessel safety clearances must be obtained through the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) in advance of the cruise.

Required information and procedures are detailed in a Charter Vessel Acquisition and Safety NOAA Administrative Order which can be accessed via the OMAO website at http://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/headquarters/safety-environmental-compliance/vessel-chartering-info.

If more than one institution is collaborating in a project awarded funds, the lead institution will be the only institution to directly receive funds from NOAA unless a Federal agency is a funded collaborator. Federal agencies may be funded directly by NOAA. The lead institution is responsible for sending funds to the other subaward institutions. A separate budget narrative is required for each subaward (including Federal collaborators) and must be provided to the lead institution for submission. Signed approval from each identified subaward institution is required. For acquisition contracts, the purpose and cost or price must be fully justified and the contract must fully comply with 2 C.F.R. 200.317-.327.

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Applications are permitted to include the costs of project-level data management, including: coordinating, organizing, documenting, formatting, or otherwise preparing datasets for submission to NOAA or non-NOAA data facilities; establishing and maintaining data access tools and services and related metadata; managing non-digital data that are not required to be made publicly accessible, including laboratory notebooks, preliminary analyses, drafts of scientific papers, plans for future research, peer review reports, communications with colleagues, or physical objects, such as laboratory specimens.

An applicant requesting funds for indirect costs in its proposal budget that has a current Federally approved rate should submit documentation of the indirect cost rate agreement as an attachment to its application submission. An applicant without a Federally approved rate should refer to Section IV.F. of this Announcement regarding options.

(12) CD-511. Certification Regarding Lobbying. Lead institutions can submit these forms through the grants.gov CD-511 document placeholder without a hard signature because electronic signatures are allowed on documents from the submitting institution.

(13) Standard Form (SF) 424B. Assurances - Non-Construction Programs. Lead institutions can submit these forms through the grants.gov SF-424B document placeholder without a hard signature because electronic signatures are allowed on documents from the submitting institutions.

(14) Standard Form 424A. All applicants are required to provide a SF-424A Budget Form that identifies the budget for each fiscal year of the proposal.