NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) is seeking pre-proposals (required) and, ultimately, full proposals to support its mission, consistent with NOAA's Next Generation Strategic Plan, to search, investigate and document poorly-known and unknown ocean areas through interdisciplinary exploration, and to advance and disseminate knowledge of the ocean environment and its physical, chemical, archaeological and biological resources.

Competitive ocean exploration proposals will be bold, innovative and interdisciplinary in their approach. NOAA OER anticipates a total of approximately $3,000,000 including costs for ship and submersible assets, may be available through this announcement.
Pre-proposals are a prerequisite for submission of a full proposal. Pre-proposals must be submitted by email. Pre-proposals will be reviewed and applicants will be contacted to be encouraged or discouraged to submit full proposals.

Requirements and instructions for submitting both pre-proposals and full proposals are found at http://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?oppld=243154 . Both pre- and full proposals must include a cover sheet, found at http:explore.noaa.gov .

To ensure a pre-proposal will be considered in the FY 2014 solicitation, applications must be submitted by email to oar.oer.ffo2014@noaa.govand must be received by 5:00 pm (EDT) October 15, 2013 Pre-proposals will be reviewed and applicants will be contacted to be encouraged or discouraged to submit full proposals. Full proposal submissions must be received by 5:00 pm (EST) on December 20, 2013.

Applicants are encouraged to visit http//: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov to familiarize themselves with past and present OER-funded activities.

Depending on specifics of proposals received, OER may support approximately 8-15 awards, in amounts between $10,000 to $2,500,000. The amount of funding available through this announcement will be subject to the final Fiscal Year 2014 appropriation for the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.Publication of this announcement does not obligate NOAA to fund any specific project or to obligate all or any part of available funds.

Specific regions of interest include the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and the Arctic, with particular interest given to deep water areas within the U.S. EEZ and areas that have been mapped in support of the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) effort ( http://ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/ecs/cruises.html andhttp://ccom.unh.edu/theme/law- sea/law-of-the-sea-data). However, compelling proposals for other regions will be considered.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop proposals in partnership with other institutions with similar objectives in these regions. Proposals with leveraged resources are highly desired, although this is not a requirement.

Thematic priorities include: surveys of unknown, or poorly known, regions and sea floor features; discovery and description of poorly-known or unknown physical, geological, chemical, or biological oceanographic processes; application of new, or the novel use of existing oceanographic technologies to increase the pace, efficiency and scope of undersea discovery and understanding; marine archaeology, including exploration, discovery and initial documentation of significant submerged cultural heritage sites; and mapping of new areas and/or high-resolution mapping of areas that have been previously mapped.

Ships and submersible assets required to conduct ocean explorations must be explicitly identified, including the use of Human Occupied Vehicles, Remotely Operated Vehicles and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. OER has not pre-paid or reserved any ship-time associated with this announcement. If the proposed work requires funding for ship time or submersible assets, these costs must be included in the proposed budget.If ship-time has been pre-arranged, applicants should note this in the proposal.

It is expected that results of funded proposals will stimulate further exploration and research, as well as inform marine policy and marine resource management decisions. Data and observations resulting from funded ocean exploration proposals are expected to result in new discoveries, new insights, new knowledge and new ocean science frontiers in the ocean’s poorly known and unknown regions that may revise, or even overturn, current ocean paradigms.

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