Opportunity Information: Apply for 19 602
The Oceanographic Facilities and Equipment Support opportunity is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant program run through the Integrative Programs Section (IPS) in the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) within the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO). Its central purpose is to keep major oceanographic platforms and related equipment available, capable, and safe for broad shared use by the federally funded ocean science and education community. Rather than funding a single research group or a one-off project asset, the program is aimed at facilities that multiple investigators can access across a wide range of NSF-supported (and often other federally supported) research and training efforts in ocean, coastal, near-shore, and Great Lakes environments.
A key theme in the solicitation is cost-sharing through mixed support streams. Many of the ships, facilities, and equipment covered by these awards receive partial support from other federal agencies as well as state and local governments and private sources. Cost recovery is often handled proportionally through daily user rates or similar mechanisms. Even with these other contributions, NSF funding is intended to ensure that the community has dependable access to the right platforms and infrastructure to carry out federally funded work. By contrast, facilities or instruments meant for just one investigator or a small set of investigators are expected to be requested through standard research programs, not through this IPS facilities-focused solicitation.
The solicitation is organized into several distinct program areas, each covering a different slice of facility operations or capability enhancement. Ship Operations (Ship Ops) supports the operation and maintenance of vessels in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF). Allowable expenses are the practical, day-to-day costs required to run a research vessel, including crew and marine operations staff salaries and benefits; minor or expendable equipment; maintenance, overhaul, and repairs; insurance; and direct operating costs such as fuel, food, supplies, travel, and pilot/agent fees. Shore-side support is only covered when it directly supports ship operations. A firm requirement is that Ship Ops requests must be directly attributable to NSF-sponsored science, meaning the operating support needs to map clearly to NSF-funded research use.
Oceanographic Technical Services (Tech Services) funds the technical and logistical backbone that enables efficient, high-quality science at sea, especially on research vessels. This includes quality assurance, scheduling and coordination of technical support, logistical assistance, and at-sea supervision of shared-use instrumentation and equipment used by visiting science teams. The program also provides baseline operational support for University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) equipment pools, including wire, vans, and winches. Typical supported costs include technical staff salaries and related expenses, maintenance and calibration of sensors and instrumentation, and associated travel. As with Ship Ops, requests must be directly attributable to NSF-sponsored science. The solicitation also draws a boundary around what belongs in Tech Services versus other tracks: except for the wire pool, new or replacement capital equipment is generally routed to the Shipboard Scientific Support Equipment program so it can be reviewed in a panel context.
Oceanographic Instrumentation (OI) focuses on shared-use scientific instrumentation that expands or improves the data-collection and analysis capabilities of seagoing research projects, primarily those using research vessels. The emphasis is on equipment that can serve multiple projects over time, not specialized gear for a single cruise or lab. Examples of typical OI-supported instrumentation include sensors, acoustic systems, data loggers, water sampling rosettes, biological net systems, coring equipment, and auto-analyzers. In practice, OI proposals are often submitted by an institution's technical services manager, reflecting that these instruments are managed and maintained as shared resources for many users.
Shipboard Scientific Support Equipment (SSSE) is aimed at vessel outfitting and major science-support systems that improve safety and enable oceanographic research operations. SSSE can cover new permanent or portable equipment needed for research, as well as overhaul of equipment previously funded under SSSE. Examples include science handling systems (such as winches, A-frames, cranes, and related deck systems), navigation and communications equipment, and safety or regulatory compliance items. This is also where requests for new capital equipment for the winch pool or van pool are directed. SSSE proposals are typically submitted by the institution's Marine Superintendent (or equivalent), aligned with the operational leadership that oversees ship readiness and compliance. The solicitation explicitly notes why SSSE and OI remain separate: organizational responsibilities differ across the fleet, and SSSE requests are typically much larger in cost than OI requests, so separating them helps keep proposals competing against similarly sized requests.
Ship Acquisition and Upgrade (SAU) addresses the largest-scale needs: acquisition, design and construction, major modification (either capability enhancements or service life extensions), or conversion of research vessels. These awards are made periodically and depend on the availability of specifically appropriated funds and interagency coordination tied to broader Academic Research Fleet modernization. The bar for SAU awards is high, requiring strong evidence of community scientific need for a new vessel or major reconditioning of an existing one.
Other Facility Activities (OFA) supports a range of specialized, community-serving facility functions and development activities. Examples cited include operations of specialized facilities like the National Deep Submergence Facility, UNOLS functions, early-career chief scientist training cruises, workshops, and other efforts that enhance facilities or develop new capabilities. The consistent requirement is that projects must focus on shared-use benefits for the ocean science research community rather than narrow, project-specific gains.
Across these programs, compliance with UNOLS Research Vessel Safety Standards (RVSS) is mandatory, and the solicitation indicates this will be specified more fully in award terms and conditions. From an administrative perspective, the opportunity is an NSF discretionary grant under CFDA 47.050, with an award ceiling listed at $8.5 million and an expectation of around 75 awards (as stated in the provided source information). The original closing date shown is December 16, 2019, and eligibility is described broadly in the notice as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced elsewhere in the full solicitation text.Apply for 19 602
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Oceanographic Facilities and Equipment Support" 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 Sep 07, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 16, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $8,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 75 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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