Opportunity Information: Apply for 10 554
Apply for 10 554
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Decadal and Regional Climate Prediction using Earth System Models" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences 47.050 Geosciences 47.070 Computer and Information Science and Engineering 47.074 Biological Sciences 47.075 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences 47.078 Polar Programs 47.080 Office of Cyberinfrastructure 81.049 Office of Science Financial Assistance Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 1, 2010 and posted on Apr 1, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2010 Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposers local time) May 24, 2010 Full Proposal Deadline(s) June 25, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $50,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Organization Limit Proposals may only be submitted by the following For profit organizations U.S. commercial organizations, especially small businesses with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education. Non profit, non academic organizations Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities. Other Federal Agencies and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) Contact the appropriate program before preparing a proposal for submission. Universities and Colleges Universities and two and four year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Such organizations also are referred to as academic institutions. PI Limit PIs from NSF funded FFRDCs may submit proposals to this competition. Projects involving USDA or DOE FFRDCs or National Laboratories will only be considered for co funding by NSF if they are collaborative effortsthat includenon federally funded institutions. To facilitate possible interagency funding of such collaboratives, an institution other than the USDA or DOE FFRDC mustserve as the lead institution. This is necessitated solely by NSF rules for funding collaborative grants and should not be construed as a comment on capability or leadership. Proposals for FFRDCs must obey NSF budget guidelines and may not include costs already covered by federal funds.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity "Decadal and Regional Climate Prediction using Earth System Models" (Funding Opportunity Number 10-554) is a large interagency research program led by the National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). It is built around the growing recognition that climate variability and change are already producing serious impacts on time scales of years to decades, not just over centuries. The program frames these impacts in concrete terms, including prolonged droughts, ecosystem stress and productivity losses in agriculture and forests, shifting biological feedbacks, degradation of ocean and permafrost habitats, sea level rise, rapid retreat of ice sheets and glaciers, continued loss of Arctic sea ice, and changes in major ocean currents. The central idea is that society needs better decadal and regional climate predictions to understand what is coming, what it means for natural and human systems, and how decision-makers can realistically plan for adaptation and management under uncertainty.
A core feature of the solicitation is its emphasis on next-generation Earth System Models (ESMs). Rather than treating climate as mainly a physical system, the program pushes for models that couple and interact across many components of the Earth system and human activity. The solicitation specifically highlights the need for integrated representations of ecosystems, agricultural working lands and forests, urban environments, biogeochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, ocean and atmospheric circulation, the water cycle, land ice, and human actions that influence environmental outcomes. This is presented as an interdisciplinary "grand challenge" that requires teams spanning experimental and observational researchers, theorists, modelers, and computational specialists. The program explicitly welcomes participation from a wide range of disciplines, including biology, chemistry, computer science, geoscience, materials science, mathematics, physics, cyberinfrastructure, and social science. Beyond the science, the solicitation encourages proposals that strengthen diversity in participation and deliver broader educational or societal impacts, recognizing that the work is both technically demanding and highly consequential for the public.
The scientific thrust is not only to improve model realism, but also to connect processes across scales and to strengthen the theoretical foundations behind simulation and prediction. Competitive proposals are expected to tackle problems that link relevant Earth system processes over different spatial and temporal scales, and to leverage both existing datasets and data from NSF environmental observatories (including new and envisioned observing systems). The program also points to a need to better understand nonlinear behavior, tipping points, and activation thresholds, where small-scale processes can amplify into large, abrupt, or unexpected shifts at regional or global scales. Overall, the solicitation is aimed at major advances in predictive capability and in the underlying science that makes those predictions credible and usable.
The solicitation lays out four concrete goals that proposals should address. First, it seeks comprehensive and reliable global and regional predictions of decadal climate variability and change, grounded in improved understanding of coupled physical, chemical, biological, and human drivers of the climate system. Second, it targets the impacts of climate variability and change on ecological, agricultural, and other human systems, including explicit identification and quantification of feedback loops through which human systems themselves shape environmental outcomes (for example, land use changes, resource management, or emissions-related behaviors that alter biogeochemical cycles). Third, it emphasizes getting more practical value out of available observational and model data through upscaling and downscaling approaches, so information can be used for impact assessment and for evaluating vulnerability, resilience, and risk at decision-relevant scales. Fourth, it prioritizes the translation of model outputs and uncertainty into a defensible scientific basis for adaptation and management decisions, meaning the work should not stop at producing simulations, but should also address how uncertainty is characterized and communicated in ways that support action.
Two proposal tracks are offered. Type 1 proposals focus on incubator or capacity-building activities, which are meant to help teams form, develop shared frameworks, pilot new ideas, and build the foundations needed for bigger integrated efforts. Type 2 proposals are large, collaborative, interdisciplinary research projects intended to deliver major modeling and prediction advances and to integrate multiple components of the Earth system and human dimensions. In practice, this structure signals that the program is trying to both seed new collaborations and fund mature, high-impact efforts that can move the field forward in substantial ways.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary grant program in the Science and Technology / Research and Development category, with an estimated total funding level of $50,000,000 and an expected 30 awards. The solicitation spans multiple NSF-related CFDA areas, including Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Biological Sciences, Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, Polar Programs, and the Office of Cyberinfrastructure, along with DOE Office of Science financial assistance. There is no cost sharing requirement. The posting date is April 1, 2010, with a required letter of intent due May 24, 2010 (by 5 p.m. local time), and full proposals due June 25, 2010.
Eligibility is broad and includes U.S.-based universities and colleges (including community colleges), U.S. for-profit organizations (with particular mention of small businesses capable in research or education), and U.S. non-profit, non-academic organizations such as museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies involved in education or research. Other federal agencies and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) may participate, but with constraints. NSF-funded FFRDCs may submit proposals directly, while projects involving USDA or DOE FFRDCs or national laboratories are only eligible for NSF co-funding if they are collaborative efforts that include non-federal institutions, and a non-USDA/DOE FFRDC institution must serve as the lead. The solicitation also notes that FFRDC budgets must follow NSF guidelines and cannot include costs already supported by federal funds, aiming to avoid duplicative funding.
Taken together, this opportunity is designed to accelerate a coordinated national effort to improve decadal and regional climate prediction by building more complete Earth System Models, grounding them in observations, improving scaling methods, and making outputs more usable for real-world planning. It is positioned as both a scientific and societal investment, meant to reduce uncertainty where possible, clarify uncertainty where it cannot be eliminated, and strengthen the bridge between fundamental climate science and practical decisions in agriculture, ecosystem management, infrastructure, and broader climate resilience planning.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Decadal and Regional Climate Prediction using Earth System Models" grant opportunity?
This is a large interagency research program led by the National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The opportunity is titled "Decadal and Regional Climate Prediction using Earth System Models" and is identified as Funding Opportunity Number 10-554.
What problem is this program trying to address?
The program is built around the recognition that climate variability and change are already causing serious impacts on time scales of years to decades (not only over centuries). It targets the need for better decadal and regional climate predictions so society can better understand what is likely coming, what it means for natural and human systems, and how decision-makers can plan for adaptation and management under uncertainty.
What kinds of climate-related impacts does the solicitation highlight?
The solicitation frames impacts in concrete terms, including prolonged droughts; ecosystem stress and productivity losses in agriculture and forests; shifting biological feedbacks; degradation of ocean and permafrost habitats; sea level rise; rapid retreat of ice sheets and glaciers; continued loss of Arctic sea ice; and changes in major ocean currents.
What is the central scientific emphasis of the program?
A core feature is the emphasis on next-generation Earth System Models (ESMs). The program pushes beyond treating climate as mainly a physical system and instead supports models that couple and interact across many components of the Earth system and human activity.
What components should next-generation Earth System Models represent or couple?
The solicitation highlights integrated representations of ecosystems; agricultural working lands and forests; urban environments; biogeochemistry; atmospheric chemistry; ocean and atmospheric circulation; the water cycle; land ice; and human actions that influence environmental outcomes.
What types of teams and expertise are encouraged for proposals?
The program is presented as an interdisciplinary grand challenge. It calls for teams spanning experimental and observational researchers, theorists, modelers, and computational specialists, with participation welcomed from a wide range of disciplines.
Which disciplines are explicitly welcomed to participate?
The solicitation explicitly welcomes participation from biology, chemistry, computer science, geoscience, materials science, mathematics, physics, cyberinfrastructure, and social science.
Does the program value broader impacts like education and diversity?
Yes. Beyond the science, the solicitation encourages proposals that strengthen diversity in participation and deliver broader educational or societal impacts, recognizing that the work is technically demanding and consequential for the public.
What kind of scientific work is considered competitive under this solicitation?
Competitive proposals are expected to link relevant Earth system processes across spatial and temporal scales, leverage existing datasets and data from NSF environmental observatories (including new and envisioned observing systems), improve model realism, connect processes across scales, and strengthen the theoretical foundations behind simulation and prediction.
Does the program include a focus on nonlinear behavior and tipping points?
Yes. The solicitation points to a need to better understand nonlinear behavior, tipping points, and activation thresholds, where small-scale processes can amplify into large, abrupt, or unexpected shifts at regional or global scales.
What are the four main goals proposals should address?
The solicitation lays out four goals:
- Comprehensive and reliable global and regional predictions of decadal climate variability and change, grounded in improved understanding of coupled physical, chemical, biological, and human drivers.
- Understanding impacts on ecological, agricultural, and other human systems, including identifying and quantifying feedback loops where human systems shape environmental outcomes.
- Getting more practical value from observational and model data using upscaling and downscaling approaches for impact assessment and evaluating vulnerability, resilience, and risk at decision-relevant scales.
- Translating model outputs and uncertainty into a defensible scientific basis for adaptation and management decisions, including how uncertainty is characterized and communicated to support action.
How does the program treat human influences and feedbacks in the climate system?
The solicitation explicitly calls for identification and quantification of feedback loops through which human systems shape environmental outcomes, such as land use changes, resource management, or emissions-related behaviors that alter biogeochemical cycles.
Is using observational data part of the expected approach?
Yes. Proposals are expected to leverage both existing datasets and data from NSF environmental observatories, including new and envisioned observing systems, to support advances in simulation and prediction.
What is meant by upscaling and downscaling in this program?
The solicitation emphasizes upscaling and downscaling approaches to extract more practical value from observational and model data so that information can be used for impact assessment and for evaluating vulnerability, resilience, and risk at decision-relevant scales.
Does the program require that results be usable for real-world decisions?
Yes. A stated priority is translating model outputs and uncertainty into a defensible scientific basis for adaptation and management decisions. The work is expected to address not only simulations, but also uncertainty characterization and communication in ways that support action.
What proposal tracks are available?
Two tracks are offered:
- Type 1: Incubator or capacity-building activities to help teams form, develop shared frameworks, pilot new ideas, and build foundations for larger integrated efforts.
- Type 2: Large, collaborative, interdisciplinary research projects intended to deliver major modeling and prediction advances and integrate multiple Earth system components and human dimensions.
What is the purpose of Type 1 proposals?
Type 1 proposals focus on incubator or capacity-building activities. They are intended to support team formation, shared framework development, piloting of new ideas, and building the groundwork for larger integrated projects.
What is the purpose of Type 2 proposals?
Type 2 proposals are designed for large, collaborative, interdisciplinary research projects. They are intended to deliver major advances in modeling and prediction while integrating multiple components of the Earth system and human dimensions.
How much funding is expected to be available under this opportunity?
The opportunity lists an estimated total funding level of $50,000,000.
How many awards are expected?
The solicitation indicates an expected 30 awards.
What type of funding program is this?
It is described as a discretionary grant program in the Science and Technology / Research and Development category.
Is cost sharing required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing requirement.
What are the key dates (posting, letter of intent, and proposal deadlines)?
The posting date is April 1, 2010. A letter of intent is required and is due May 24, 2010 (by 5 p.m. local time). Full proposals are due June 25, 2010.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes U.S.-based universities and colleges (including community colleges), U.S. for-profit organizations (including small businesses capable in research or education), and U.S. non-profit, non-academic organizations such as museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies involved in education or research.
Can for-profit organizations apply, including small businesses?
Yes. The solicitation includes U.S. for-profit organizations and specifically mentions small businesses capable in research or education.
Can non-academic nonprofits apply (for example, museums or observatories)?
Yes. The solicitation includes U.S. non-profit, non-academic organizations such as museums, observatories, research laboratories, and professional societies involved in education or research.
Can federal agencies and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) participate?
Other federal agencies and FFRDCs may participate, but with constraints described in the solicitation.
What are the specific rules for FFRDC participation and eligibility for NSF co-funding?
The solicitation states that NSF-funded FFRDCs may submit proposals directly. Projects involving USDA or DOE FFRDCs or national laboratories are only eligible for NSF co-funding if they are collaborative efforts that include non-federal institutions, and a non-USDA/DOE FFRDC institution must serve as the lead.
Are there budget restrictions for FFRDCs?
Yes. The solicitation notes that FFRDC budgets must follow NSF guidelines and cannot include costs already supported by federal funds, to avoid duplicative funding.
Which NSF-related program areas or CFDA areas are associated with this solicitation?
The solicitation spans multiple NSF-related CFDA areas, including Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Biological Sciences, Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, Polar Programs, and the Office of Cyberinfrastructure, along with DOE Office of Science financial assistance.
What is the overarching outcome the program is designed to achieve?
The opportunity is designed to accelerate a coordinated national effort to improve decadal and regional climate prediction by building more complete Earth System Models, grounding them in observations, improving scaling methods, and making outputs more usable for real-world planning, including agriculture, ecosystem management, infrastructure, and broader climate resilience planning.
How does the solicitation describe the role of uncertainty?
It positions the work as an investment meant to reduce uncertainty where possible, clarify uncertainty where it cannot be eliminated, and strengthen the bridge between fundamental climate science and practical decisions.
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