FY2023 Weather Program Office Research Programs | NOAA OAR WPO 2023 2007516

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR WPO 2023 2007516

The FY2023 Weather Program Office (WPO) Research Programs funding opportunity is a NOAA grant and cooperative agreement announcement focused on advancing the nations weather, water, and broader Earth system observing and forecasting capabilities. Issued by the Department of Commerce through NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and WPO, it supports research and application development that can improve how environmental information is collected, modeled, predicted, and communicated so the public and decision-makers can act on it more effectively. The program is framed by the Weather Forecasting and Innovation Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-25), which emphasizes accelerating improvements in forecasting and the supporting science and technology that make those forecasts possible.

NOAA is soliciting proposals across four distinct competitions under one umbrella notice, with total funding described as about 13.5 million dollars per year and an expectation of roughly 40 awards. The four competition areas are: (1) Innovations for Community Modeling, which typically aims to strengthen community modeling systems and the tools, workflows, and collaborative approaches that make shared modeling infrastructure more usable and scientifically powerful; (2) Observations (Obs), which targets new or improved ways to observe the atmosphere and related Earth system components, including instruments, networks, data handling, and methods for turning observations into better analyses; (3) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBES), which supports research on how people understand, interpret, and respond to weather and water information, including communication strategies, risk perception, protective decision-making, and the economic dimensions of forecast use; and (4) VORTEX-USA (including VORTEX-Southeast), which focuses on severe storm and tornado science, especially research designed to verify and better understand the origins of rotation in tornadoes and related processes, with the goal of improving prediction and warning.

A central theme of the notice is moving ideas along the pipeline from basic research toward real-world impact. NOAA highlights its use of Readiness Levels (RLs), a 1 to 9 scale used across federal agencies to describe how mature a project is, from early-stage concepts (lower RLs) through development, demonstration, and ultimately deployment (higher RLs). Some parts of the announcement may limit proposals to certain RL ranges depending on the priority area, meaning applicants are expected to be clear about whether they are proposing foundational research, building and testing prototypes, validating methods in realistic settings, or preparing a capability for operational transition. The notice directs applicants to look to the program objectives and priorities sections for where their work fits on that maturity spectrum.

The opportunity is also explicitly tied to NOAA's science planning guidance, particularly the NOAA Science Advisory Board's 2021 Priorities for Weather Research report. NOAA is signaling that proposals aligned with those articulated priorities are especially desired, which generally implies attention to high-impact forecasting challenges, modern modeling and data assimilation approaches, effective use of observations, and improved warning and communication outcomes. In practice, this means competitive proposals are likely to show a clear connection between the proposed work and measurable improvements in forecast skill, lead time, confidence, usability, or public response, rather than treating research outputs as purely academic.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity (CFDA 11.459) using grants and cooperative agreements. The listed award ceiling is 2,500,000 dollars. The original posting indicates a creation date of August 19, 2022, with an original closing date of November 17, 2022. Eligibility is described broadly as "Others" with further clarification referenced in the full notice, which usually means applicants should consult the eligibility section for specifics about which institutions or organization types can apply and under what conditions.

Finally, NOAA emphasizes expectations around how projects are proposed and carried out. Applicants and awardees are encouraged to align with NOAA core values, including scientific integrity and strong commitments to diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and civil rights. The notice frames these principles as directly supportive of better science and better outcomes, arguing that a more diverse and inclusive research community improves creativity, productivity, and the overall vitality of the weather and water enterprise that WPO supports.

• The Department of Commerce in the business and commerce, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2023 Weather Program Office Research Programs" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.459.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 19, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 17, 2022. (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 $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR WPO 2023 2007516

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