NOAA Aims to Improve Research Partnerships to Achieve Five-Year Goals

Earlier this month, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their five-year plan for R&D activities that align with the agency's long-term goals within a rapidly changing society and environment. The plan, entitled Research and Development at NOAA: Environmental Understanding to Ensure America's Vital and Sustainable Future, calls for expanding socioeconomic and integrated ecosystems research and improving its internal and external technology development partnerships. NOAA offers guidance to stakeholders concerning the agency's specific research objectives and plans for effective R&D management practices. Click here for access to the plan...

In recent years, R&D accounted for 12 to 17 percent of the NOAA's total agency budget, more than the 11 percent average for non-defense related agencies. Moving forward, the agency is shifting its focus to address societal challenges like population growth, migration, climate change, and changing water supply. The majority of the plan is composed of general goals that NOAA hopes to achieve to better the global society and environment, and enterprise objectives or desired outcomes for the agency specifically, including: climate adaptation and mitigation, a weather ready nation, healthy oceans, resilient coastal communities and economies; stakeholder engagement, accurate and reliable data, and an integrated environmental modeling system. Efforts in climate adaptation and mitigation receive the largest investment when compared to other agency goals.

Earlier this year, NOAA's Science Advisory Board published an assessment of the agency's portfolio and management of its R&D efforts. Based on surveys conducted by an agency task force, many participants felt that there are research areas that are not adequately represented in the agency's long-term goals. Respondents noted that research often is not focused on the agency's long-term goals and that there is a need for a more effective social science R&D effort. They also pointed to a need for operational improvement within the agency in regards to internal and external communication, funding continuity for long-term projects, and increased agency flexibility.

In addition to recommending agency expansion in underrepresented topic areas, the advisory board also pushes for changes to the organization and management of the agency's R&D strategy to foster flexibility and achieve its long-term R&D goals. In particular, the advisory board recommends that NOAA should:

• Expand its capacity in the socioeconomic and integrated ecosystem sciences;
• Emphasize, highlight, and provide incentives to support the seamless integration of research and services in both its Research to Operations (R2O) and Operations to Research (O2R) enterprises;
• Work in partnership with its Science Advisory Board to form a scientific task force to review existing observing capabilities, examine options for more cost-effective observation and data sharing strategies, and discuss evolving needs and sustainable approaches for new observations and technologies;
• Enhance the responsibilities and authorities of the chief scientist position to provide the tools to ensure that the total R&D effort of NOAA is efficiently implemented and aligned with the agency's strategic priorities;
• Maintain a strong and productive internal scientific staff in its laboratories and centers;
• Assess the Cooperative Institutes in terms of their scientific focus, funding and staffing levels to ensure that they have sufficient support to adequately leverage agency investments and align with agency priorities;
• Critically examine its distribution of R&D funds and allocation of scientific staff within the agency to better align with the Next Generation Strategic Plan;
• Capitalize on the support and skills of the extramural research community by developing carefully targeted initiatives that meet the needs of the Next Generation Strategic plan, that are stable and consistent over time to enable year to year planning, and that ensure the rsults are integrated into NOAA's operations;
• Make the most of its existing talent and find ways to accelerate and enhance learning and professional development of that talent in light of the current federal budget situation; and
• Work closely with the Department of Commerce, the OMB, and with Congress to create ways to manage its R&D funds more flexibly and efficiently and to implement its new research priorities over a period of several years.

Click here to view the NOAA Science and Advisory Board's assessment . . .