Opportunity Information: Apply for 16 546
Apply for 16 546
- The NSF in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Management and Operation of the National Geophysical Observatory for Geoscience" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.050,.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 26, 2016 and posted on Feb 26, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 30, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funding opportunity titled "Management and Operation of the National Geophysical Observatory for Geoscience (NGEO)" seeks proposals from organizations that can manage and operate one or more parts of NGEO, envisioned as a distributed, multi-user national facility. The core idea is to provide the Earth science community with reliable, modern geodetic, seismic, and related geophysical instrumentation and services, along with the operational support needed to deploy and sustain them. NGEO is meant to serve U.S. national priorities in basic research and education by ensuring high-quality observing capabilities and accessible scientific data that researchers and educators can use over long time periods.
A major emphasis of the opportunity is that NGEO is not only for NSF-funded science. The facility is also positioned to support mission needs of other federal agencies, including NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This includes global real-time monitoring relevant to earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis; early warning and hazard mitigation; and other national needs such as nuclear test ban verification as well as precise positioning and timing services. Beyond government and academia, NGEO capabilities are also described as increasingly important to commercial users and international partners who rely on these kinds of observations and services for a widening range of applications.
NSF indicates that awardees would not operate in isolation. They are expected to work closely with NSF and the broader scientific community to ensure that NGEO capabilities stay aligned with frontier research and remain responsive to evolving scientific priorities. The managing organization(s) would be expected to design and run a coherent, inclusive program that supports multi-user research and education, guided by community input and oversight. In practice, this means the operator must balance stable operations and service delivery with continuous improvement, ensuring that the facility remains scientifically relevant and broadly accessible.
Proposing institutions are asked to lay out, in concrete terms, how they would meet several operational and community-facing expectations. These include: (1) delivering observing capabilities and producing scientific data products; (2) supporting the needs of NSF-funded, peer-reviewed research and education projects that depend on NGEO resources; (3) building an integrated education, workforce development, and outreach program; (4) developing, managing, and maintaining NGEO facility capabilities over time, including instrumentation and services; (5) recruiting, managing, and developing a skilled and diverse workforce to carry out the work; and (6) forming appropriate partnerships across universities, industry, private organizations, other federal agencies, and the international community to strengthen the NGEO mission. Taken together, NSF is signaling that successful management is not just technical operations, but also user support, training, community engagement, and long-term stewardship.
From an award structure standpoint, NSF anticipates using cooperative agreement mechanisms rather than a standard grant relationship. This suggests substantial NSF involvement in oversight, coordination, and performance management, consistent with operating a national-scale facility. NSF notes the possibility of either multiple cooperative agreements or a master cooperative agreement paired with cooperative support agreements, reflecting the idea that NGEO could be managed as a set of components rather than a single monolithic operation.
The planned performance period is long-term: awards were expected to begin on October 1, 2018, with a duration of up to ten years. Continuation over that period is contingent on funding availability and on strong performance, with comprehensive external reviews used to assess both the awardee(s) and the overall success of the facility. NSF also highlights the need for transition planning from the existing management approach to the proposed model. If a transition is needed, the awardee(s) would be responsible for defining and executing a budgeted, scheduled, and tracked project plan to manage that change. The solicitation describes a transition award phase starting on or after April 1, 2018, and ending no later than 12 months later, indicating NSF wanted continuity of operations while shifting to the new management structure.
Key administrative details in the posting include the opportunity number (NSF 16-546), classification as a discretionary opportunity in the science and technology R&D category, and CFDA numbers 47.050. The original and current proposal due date listed is December 30, 2016. NSF anticipated up to about five awards, with the exact award ceiling not specified in the provided listing. Eligibility is labeled broadly as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," implying that non-traditional applicants may be allowed depending on the solicitation’s full eligibility language, but that applicants would need to consult the official eligibility section to confirm fit.
Overall, this solicitation is best understood as NSF’s effort to put long-term, community-guided management in place for a national geophysical observing facility that supports cutting-edge Earth science research, education, and operationally critical hazards and monitoring needs, with expectations for strong partnerships, robust user services, and disciplined program and workforce management over a decade-scale horizon.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF 16-546 - Management and Operation of the National Geophysical Observatory for Geoscience (NGEO)
1. What is this NSF funding opportunity about?
This opportunity (NSF 16-546) seeks proposals from organizations that can manage and operate one or more parts of the National Geophysical Observatory for Geoscience (NGEO), which is envisioned as a distributed, multi-user national facility providing geodetic, seismic, and related geophysical instrumentation, services, and operational support.
2. What is NGEO?
NGEO is described as a national-scale, distributed observatory/facility intended to provide reliable, modern geophysical observing capabilities and accessible scientific data to the Earth science research and education communities over long time periods.
3. What is the main purpose of NGEO?
The core purpose is to ensure high-quality observing capabilities and data products that support U.S. national priorities in basic research and education, including the long-term availability of modern instrumentation, services, and operational support needed to deploy and sustain those capabilities.
4. Is NGEO intended only for NSF-funded research?
No. The solicitation emphasizes that NGEO is not only for NSF-funded science. It is also positioned to support mission needs of other federal agencies and broader users who depend on these observations and services.
5. Which other federal agencies are mentioned as potential users of NGEO capabilities?
The opportunity explicitly references NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as agencies whose mission needs could be supported by NGEO.
6. What kinds of national mission needs could NGEO support?
Examples listed include global real-time monitoring relevant to earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis; early warning and hazard mitigation; nuclear test ban verification; and precise positioning and timing services.
7. Does NSF expect NGEO to serve non-government users too?
Yes. The posting notes that NGEO capabilities are increasingly important to commercial users and international partners for a widening range of applications.
8. What types of organizations is NSF looking for to operate NGEO?
NSF is seeking organizations capable of managing and operating one or more parts of NGEO. The listing describes eligibility broadly as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which suggests non-traditional applicants may be allowed depending on the full solicitation language.
9. What does it mean that NGEO is "distributed" and "multi-user"?
Based on the description, NGEO is envisioned as a facility made up of multiple components rather than a single centralized operation, and it is intended to serve many users across the research and education community who rely on shared observing capabilities and data.
10. What are the major responsibilities of the managing organization(s)?
Proposals are expected to describe how the operator(s) would meet several expectations, including delivering observing capabilities and data products; supporting NSF-funded, peer-reviewed research and education projects; building education/workforce/outreach programming; developing and maintaining facility capabilities and instrumentation/services over time; recruiting and developing a skilled and diverse workforce; and forming partnerships across academia, industry, private organizations, other federal agencies, and international collaborators.
11. What is meant by "observing capabilities" and "scientific data products" in this context?
The solicitation frames NGEO as providing geodetic, seismic, and related geophysical instrumentation and services, along with the operational support to deploy and sustain them, and producing scientific data products that are accessible and usable for researchers and educators over long time periods.
12. How important is community input and oversight in NGEO operations?
It is central to the model described. NSF expects the operator(s) to work closely with NSF and the broader scientific community, and to run a coherent and inclusive program guided by community input and oversight so capabilities remain aligned with frontier research and evolving priorities.
13. What balance does NSF expect between stable operations and modernization?
The operator is expected to balance stable operations and service delivery with continuous improvement, ensuring NGEO remains scientifically relevant and broadly accessible.
14. What kinds of user support are expected?
The posting indicates that successful management is not only technical operations; it also includes user support, training, community engagement, and long-term stewardship to enable multi-user research and education.
15. What is expected regarding education, workforce development, and outreach?
Proposing institutions are asked to build an integrated education, workforce development, and outreach program as part of their operational plan for NGEO.
16. What is expected regarding workforce staffing?
The operator(s) would be expected to recruit, manage, and develop a skilled and diverse workforce to carry out the work of operating and sustaining NGEO capabilities.
17. Are partnerships a required part of the proposed approach?
Yes. The solicitation calls for forming appropriate partnerships across universities, industry, private organizations, other federal agencies, and the international community to strengthen the NGEO mission.
18. What funding mechanism does NSF anticipate using?
NSF anticipates cooperative agreements rather than a standard grant relationship, indicating substantial NSF involvement in oversight, coordination, and performance management consistent with operating a national-scale facility.
19. Could there be more than one awardee or more than one agreement?
Yes. NSF notes the possibility of multiple cooperative agreements, or a master cooperative agreement paired with cooperative support agreements, reflecting the idea that NGEO could be managed as a set of components.
20. How many awards does NSF anticipate making?
NSF anticipated up to about five awards, according to the information provided.
21. What is the expected period of performance?
Awards were expected to begin on October 1, 2018, with a duration of up to ten years, with continuation contingent on funding availability and strong performance.
22. How will performance be evaluated over a decade-scale award?
Continuation is described as depending on funding availability and strong performance, with comprehensive external reviews used to assess both the awardee(s) and the overall success of the facility.
23. Is transition planning from the existing management model required?
Yes. NSF highlights the need for transition planning. If a transition is needed, the awardee(s) would be responsible for defining and executing a budgeted, scheduled, and tracked project plan to manage the change while maintaining continuity of operations.
24. Is there a transition award phase mentioned?
Yes. The solicitation describes a transition award phase starting on or after April 1, 2018, and ending no later than 12 months later.
25. What is the proposal due date listed for this opportunity?
The original and current proposal due date listed is December 30, 2016.
26. What is the opportunity number and category classification?
The opportunity number is NSF 16-546. It is classified as a discretionary opportunity in the science and technology R&D category.
27. What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 47.050.
28. Is an award ceiling specified?
No specific award ceiling is provided in the information given (the exact ceiling is not specified in the provided listing).
29. What does NSF say about coordination with NSF during the award?
Because NSF anticipates cooperative agreements, the opportunity signals substantial NSF involvement in oversight, coordination, and performance management, and expects awardees to work closely with NSF and the broader community to keep NGEO aligned with evolving scientific priorities.
30. What is the overall goal of this solicitation in plain terms?
It is an effort to put long-term, community-guided management in place for a national geophysical observing facility that supports cutting-edge Earth science research and education, along with operationally critical hazards and monitoring needs, emphasizing partnerships, robust user services, and disciplined long-term program and workforce management.
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