FY 2026 Ocean Technology Transition Program
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- NOAA-NOS-IOOS-2026-32698
- Agency
-
Department of Commerce
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $400,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Categories
-
- Environment
- Natural Resources
- Science and Technology and other Research and Development
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) seeks applications to fund ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing technology transitions from research to operational status, with full proposals due July 15, 2026 (application deadline extended from the original July 29, 2026 date). Awards are issued as cooperative agreements with up to $7.5 million anticipated over FY 2026–2029, supporting an estimated three to five projects at up to $400,000 per year for up to three years.
Eligible applicants include industry, institutions of higher education, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments. Federal agencies and foreign governments cannot be primary recipients but may partner. All proposals require a minimum of two principal investigators: a Scientific Principal Investigator overseeing technology development and validation, and a Transition Manager responsible for stakeholder engagement and operational adoption planning. Applicants must include partners from at least one IOOS Regional Association and demonstrate committed operational end-users for long-term technology deployment.
Funding targets technologies including ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes sensors; information technology (data management and visualization); platform enhancements; and technology modernization. Priority areas include low-cost accessible ocean sensors, cloud-based platforms with AI for analysis and quality assurance, autonomous vehicles and platforms, harmful algal bloom sensors, environmental DNA samplers, ocean acidification measurement sensors, high-frequency radar improvements, and novel data management systems. Projects must focus on technologies at mid-to-latter research phases advancing toward operational readiness.
A Transition Plan is required as a Year One deliverable. Evaluation criteria weight importance and relevance to program goals (35 points), technical and scientific merit (35 points), qualifications of applicants (10 points), project costs (10 points), and outreach and education (10 points). Letters of Intent are highly recommended (due April 27, 2026) but non-required. The anticipated project start date is January 1, 2027. Assistance Listing 11.012.
Synopsis
Request for Applications Description: The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) is a national and regional partnership working to provide ocean, coastal and Great Lakes observations, data, tools, and forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect our environment. To increase observational and technical capabilities we need smart investments to innovate sensors, data management, decision support products, and other technical capabilities that will improve our ability to monitor and forecast environmental conditions with greater efficiency. The primary objective of IOOS' Ocean Technology Transition Project (OTT) is to reduce the Research to Operations/Commercialization transition period for ocean observing, product development, and data management technologies for the ocean, coastal and Great Lakes. The term 'Technologies' includes: ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes sensors, information technology (data management, data visualization), platform enhancement, and technology modernization efforts.
This objective is accomplished by investing in the transition of emerging and promising marine and Great Lakes observing technological capabilities from the mid to latter phases of research into operational status. Earlier technical development is supported by programs such as the NOAA Ocean Enterprise Accelerators [https://ioos.noaa.gov/ioos-in-action/accelerators/].
The U.S. IOOS Office is seeking to fund projects, subject to the availability of funds, which advance new or existing technology-based solutions that address long standing and emerging coastal observing, product development, and data management challenges. The projects will be focused on those technologies for which there are demonstrated operators or customers who commit to integrated, long term use of those technologies and open data sharing. A Transition Manager for the project should be identified and a Transition Plan will be a Year One deliverable.
Funding will be targeted to technologies that are sufficiently mature for long term operations. This announcement specifically funds activities needed to progress these technologies through the transitional stages between research and full operations such as system integration, testing, validation, and verification. Funding will not be awarded to continue projects previously funded through the Ocean Technology Transition Program.
In FY 2026-2029, it is estimated that up to $7.5 million will be available from the U.S. IOOS Office for this competition. Multiple awards are anticipated, subject to availability of funds, in amounts up to $400,000 per year for up to three years. Proposals not funded in the current fiscal period (Fiscal Year 2026) may be considered for funding in the next fiscal period (Fiscal Year 2027) without NOAA repeating the competitive process outlined in this announcement.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Foa_Content_of_NOAA-NOS-IOOS-2026-32698 (2) a.pdf | ||
| Foa_Content_of_NOAA-NOS-IOOS-2026-32698 (3).pdf |
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