Ocean Exploration FY 2018 Funding Opportunity | NOAA OAR OER 2018 2005296

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR OER 2018 2005296

The Ocean Exploration FY 2018 Funding Opportunity is a NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) grant program designed to push exploration into ocean areas that are still poorly mapped, poorly sampled, or not understood. The core idea is straightforward: fund expeditions and related work that can identify, describe, and build baseline characterizations of new habitats, resources, and processes. OER is aiming for interdisciplinary projects that can document and explain physical, geological, chemical, biological, and archaeological aspects of the ocean, with an emphasis on producing foundational information that enables future science, management, and stewardship.

For this announcement, NOAA OER is looking for proposals in three specific topic areas. First, it seeks exploration of deep marine environments in the Gulf of Mexico located within the US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the US Extended Continental Shelf (ECS). Second, it seeks discovery and exploration of prehistorically and historically significant submerged marine heritage sites in the Gulf of Mexico, again restricted to the US EEZ and US ECS. Third, it seeks novel or innovative technologies and methods that can speed up and broaden ocean exploration, particularly in deep environments, including both the water column and archaeological contexts. A key boundary condition is that topics 1 and 2 are geographically limited: NOAA OER will not consider proposals for those themes if they fall outside the Gulf of Mexico portion of the US EEZ and US ECS. At the same time, the program explicitly encourages proposals that combine more than one topic, such as pairing deep seafloor exploration with technology development, or integrating archaeological site discovery with new sensing or mapping approaches.

The scientific and societal outcomes NOAA expects from funded work are broad but centered on creating new baseline knowledge. Projects are anticipated to yield first-pass characterizations of unknown or poorly known areas, improve understanding of continental margin processes, and generate insights relevant to climate variability and marine ecosystems. NOAA also highlights the potential to uncover new or unconventional energy, mineral, biological, and archaeological resources, and to improve hazard awareness related to extreme events such as submarine volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. On the technology side, OER is looking for advances in platforms, sensors, and methodologies that increase the ocean communitys ability to observe and document deep environments more effectively.

Funding is offered as discretionary awards under either grants or cooperative agreements (CFDA 11.011), administered by the Department of Commerce through NOAA. For FY 2018, OER anticipated approximately $3,000,000 total available for this opportunity, spread across an expected 10 awards. The listed award ceiling is $750,000. Notably, while the overall funding estimate is described as inclusive of costs for required ship and or submersible assets, the announcement also makes a specific limitation clear: ship time on the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer will not be funded through this opportunity. Applicants are directed to OERs funding opportunity webpage for application background, guidance, and supporting documents. The original closing date for this specific cycle was December 8, 2017, and the opportunity was created July 12, 2017.

Eligibility is intentionally broad across US-based entities that can legally accept federal funds for this kind of work. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments, as well as US territories with the statutory authority to accept the funding. Federal agencies may also apply if they have the authority to receive this support and agree to accept FY 2018 funds for the proposed work. Even so, NOAA strongly encourages federal and state applicants to partner with non-federal, non-state eligible entities, effectively pushing collaborative project teams. Foreign researchers are allowed to participate, but only through a subaward arrangement in collaboration with an eligible US entity, rather than as the primary applicant.

The announcement also includes several notable cost and administrative rules that shape how proposals should be built. For budgeting purposes, the purchase of ship time or other platform support (such as remotely operated vehicles or autonomous underwater vehicles) is treated as a rental cost and is not included in Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC), which matters for how indirect costs are calculated under common federal budgeting conventions. NOAA OER will not fund salaries or associated overhead for permanent federal or state government employees. In addition, OER will not pay facilities and administrative (F and A, or overhead) fees to federal and state agencies for subawards related to ship time or other platform support. Federal and state award recipients may, however, use funds for other allowable project costs such as travel, equipment, supplies, and contractual personnel tied to completing the proposed exploration work.

Operationally, the application process requires a pre-proposal followed by an invited or subsequent full proposal, aligning with OERs goal of ensuring submissions fit the exploration mission before applicants invest in a full package. All correspondence related to this funding opportunity is directed to a single point of contact at oer.ffo2018@noaa.gov. The opportunity is also framed within NOAAs Next Generation Strategic Plan and its Science, Service, and Stewardship goals, reinforcing that the work is expected to deliver not just academic results, but usable knowledge, public value, and improved stewardship outcomes.

Finally, NOAA and the Department of Commerce explicitly emphasize diversity, equity, and broader participation. The announcement encourages applications from women and minority individuals and groups and signals a strong commitment to expanding participation by historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions working in underserved areas. Applications that include or partner with these institutions are specifically encouraged, consistent with the programs broader aim to grow the ocean exploration community while advancing discovery and capability in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond through technology innovation.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Ocean Exploration FY 2018 Funding Opportunity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.011.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 12, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 08, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR OER 2018 2005296

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: