The Climate Program Office (CPO) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the Fiscal Year 2025 Climate Variability and Predictability (CVP) Program competition titled "Tropical Pacific Observing System Equatorial Pacific Experiment-East (TEPEX-E) Field Campaign." This funding opportunity focuses on advancing understanding of climate variability in the eastern equatorial Pacific region through field campaigns, observational studies, modeling, and analysis. The TEPEX-E initiative supports NOAA's goal of improving climate models and predictions to better anticipate the impacts of climate variability and change on society and ecosystems.

A total of $3,000,000 is available for the FY25 competition, subject to Congressional appropriations and facility request schedules. Projects are expected to last up to three years, with funding ranging between $525,000 and $750,000 per award. Proposals requesting amounts outside this range may be considered if justified. The funding instrument will typically be a grant; however, cooperative agreements may be used for projects requiring substantial NOAA involvement. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with NOAA scientists, OAR Laboratories, and Cooperative Institutes.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, non-profits, commercial organizations, international organizations, and state, local, or federally recognized tribal governments. Federal agencies are not eligible to apply. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement for this competition. Proposals must address the TEPEX-E priorities, including improving understanding of eastern equatorial Pacific processes, enhancing observational capabilities, and integrating findings into climate models to support NOAA’s broader climate mission.

The application process involves two steps. Applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to submit a letter of intent (LOI) by October 1, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. LOIs provide NOAA with an opportunity to assess the relevance of the proposed project and guide applicants in preparing full proposals. Full applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by January 17, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Required elements include a title page, abstract, project narrative, results from prior research, a data-sharing plan, a statement on diversity and inclusion, and a detailed budget with justification. Proposals with multiple investigators or institutions must ensure consistency across submissions.

Applications will undergo a two-stage review process. In stage one, independent peer reviewers will evaluate proposals based on technical merit, applicant qualifications, and budget appropriateness. Proposals scoring 3.0 or higher (out of 5) will proceed to stage two, where a separate panel will assess the relevance of the project to NOAA’s goals. Final scores will combine results from both stages, with technical merit carrying the most weight. NOAA reserves the right to select proposals out of rank order based on factors such as geographic distribution, research priorities, and applicant performance on prior awards.

Successful applicants will receive notification from a NOAA Grants Officer, and projects are expected to begin by September 1, 2025. Award recipients must comply with NOAA's administrative and reporting requirements, including submitting semi-annual performance and financial reports. Projects must include a data-sharing plan that ensures environmental data is accessible to the public and aligns with NOAA’s data management policies. Additionally, proposals must address diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) to demonstrate efforts to broaden participation of underrepresented groups in climate research.