The NOAA Weather Program Office (WPO) invites proposals for the FY2025 Air Quality Research and Forecasting (AQRF) program, aimed at advancing research and development in air quality forecasting systems. With an annual budget of approximately $1.05 million, the program anticipates funding about three projects, each capped at $350,000 per year for up to three years. This initiative seeks to support improvements in air quality prediction models, emissions data assimilation, and computational efficiency, addressing ongoing challenges due to pollutants like wildland fire smoke, surface ozone, and particulate matter (PM2.5) in regions across the United States.

The AQRF program focuses on advancing NOAA’s National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC) through various key research areas. These include the development of high-resolution air quality forecasting (1-3 km grid) aligned with NOAA’s weather models and enhancements in pollutant emission datasets, especially for complex terrains, urban areas, and coastal regions. Research priorities for applicants include (1) integrating high-resolution, two-way coupled atmospheric models; (2) advancing pollutant emission and meteorological data assimilation; (3) leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for computational efficiency; (4) exploring ensemble models and post-processing techniques for better predictive capability; and (5) improving verification methods to ensure forecast quality standards.

Eligibility is open to public and private U.S. institutions, including universities, non-profits, state, local, and tribal governments. Federal institutions are eligible to collaborate but cannot receive direct funding. Applicants must complete registration with SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons before submission, which can take up to six weeks. While Letters of Intent (LOIs) are encouraged by October 2, 2024, they are not mandatory for submitting a full application. Full applications are due by December 2, 2024, with project selections expected by June 2025, and projects slated to start in August 2025.

Proposals should contain a detailed project narrative, including objectives, methodology, anticipated outcomes, and a budget justification. Supplementary materials such as a data management plan and, if relevant, a software management plan, are required to support the project’s alignment with NOAA’s commitment to open-source and public data access. Applicants are encouraged to outline how their projects support NOAA's diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) goals and engage underserved communities or institutions.

Evaluation criteria focus on project relevance, technical and scientific merit, qualifications of the project team, cost-effectiveness, and DEIA engagement. Additional points are awarded for projects that demonstrate an innovative approach to data management and software sharing. Selected projects will be required to submit semi-annual progress reports and a final report, sharing results and data with the public as per NOAA’s open data policies.

NOAA encourages awardees to enhance program visibility by sharing project progress through public platforms, educational outreach, and knowledge-sharing activities. Compliance with NOAA’s policies on harassment and workplace conduct, as well as adherence to Section 508 accessibility standards, are required.