WEBVTT 00:00:06.370 --> 00:00:07.370 Welcome, everyone. 00:00:07.370 --> 00:00:13.360 Thank you for joining. 00:00:13.360 --> 00:00:35.719 We'll get started shortly. 00:00:35.719 --> 00:00:52.489 OK, welcome, everyone. 00:00:52.489 --> 00:01:03.020 We're about a minute after the hour, so I'm going to go ahead and get started. 00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:04.471 Thank you all for joining the webinar today. 00:01:04.471 --> 00:01:11.620 Today we'll be talking about our fiscal year 2024 NOAA Ocean Exploration Funding Opportunity. 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:16.360 This webinar for today will be recorded and added to our funding website after the webinar. 00:01:16.360 --> 00:01:21.470 The audience will remain muted throughout the webinar, but we do ask you to ask questions 00:01:21.470 --> 00:01:25.540 in the questions tab and we will answer them live during the question and answer session 00:01:25.540 --> 00:01:27.890 at the end of the session. 00:01:27.890 --> 00:01:36.180 For more information about our funding opportunity this year, please visit our website at oceanexplorer.NOAA.gov. 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:40.340 We have details about this website in our chat on the GoToWebinar panel. 00:01:40.340 --> 00:01:45.670 We also have a link to the Ocean Exploration Fiscal Year 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity 00:01:45.670 --> 00:01:49.170 pdf, within the handouts for this webinar. 00:01:49.170 --> 00:01:50.320 We welcome you to download it. 00:01:50.320 --> 00:01:52.960 And you can also find it on our website, as well as on grants.gov. 00:01:52.960 --> 00:02:01.890 My name is Adrienne Copeland and I'm the Program Manager for this Funding Opportunity. 00:02:01.890 --> 00:02:05.700 And I have two people behind the scenes today, helping to make this webinar possible. 00:02:05.700 --> 00:02:11.780 We have James Kot, who's the budget analyst for our grant program with NOAA Ocean Exploration. 00:02:11.780 --> 00:02:15.170 And at the end of this webinar, during the question and answer period, he will be reading 00:02:15.170 --> 00:02:17.390 your questions aloud for me to answer. 00:02:17.390 --> 00:02:21.680 We also have Anna Lienesch, she is the data management lead for our grant program, and 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:26.170 she'll be working to answer your questions as text within the question tab of the GoToWebinar 00:02:26.170 --> 00:02:27.170 panel. 00:02:27.170 --> 00:02:31.370 So, we welcome you throughout the entire presentation to add those questions to the question tab, 00:02:31.370 --> 00:02:37.180 and we'll answer them at the end. 00:02:37.180 --> 00:02:41.160 During the webinar today, we'll be giving you an introduction to NOAA Ocean Exploration. 00:02:41.160 --> 00:02:46.280 We will also discuss the FY24 Ocean Exploration Funding Opportunity. 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:51.760 We will also discuss the proposal requirements for this year's opportunity, as well as some 00:02:51.760 --> 00:02:54.500 proposal tips. 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:57.910 Along the bottom of each slide you'll see a running tab that will orient you with this 00:02:57.910 --> 00:02:58.910 agenda. 00:02:58.910 --> 00:03:04.950 So to start, we'll talk a little bit about NOAA Ocean Exploration. 00:03:04.950 --> 00:03:09.700 So NOAA Ocean Exploration is dedicated to exploring the unknown ocean, unlocking its 00:03:09.700 --> 00:03:17.050 potential through scientific discovery, technology advancements, partnership, and data delivery. 00:03:17.050 --> 00:03:23.450 We are leading national efforts to fill gaps in our basic understanding of the marine environment, 00:03:23.450 --> 00:03:27.340 providing critical ocean data, information, and awareness needed to strengthen the economy, 00:03:27.340 --> 00:03:32.770 health, and security of the United States and the world. 00:03:32.770 --> 00:03:37.629 NOAA Ocean Exploration priorities are to explore the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. 00:03:37.629 --> 00:03:45.310 We focus on unexplored or under explored areas within the U.S. EEZ and we have a particular 00:03:45.310 --> 00:03:48.750 focus on areas that are greater than 200 meters water depth. 00:03:48.750 --> 00:03:53.620 However, we do explore in shallower areas, especially when it comes to our maritime heritage 00:03:53.620 --> 00:03:55.120 priorities. 00:03:55.120 --> 00:04:01.200 Our main goal of our office is to make the data publicly accessible as soon as possible, 00:04:01.200 --> 00:04:04.810 and all our priorities are informed by the National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring and 00:04:04.810 --> 00:04:07.970 Characterizing the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. 00:04:07.970 --> 00:04:15.489 This strategy, or NOMEC, defines ocean exploration activities as activities that provide a multi-disciplinary 00:04:15.489 --> 00:04:20.530 view of an unknown or poorly understood area of the seafloor, sub-bottom, or water column 00:04:20.530 --> 00:04:24.970 and an initial assessment of the physical, chemical, or biological, archeological or 00:04:24.970 --> 00:04:27.440 other characteristics of such an area. 00:04:27.440 --> 00:04:32.500 You can see a schematic on the right that defines site exploration, including the water 00:04:32.500 --> 00:04:37.220 column, seafloor, and sub-seafloor looking at the biology and the environment of that 00:04:37.220 --> 00:04:41.750 place. 00:04:41.750 --> 00:04:46.389 NOAA Ocean Exploration uses a variety of mechanisms to explore. 00:04:46.389 --> 00:04:51.009 We have the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, imaged here at the top left, as well as the remotely 00:04:51.009 --> 00:04:55.350 operated vehicle, Deep Discoverer, which you can see on the top right. 00:04:55.350 --> 00:05:00.070 Our remotely operated vehicle can sample up to 6000 meters below the surface, and collect 00:05:00.070 --> 00:05:04.790 high definition video, as well as limited sampling, but we also have other mechanisms 00:05:04.790 --> 00:05:10.139 that we use to explore, including broad agency announcements, cooperative agreements, contracts, 00:05:10.139 --> 00:05:14.630 cross agency partnerships, as well as the annual funding opportunity, which I'm discussing 00:05:14.630 --> 00:05:19.130 today. 00:05:19.130 --> 00:05:23.160 As mentioned before, NOAA Ocean Exploration priorities are to explore unexplored or under 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:26.940 explored areas within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. 00:05:26.940 --> 00:05:33.040 This is a map of those U.S. EEZ boundaries, and they're highlighted here in yellow. 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:37.449 Within these yellow lines, you can see the unmapped areas highlighted in pink and red. 00:05:37.449 --> 00:05:42.140 The light pink areas are areas that are 200 meters in greater that are currently unmapped 00:05:42.140 --> 00:05:44.180 as of September 2022. 00:05:44.180 --> 00:05:48.340 This map is included within our frequently asked questions document that you can find 00:05:48.340 --> 00:05:49.940 on our website. 00:05:49.940 --> 00:05:53.620 Within that document, we also provide a GIS layer of this map, so you can download it 00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:57.800 and see where these areas are located. 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:03.690 For this year's funding opportunity, it is open to applicants from U.S. based institutions 00:06:03.690 --> 00:06:11.360 of higher education; non-profit organizations; U.S. state, tribal, territory, and local governments; 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:15.680 for-profit organizations; and federal agencies that possess the statutory authority to accept 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:17.800 funding for this type of work. 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:22.120 For this year, federal principal investigators are required to consult with the National 00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:28.120 Oceanographic Partnership Program to make sure that they're project aligns with those 00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:31.870 requirements. 00:06:31.870 --> 00:06:35.490 Applicants from institutions that are part of the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute 00:06:35.490 --> 00:06:41.220 are only eligible to collaborate with an eligible U.S.-based applicant on a proposal as a subaward. 00:06:41.220 --> 00:06:48.380 They cannot submit as a principal or co-lead principal investigator. 00:06:48.380 --> 00:06:54.090 For this year, the Ocean Exploration and Discovery and Technology themes are limited to waters 00:06:54.090 --> 00:06:55.380 under U.S. jurisdiction. 00:06:55.380 --> 00:06:59.720 This is not the case for the Maritime Archaeology proposals. 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:08.389 This year, we anticipate approximately three million available to fund about 4 to 10 awards. 00:07:08.389 --> 00:07:12.000 These projects can be 1 to 2 year awards. 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:15.620 And we do have a requirement when it comes to the funding requests. 00:07:15.620 --> 00:07:24.480 For the Technology and Maritime Heritage Themes, the funding must be between $75,000 to $750,000. 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:31.639 But the Ocean Exploration and Discovery theme, the funding request can range from $75,000, 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:34.410 up to one million dollars. 00:07:34.410 --> 00:07:38.340 So this year, we have three different themes that you can apply to. 00:07:38.340 --> 00:07:44.009 And each of these themes have different requirements, which I'll talk about throughout this presentation. 00:07:44.009 --> 00:07:48.560 The first theme is the Ocean Exploration and Discovery theme. 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:53.750 The second theme is Technology, and the third theme is Maritime Heritage. 00:07:53.750 --> 00:08:00.409 For the Ocean Exploration and Discovery theme, we're looking for proposals that are for exploration 00:08:00.409 --> 00:08:06.650 of unknown or poorly known ocean areas, processes, and resources in waters deeper than 200 meters. 00:08:06.650 --> 00:08:12.871 However, we will accept and review proposals for projects in shallower waters if they are 00:08:12.871 --> 00:08:19.410 focused on the exploration of tropical mesophotic environments. 00:08:19.410 --> 00:08:23.960 These proposals should reference priorities identified by the National Strategy for Mapping, 00:08:23.960 --> 00:08:28.449 Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone. 00:08:28.449 --> 00:08:33.060 And this year, we're particularly interested in proposals that are on the exploration of 00:08:33.060 --> 00:08:39.140 physical, chemical, and biological environments and processes within the water column in these 00:08:39.140 --> 00:08:41.069 deep waters. 00:08:41.069 --> 00:08:46.500 For the second theme option, Technology, we're looking for proposals of new or novel use 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:50.830 of existing ocean technology or innovative methods that could increase the scope and 00:08:50.830 --> 00:08:58.209 efficiency of acquiring ocean exploration data and expanding availability and use. 00:08:58.209 --> 00:09:02.530 These proposals must be applicable to water depths greater than 200 meters, and we do 00:09:02.530 --> 00:09:05.790 have a preference for full ocean depth proposals. 00:09:05.790 --> 00:09:12.190 However, for these proposals, shallow water, or lab based testing, will be acceptable. 00:09:12.190 --> 00:09:17.480 These proposals must address at least one of the defined ocean exploration variables 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:21.781 as referenced in the “Exploration Variables Identified by NOAA Ocean Exploration” technical 00:09:21.781 --> 00:09:23.220 memorandum. 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:28.020 And they must also describe how the work will address the thematic and geographic priorities 00:09:28.020 --> 00:09:32.710 for ocean exploration in the Strategic Priorities for Ocean Exploration and Characterization 00:09:32.710 --> 00:09:36.870 of the United States EEZ document provided. 00:09:36.870 --> 00:09:42.350 For the Technology theme this year, we're particularly interested in proposals that 00:09:42.350 --> 00:09:46.310 are platform agnostic, so they can work across multiple platforms. 00:09:46.310 --> 00:09:50.500 And are proposals that address novel methods, for example machine learning and artificial 00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:52.420 intelligence, to analyze existing, publicly accessible, large datasets. 00:09:52.420 --> 00:10:03.769 For the third theme, Maritime Heritage, we're looking for proposals that are on the exploration 00:10:03.769 --> 00:10:09.040 and discovery of significant maritime heritage resources that improve archaeological knowledge 00:10:09.040 --> 00:10:15.060 and inform decisions concerning preservation, management, and potential seafloor use. 00:10:15.060 --> 00:10:19.680 For this year, the proposals can be conducted in any water depth, and they are not limited 00:10:19.680 --> 00:10:21.650 to waters under U.S. jurisdiction. 00:10:21.650 --> 00:10:26.700 I will highlight, again, though that the Ocean Exploration and Discovery and the Technology 00:10:26.700 --> 00:10:33.320 proposals are limited to waters under U.S. jurisdiction. 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:41.560 For this theme, data products must benefit other academic and research management disciplines. 00:10:41.560 --> 00:10:45.519 And this year, we're particularly interested in projects that use innovative and advanced 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:51.079 technology and methodology. 00:10:51.079 --> 00:10:54.290 Here is the FY24 funding opportunity timeline. 00:10:54.290 --> 00:11:00.410 We published our Notice of Funding Opportunity on April 10th and the deadline for the pre-proposals, 00:11:00.410 --> 00:11:10.660 which is a requirement to submit a full proposal, is May 30th, 2023 at 4:59 PM Eastern Time. 00:11:10.660 --> 00:11:18.480 The deadline for the full proposal submission is October 5th, 2023 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:25.399 We plan to notify applicants of their award selections by April of 2024, with an anticipated 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:26.850 start date of September 2024. 00:11:26.850 --> 00:11:37.089 I'm going to go over now the requirements for applying to this year's funding opportunity. 00:11:37.089 --> 00:11:42.450 All the resources and instructions can, again, be found on our website here. 00:11:42.450 --> 00:11:46.510 On our website, you'll find a link to this year's Notice of Funding Opportunity, which 00:11:46.510 --> 00:11:50.120 will take you to the grants.gov website. 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:53.600 Within that Notice of Funding Opportunity, there are all the details I'm going to be 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:57.380 mentioning today, as well as a checklist to ensure that you've submitted all the required 00:11:57.380 --> 00:12:03.540 materials as part of both the pre-proposal and full proposal submission. 00:12:03.540 --> 00:12:07.700 On our website, you'll also find the required cover sheet, which is a requirement of both 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:12.720 the pre-proposal and full proposal stage, as well as instructions on how to complete 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:14.330 that cover sheet. 00:12:14.330 --> 00:12:19.660 You'll also find guidance on how to put together the budget tables and the data management 00:12:19.660 --> 00:12:25.399 plans, which are both, again, requirements of the full proposal stage. 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:29.760 On our website, there'll be a link to the most recent NEPA Questionnaire, which is required 00:12:29.760 --> 00:12:34.310 to be completed at the full proposal stage, and you'll also find the frequently asked 00:12:34.310 --> 00:12:35.590 questions. 00:12:35.590 --> 00:12:40.019 The frequently asked questions document will be updated throughout this funding cycle. 00:12:40.019 --> 00:12:43.440 So I encourage you to check back there if you have any questions. 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:47.490 If you don't find your question answered there, you can also reach out to us via email, and 00:12:47.490 --> 00:12:49.790 we're happy to answer those questions. 00:12:49.790 --> 00:12:53.930 Will also be updating that frequently asked questions document based on the questions 00:12:53.930 --> 00:12:58.899 we received today, and we'll be revising that after this webinar. 00:12:58.899 --> 00:13:04.839 So, the requirements for the pre-proposal stage, so again, you are required to submit 00:13:04.839 --> 00:13:08.910 a pre-proposal in order to be considered for a full proposal. 00:13:08.910 --> 00:13:15.029 The first requirement for the pre-proposal stage is a complete submission of the NOAA 00:13:15.029 --> 00:13:18.220 Ocean Exploration Notice of Funding Opportunity Cover Sheet. 00:13:18.220 --> 00:13:22.190 This document is a two page document that can be found on our website. 00:13:22.190 --> 00:13:27.630 The other requirement is the pre-proposal, which is a maximum of two pages. 00:13:27.630 --> 00:13:31.540 Anything beyond those two page limits will not be reviewed. 00:13:31.540 --> 00:13:34.770 Details about what you should include for the pre-proposal can be found in the Notice 00:13:34.770 --> 00:13:36.209 of Funding Opportunity. 00:13:36.209 --> 00:13:41.709 This year, we also request that you submit demographic information. 00:13:41.709 --> 00:13:46.019 This is a one page document with one question that, again, is included within our Notice 00:13:46.019 --> 00:13:48.360 of Funding Opportunity. 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:57.040 These three materials are due May 30th, 2023, at 4:59 PM Eastern Time via email, to our 00:13:57.040 --> 00:14:04.899 email address listed here, which is oer.nofo2024@noaa.gov. 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:10.519 Make sure to allow enough time for this submission, because any pre-proposals received after this 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:15.029 deadline will not be considered for review. 00:14:15.029 --> 00:14:20.040 When you send those emails, make sure to include your last name of the principal investigator, 00:14:20.040 --> 00:14:25.449 along with ocean exploration pre-proposal. 00:14:25.449 --> 00:14:27.580 Now the requirements for the full proposal. 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:32.920 You’ll, again, need to submit that NOAA Ocean Exploration Notice of Funding Opportunity 00:14:32.920 --> 00:14:37.329 Cover Sheet, and make sure to update that from whatever changes might have occurred 00:14:37.329 --> 00:14:40.630 between pre-proposal and full proposal stage. 00:14:40.630 --> 00:14:47.320 They also have to submit an executive summary, a maximum of one page, a project narrative, 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:49.040 maximum of 15 pages. 00:14:49.040 --> 00:14:52.720 And, again, I'll encourage you to read the Notice of Funding Opportunity, because it 00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:57.829 talks about what you should include within that project narrative. 00:14:57.829 --> 00:15:03.460 As well as a data and information sharing plan, maximum of two pages, an outreach and 00:15:03.460 --> 00:15:06.600 education plan maximum of one page. 00:15:06.600 --> 00:15:12.500 A statement of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility or DEIA, maximum, again, 00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:14.699 of one page. 00:15:14.699 --> 00:15:21.480 A previous significance results document, summary of current funding support for each 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:24.670 principal investigator and co-principal investigator. 00:15:24.670 --> 00:15:31.730 A CV or resume for each principal investigator and each co-principal investigator, maximum 00:15:31.730 --> 00:15:35.420 of two pages per document for each person. 00:15:35.420 --> 00:15:39.949 Budget justification and budget tables. 00:15:39.949 --> 00:15:45.709 If applicable, the negotiated indirect cost rate memo. 00:15:45.709 --> 00:15:50.190 And the NEPA questionnaire with questions 1 through 19 and 51 to 57 answered. 00:15:50.190 --> 00:15:54.579 And again, that NEPA questionnaire, as well as guidance on the budget justification and 00:15:54.579 --> 00:15:59.839 budget tables, can all be found within our website. 00:15:59.839 --> 00:16:02.509 Also it's optional to provide letters of support. 00:16:02.509 --> 00:16:07.209 We've seen things like this be letters of support for the outreach and education activities. 00:16:07.209 --> 00:16:09.970 It can also be letters of support for the ship time requests. 00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:13.829 But again, those are optional. 00:16:13.829 --> 00:16:19.009 And if you are submitting a proposal for the Maritime Heritage theme, it is required for 00:16:19.009 --> 00:16:23.759 you to submit a letter from the state historic preservation office staff describing the project's 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:25.960 potential to affect historic resources. 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:33.560 So this must be present, must be submitted, along with the full proposal. 00:16:33.560 --> 00:16:37.880 It's also optional to submit suggested reviewers, and we do take those into consideration when 00:16:37.880 --> 00:16:40.760 we do the peer review process. 00:16:40.760 --> 00:16:45.509 And then for the federal principal investigators, they do also need to include a maximum of 00:16:45.509 --> 00:16:51.090 one page detailing their NOPP coordination efforts, and how this project conforms to 00:16:51.090 --> 00:16:54.690 the NOPP requirements. 00:16:54.690 --> 00:17:00.720 For non-federal principal investigators, they must also submit these following federal forms. 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:04.470 I encourage you to make sure that all of these are submitted, and if they aren't submitted, 00:17:04.470 --> 00:17:09.339 then this project will not go for review. 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:16.500 All these materials with their page limits are due October 5th, 2023, at 11:59 PM Eastern 00:17:16.500 --> 00:17:17.689 Time. 00:17:17.689 --> 00:17:22.140 And they must be submitted as individual documents through grants.gov. 00:17:22.140 --> 00:17:26.839 For federal PIs, they can be submitted, they have to be submitted, via email to our email 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:31.040 address, again, listed here at oer.nofo2024@noaa.gov. 00:17:31.040 --> 00:17:38.410 I also want to highlight here, it's not listed, but make sure when you submit your project 00:17:38.410 --> 00:17:43.120 narrative, you also include your references or citations, and your references and citations 00:17:43.120 --> 00:17:50.830 do not count to the 15 page limit of the project narrative. 00:17:50.830 --> 00:17:54.630 So the format requirements for the full proposal. 00:17:54.630 --> 00:17:59.890 All full proposals must be formatted to print on 8.5 by 11 paper with one inch margins and 00:17:59.890 --> 00:18:01.480 12 point font. 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:04.670 PDF is the preferred format. 00:18:04.670 --> 00:18:09.840 The principal investigator's last name should be typed in the bottom right-hand corner of 00:18:09.840 --> 00:18:11.530 each page. 00:18:11.530 --> 00:18:15.320 And all digital files should be named with the applicant's last name and a descriptor 00:18:15.320 --> 00:18:18.159 indicating the file content. 00:18:18.159 --> 00:18:25.659 For each proposal, the title must be no longer than 15 words or 100 characters. 00:18:25.659 --> 00:18:28.850 So now I'm going to talk through the review process. 00:18:28.850 --> 00:18:35.409 So, again, the pre-proposal is a requirement in order to submit a full proposal and the 00:18:35.409 --> 00:18:40.770 pre-proposal we'll go through a NOAA Ocean Exploration Internal Evaluation Panel. 00:18:40.770 --> 00:18:45.950 Every pre-proposal will be reviewed by at least three experts, and these are the following 00:18:45.950 --> 00:18:47.730 things that will be reviewed. 00:18:47.730 --> 00:18:52.789 The first one is the relevance to NOAA and NOAA Ocean Exploration mission and goals. 00:18:52.789 --> 00:18:59.500 The second review criterion is the scientific and technical merit of the project. 00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:04.130 The third one is the qualifications and competencies of the applicants, and this includes past 00:19:04.130 --> 00:19:07.130 performance on NOAA Ocean Exploration awards. 00:19:07.130 --> 00:19:13.960 Past performance can include things like timely publications, submission of data, etc. 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:18.970 And the final review criterion is the cost for specific items, as well as the overall 00:19:18.970 --> 00:19:24.299 project costs, including value of cost sharing and/or in-kind contributions, including the 00:19:24.299 --> 00:19:28.600 strength of the NOPP partnership for federal applicants. 00:19:28.600 --> 00:19:31.659 So these are the items that the internal panel will be reviewing. 00:19:31.659 --> 00:19:37.700 So I encourage you, when you write your proposal, pre-proposals, to keep these in mind. 00:19:37.700 --> 00:19:42.750 Once the internal review happens, all principal investigators will be notified whether or 00:19:42.750 --> 00:19:47.630 not we encourage or discourage the pre-proposal for submission to full proposal. 00:19:47.630 --> 00:19:54.039 Even if a project is discouraged from submitting a full proposal, it is still up to the principal 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:57.400 investigator and their institution if they would like to submit a full proposal. 00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:01.850 So even if you receive a discouraged, that does not limit you from submitting a full 00:20:01.850 --> 00:20:04.360 proposal. 00:20:04.360 --> 00:20:11.360 So the full proposals go through a two stage external review process. 00:20:11.360 --> 00:20:17.250 The first stage is an email peer review process that has a minimum of three experts that review 00:20:17.250 --> 00:20:18.809 that proposal. 00:20:18.809 --> 00:20:22.990 And then it will go through a panel review, again, with a minimum of three reviewers. 00:20:22.990 --> 00:20:27.020 And the panel reviewers are different from the email review. 00:20:27.020 --> 00:20:33.270 These external peer reviewers are asked to evaluate their full proposals based on the 00:20:33.270 --> 00:20:37.780 criteria listed within the Notice of Funding Opportunity, but I'm gonna walk through each 00:20:37.780 --> 00:20:38.919 of them now. 00:20:38.919 --> 00:20:45.120 So the first criteria is Importance and Relevance and Applicability of the Proposed Project 00:20:45.120 --> 00:20:48.440 to NOAA and NOAA Ocean Exploration Mission and Goals. 00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:53.410 So if you turn to page 23 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity, you'll see what that 00:20:53.410 --> 00:20:54.410 entails. 00:20:54.410 --> 00:21:00.460 But it includes whether or not there is intrinsic value in the proposed project, and the relevance 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:04.410 to NOAA, federal, regional, state, tribal, or local activities. 00:21:04.410 --> 00:21:08.930 And specifically, the reviewers will evaluate the extent to which the proposed project is 00:21:08.930 --> 00:21:11.580 germane to NOAA’s missions and goals. 00:21:11.580 --> 00:21:16.460 Whether the proposed project is exploration focused, so focused on the potential for making 00:21:16.460 --> 00:21:21.350 discoveries, versus research focus, which is focused on increasing knowledge concerning 00:21:21.350 --> 00:21:23.400 a particular topic. 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:27.960 And finally, whether the anticipated results could have significant downstream impact. 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:31.860 So, this one is worth 30% of the total score. 00:21:31.860 --> 00:21:36.679 The next criterion that they're asked to review is the science and technical merit. 00:21:36.679 --> 00:21:39.760 Again, worth 30% of the total score. 00:21:39.760 --> 00:21:44.789 And this criterion assesses whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative. 00:21:44.789 --> 00:21:49.169 If the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and objectives. 00:21:49.169 --> 00:21:55.720 For this evaluation criteria, the reviewers will evaluate the extent to which the proposed 00:21:55.720 --> 00:22:00.010 approach is scientifically and technically feasible, whether the proposed project is 00:22:00.010 --> 00:22:04.929 innovative, whether the proposal includes clear goals and objectives, whether the methods 00:22:04.929 --> 00:22:10.330 are commensurate with the goals and objectives, whether the project is interdisciplinary, 00:22:10.330 --> 00:22:14.799 and whether the plans for documentation, archiving, and sharing of data and multimedia and sample 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:21.310 collections are adequately described. 00:22:21.310 --> 00:22:26.480 The next evaluation criterion, worth 15% of the total score, is the overall qualifications 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:27.799 of the applicant. 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:33.250 This criteria assesses whether the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, 00:22:33.250 --> 00:22:38.350 training, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project. 00:22:38.350 --> 00:22:42.850 For NOAA Ocean Exploration, the reviewers will evaluate the qualifications of the applicants, 00:22:42.850 --> 00:22:47.450 including if they have the proper expertise to accomplish the proposed project, and the 00:22:47.450 --> 00:22:52.400 strength, breadth, and depth of any proposed project partnerships. 00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:57.130 If the applicant has previously received NOAA Ocean Exploration funding, the reviewers will 00:22:57.130 --> 00:23:00.090 also evaluate their past award performance. 00:23:00.090 --> 00:23:05.240 And this can include things like timely publication of results and sharing of data. 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:09.380 An applicant's qualifications, independent of the applicant's career stage, will be considered 00:23:09.380 --> 00:23:11.960 under this criterion. 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:19.240 The next criterion is the project costs, and this is also 15% of the total score. 00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:24.049 This criterion accesses the proposed budget to determine if it is realistic and commensurate 00:23:24.049 --> 00:23:29.640 with the proposed project needs and timeline. 00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:33.250 The final evaluation criterion is the Outreach and Education and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, 00:23:33.250 --> 00:23:36.070 and Accessibility criterion. 00:23:36.070 --> 00:23:42.150 This one is worth 10% of the score, and assesses whether the proposed project provides a focus 00:23:42.150 --> 00:23:46.799 and effective education and outreach strategy in line with NOAA’s mission to protect the 00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:53.250 Nation's natural resources, and if it will provide an opportunity to broaden the participation 00:23:53.250 --> 00:23:55.410 of underrepresented groups. 00:23:55.410 --> 00:24:00.220 For NOAA Ocean Exploration, the reviewers will determine the extent to which the Outreach 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:04.470 and Education plan is innovative and likely to be effective. 00:24:04.470 --> 00:24:08.049 Whether the proposed project will provide opportunities to broaden participation of 00:24:08.049 --> 00:24:12.240 underrepresented groups, whether the proposed project will provide opportunities for early 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:16.190 career researchers and students, and whether the proposed project budget includes funding 00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:24.080 to support the outreach and education plan that will target diverse future generations 00:24:24.080 --> 00:24:26.059 of explorers. 00:24:26.059 --> 00:24:31.140 So I encourage any applicant, if you're interested in submitting a full proposal to read through 00:24:31.140 --> 00:24:35.950 these evaluation criteria, again on page 23 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity, and 00:24:35.950 --> 00:24:40.429 make sure that your full proposal addresses each of those criteria. 00:24:40.429 --> 00:24:46.450 Some other tips, make sure, again, to read the entire Notice of Funding Opportunity thoroughly. 00:24:46.450 --> 00:24:52.700 2, 3, 4 times, there's lots of great information and details on how to complete the proposal 00:24:52.700 --> 00:24:57.960 in that Notice of Funding Opportunity, as well as on our website, oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:03.980 Also, I encourage you to read through the basis for our program priorities and make 00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:06.380 sure your proposal addresses these. 00:25:06.380 --> 00:25:11.440 And these priorities include the NOAA Science and Technology priorities document, the NOMEC 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:18.649 strategy and implementation plan, as well as the Exploration Variables report. 00:25:18.649 --> 00:25:22.779 And, again, all those documents are linked within the Notice of Funding Opportunity, 00:25:22.779 --> 00:25:26.370 as well as in our frequently asked questions document. 00:25:26.370 --> 00:25:33.409 Also, make sure to fill in all application fields of the cover sheet thoroughly and accurately. 00:25:33.409 --> 00:25:37.340 Make sure the cover sheet matches everything that's included in both the pre-proposal and 00:25:37.340 --> 00:25:43.400 full proposal text. 00:25:43.400 --> 00:25:48.429 And I also encourage all applicants to look through the list of past grant funding recipients 00:25:48.429 --> 00:25:51.169 on our website listed here. 00:25:51.169 --> 00:25:56.220 This goes back to 2014, and you can see all the projects we've funded from 2014 till now. 00:25:56.220 --> 00:26:01.029 And I assure you, I encourage you to look at that to see what types of projects we fund 00:26:01.029 --> 00:26:07.070 and to ensure also that your project isn't duplicative to pass funded projects. 00:26:07.070 --> 00:26:10.919 Also, I encourage you to reach out if you have any questions. 00:26:10.919 --> 00:26:17.470 Again, our email is listed here and it's oer.nofo2024@noaa.gov. 00:26:17.470 --> 00:26:23.910 So, some tips for the data management section, which is within your data and information 00:26:23.910 --> 00:26:28.350 sharing plan, which is the two page required document for the full proposal. 00:26:28.350 --> 00:26:33.300 Again, all data must be discoverable and accessible to the public. 00:26:33.300 --> 00:26:38.169 This means that that data must be archive ready, machine, readable, open source, and 00:26:38.169 --> 00:26:40.620 in non-proprietary formats. 00:26:40.620 --> 00:26:45.450 And for this year's Funding Opportunity, all data must be sent, submitted to the National 00:26:45.450 --> 00:26:51.899 Centers for Environmental Information, if applicable. 00:26:51.899 --> 00:26:55.840 All data must be free of charge, and/or at a cost of reproduction. 00:26:55.840 --> 00:27:02.870 And the data is due to the National Centers for Environmental Information at either one 00:27:02.870 --> 00:27:05.270 of these, whichever is the earliest. 00:27:05.270 --> 00:27:10.350 So either the publication of the manuscript based on this data, either 2, or 2 years, 00:27:10.350 --> 00:27:14.610 from the time the data was collected, if there was not a publication, or from two years from 00:27:14.610 --> 00:27:15.799 the end of the award period. 00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:20.970 So whichever of these comes first is when the deadline of the data. 00:27:20.970 --> 00:27:25.690 And some tips for your education and outreach and diversity and inclusion sections. 00:27:25.690 --> 00:27:30.310 So it is a requirement to work with NOAA Ocean Exploration on web communication, but that's 00:27:30.310 --> 00:27:31.960 not enough. 00:27:31.960 --> 00:27:36.279 You can include other things as part of your education and outreach sections to make it 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:38.399 more robust. 00:27:38.399 --> 00:27:44.900 And I've seen many different ideas from hosting webinars, ship to shore interactions, things 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:50.679 like paying for workshops, and I'd encourage you, again, to look at the evaluation criteria 00:27:50.679 --> 00:27:55.789 for the education and outreach, and keep in mind that you'll want to include funding support 00:27:55.789 --> 00:27:59.309 for these items as part of your project budget. 00:27:59.309 --> 00:28:05.700 You'll also want to describe how the proposed activity broadens the participation of underrepresented 00:28:05.700 --> 00:28:11.279 groups, and certain things you can consider as part of that is your team composition or 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:16.330 management, leadership, and decision making, focus areas, and partnerships. 00:28:16.330 --> 00:28:19.760 And you'll want to look at how these outcomes of these considerations are reflected in your 00:28:19.760 --> 00:28:20.980 proposed project. 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:26.809 And, where possible, the statement should also include goals and metrics for assessing 00:28:26.809 --> 00:28:30.169 and adjusting these DEIA efforts. 00:28:30.169 --> 00:28:35.649 So some tips for your budget tables and budget justification section. 00:28:35.649 --> 00:28:40.040 Again, I'll point you to our website because it does have details about what you should 00:28:40.040 --> 00:28:42.000 include in those sections. 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:46.820 But make sure as you're putting those budget tables and justifications together that you 00:28:46.820 --> 00:28:50.210 provide details for the basis for why you have those estimates. 00:28:50.210 --> 00:28:54.731 So for things like example, if you have travel to and from conferences or field work, make 00:28:54.731 --> 00:28:59.940 sure to include airfare cost comparisons, or the basis for why you determine those per 00:28:59.940 --> 00:29:01.740 diem estimates. 00:29:01.740 --> 00:29:06.690 Typically folks use the GSA rates for their per diem estimates, but if you're using anything 00:29:06.690 --> 00:29:10.030 outside of that, you'll want to make sure you provide details as to why those budget 00:29:10.030 --> 00:29:15.039 numbers were decided upon. 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:19.590 For the full proposal, you'll want to make sure that your project, if it's a two year 00:29:19.590 --> 00:29:24.390 project, it must be separated into year one and year two sections. 00:29:24.390 --> 00:29:28.230 Don't put them all together, and then you'll want to make sure that you have a summary 00:29:28.230 --> 00:29:34.419 budget table at the start of your budget justification by object class. 00:29:34.419 --> 00:29:42.750 And you'll have year 1 and year 2 separate with the final column being the total column. 00:29:42.750 --> 00:29:47.230 And my final tip on this is to make sure you check all your materials, including your cover 00:29:47.230 --> 00:29:51.821 sheet, executive summary, budget narrative, and all the OMB forms to ensure that all the 00:29:51.821 --> 00:29:53.919 numbers are consistent. 00:29:53.919 --> 00:29:57.690 We've seen, quite a bit of times, that budget numbers have come in with different numbers 00:29:57.690 --> 00:29:59.680 of costs on all of these various forms. 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:05.830 So make sure to ensure that all these forms match each other when making the budget request. 00:30:05.830 --> 00:30:07.679 And that's my final tip. 00:30:07.679 --> 00:30:11.780 So at this time, I'll take any questions. 00:30:11.780 --> 00:30:14.070 Perfect. 00:30:14.070 --> 00:30:19.690 So we have one statement which is the link provided in the chat is an error that's due 00:30:19.690 --> 00:30:23.830 to a period at the end, behind the HTML, but the link is good. 00:30:23.830 --> 00:30:26.450 Just remove that period. 00:30:26.450 --> 00:30:27.720 First question. 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:34.279 I just want to confirm that a technology proposal would not be able to be performed work in 00:30:34.279 --> 00:30:39.159 the Marshall Islands because this is not technically in U.S. jurisdiction. 00:30:39.159 --> 00:30:41.030 Is that correct? 00:30:41.030 --> 00:30:42.190 Yes. 00:30:42.190 --> 00:30:47.309 So for the technology proposals, you do have to propose field work that would be in waters 00:30:47.309 --> 00:30:53.540 under U.S. jurisdiction, and that is the case for both the technology proposals, as well 00:30:53.540 --> 00:30:59.750 as the ocean exploration and discovery proposals. 00:30:59.750 --> 00:31:05.270 The next question is the reference page, do you count the page numbers on the pre-proposal? 00:31:05.270 --> 00:31:10.460 And I think, they are asking, does that count towards the final page count? 00:31:10.460 --> 00:31:11.460 Great. 00:31:11.460 --> 00:31:13.190 Thank you for that. 00:31:13.190 --> 00:31:18.899 So the references for the pre-proposal do not count towards the two page pre-proposal 00:31:18.899 --> 00:31:20.850 page limit. 00:31:20.850 --> 00:31:26.169 And that's the same for the full proposals. 00:31:26.169 --> 00:31:31.140 So for the full proposals, there is a 15 page max page limit for the full proposals, but 00:31:31.140 --> 00:31:37.799 your references or citations do not count to that 15 page limit. 00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:43.690 The next question is: Is all of this information that you presented in the NOFO, or is this 00:31:43.690 --> 00:31:45.399 webinar recorded? 00:31:45.399 --> 00:31:47.870 That's a great question. 00:31:47.870 --> 00:31:51.880 Yes, everything I have presented today will be in our Notice of Funding Opportunity, or 00:31:51.880 --> 00:31:54.809 NOFO, and, yes, today's webinar is recorded. 00:31:54.809 --> 00:32:03.600 And after this webinar, we will be posting this recording on our funding webpage at oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. 00:32:03.600 --> 00:32:05.590 So you can reference at a later date. 00:32:05.590 --> 00:32:10.410 But, again, if you have further questions that are not addressed in our webinar, I encourage 00:32:10.410 --> 00:32:12.900 you to look at our frequently asked questions document. 00:32:12.900 --> 00:32:14.340 That is also on our website. 00:32:14.340 --> 00:32:18.830 And if that still doesn't answer your question, then I encourage you to reach out to us via 00:32:18.830 --> 00:32:20.770 email here listed. 00:32:20.770 --> 00:32:27.649 So it's oer.nofo2024@noaa.gov, and we would be happy to answer that question for you, 00:32:27.649 --> 00:32:32.040 and if it's a question that isn't listed anywhere, will also be adding it to the website, so 00:32:32.040 --> 00:32:35.710 people have access to that answer as well. 00:32:35.710 --> 00:32:43.020 Wonderful, Next question is: Does the entire team or any of the team need to be U.S. citizens, 00:32:43.020 --> 00:32:46.240 or hold valid employment visas in the U.S.? 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:55.560 So, only the principal investigator has to be based at a U.S. institution, and that, 00:32:55.560 --> 00:32:59.870 the eligibility, again, I talked about that earlier, but you can also find it in our Notice 00:32:59.870 --> 00:33:01.790 of Funding Opportunity. 00:33:01.790 --> 00:33:06.820 But foreign entities can actually participate via this Notice of Funding Opportunity, but 00:33:06.820 --> 00:33:11.630 only through collaboration with an eligible U.S. based organization as a subawardee. 00:33:11.630 --> 00:33:18.390 So, not everybody on the team needs to be a U.S. citizen with an employment visa. 00:33:18.390 --> 00:33:23.630 And I will say, the principal investigator only needs to be based at a U.S. institution 00:33:23.630 --> 00:33:29.350 that qualifies under this eligibility, and we, they don't necessarily need to be a U.S. 00:33:29.350 --> 00:33:33.570 citizen, but they do need to be based at a U.S. institution. 00:33:33.570 --> 00:33:42.490 OK, next question is: For the two page pre-proposal, what level of detail, if any, would be expected 00:33:42.490 --> 00:33:47.190 apart from a narrative description of the proposed project? 00:33:47.190 --> 00:33:49.630 Yeah, that's a great question. 00:33:49.630 --> 00:33:54.890 And I'm actually going to move us back to the evaluation criterion and pull that up 00:33:54.890 --> 00:33:56.090 for you. 00:33:56.090 --> 00:34:03.250 Because this is, it's really that evaluation criteria that you’ll want to address as 00:34:03.250 --> 00:34:06.009 you put together that pre-proposal. 00:34:06.009 --> 00:34:10.270 So here, that is that, again, because these are the things that you'll be reviewed and 00:34:10.270 --> 00:34:12.940 encouraged and discouraged based off of. 00:34:12.940 --> 00:34:17.230 So you'll want to make sure you include items, like the relevance to NOAA and NOAA Ocean 00:34:17.230 --> 00:34:19.070 Exploration missions and goals. 00:34:19.070 --> 00:34:21.460 You'll want to address the science and technical merit. 00:34:21.460 --> 00:34:29.440 You'll want to talk about the PIs coPIs qualifications to ensure that the project will be successful 00:34:29.440 --> 00:34:30.899 and feasible. 00:34:30.899 --> 00:34:34.200 You'll also want to include details about your past performance. 00:34:34.200 --> 00:34:39.089 So if you've received NOAA Ocean Exploration awards in the past, including details about 00:34:39.089 --> 00:34:42.430 whether or not you've published or if you've got all your data submitted will be helpful 00:34:42.430 --> 00:34:44.429 to your projects that will be reviewed. 00:34:44.429 --> 00:34:47.860 And then you'll also want to have a budget justification. 00:34:47.860 --> 00:34:54.149 And if you are a federal employee, you'll need to speak about your NOPP partnerships. 00:34:54.149 --> 00:34:56.639 Perfect. 00:34:56.639 --> 00:35:06.980 So, that is all of the questions for the moment, back over to you. 00:35:06.980 --> 00:35:11.990 OK, great, well, I'll, I'll wait a couple more minutes to see if any more questions 00:35:11.990 --> 00:35:20.910 come in. 00:35:20.910 --> 00:35:39.590 OK, well, I haven't seen any other. 00:35:39.590 --> 00:35:40.790 Oh, here we go. 00:35:40.790 --> 00:35:41.990 Sorry, there's another question. 00:35:41.990 --> 00:35:43.510 One more question. 00:35:43.510 --> 00:35:46.770 Is work in the Great Lakes applicable? 00:35:46.770 --> 00:35:48.150 Yes. 00:35:48.150 --> 00:35:51.569 Yes, you can work in the Great Lakes this year. 00:35:51.569 --> 00:35:58.930 So I'll just point you to, again, know that for the Ocean Exploration and Discovery theme, 00:35:58.930 --> 00:36:03.100 you'll need to be working in waters under U.S. jurisdiction and in areas 200 meters 00:36:03.100 --> 00:36:06.720 or deeper, unless it's a mesophotic tropical environment. 00:36:06.720 --> 00:36:12.460 For the Technology theme, you can work in the Great Lakes again under waters under U.S. 00:36:12.460 --> 00:36:17.910 jurisdiction, but for the Maritime Heritage theme, you can actually work at any water 00:36:17.910 --> 00:36:19.020 depth and any waters. 00:36:19.020 --> 00:36:21.950 They are not limited to waters under U.S. jurisdiction. 00:36:21.950 --> 00:36:27.270 So then yes, it would be the total Great Lakes that you could work in as part of the Maritime 00:36:27.270 --> 00:36:31.670 Heritage theme. 00:36:31.670 --> 00:36:53.020 Okay, I think we'll wait one more minute to see if any last-minute questions come in. 00:36:53.020 --> 00:36:59.680 But, again, like you can see on this last slide here, my contact information, including 00:36:59.680 --> 00:37:03.569 my cell phone number, our email, and our website is all listed. 00:37:03.569 --> 00:37:06.210 So, I encourage you to check out all those items. 00:37:06.210 --> 00:37:10.390 And, again, if we haven't answered all your questions today, please feel free to reach 00:37:10.390 --> 00:37:15.690 out to us at this email address, and also check out the frequently asked questions section 00:37:15.690 --> 00:37:18.170 of our website. 00:37:18.170 --> 00:37:27.370 OK, OK, I don't think any other questions are coming in so I just want to thank again 00:37:27.370 --> 00:37:31.680 James and Anna behind the scenes for helping make this webinar a success. 00:37:31.680 --> 00:37:36.760 I want to thank you all for attending and asking really great questions. 00:37:36.760 --> 00:37:41.510 We're really excited to release our FY24 announcement this year and I'm happy to take any follow 00:37:41.510 --> 00:37:44.070 up questions and I hope you all have a great week. 00:37:44.070 --> 00:37:45.640 And thanks again for joining!