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From the Director:

Dear Ocean Observing and Accelerator Communities,

Welcome! This quarterly newsletter shares opportunities and efforts to accelerate the growth of ocean enterprise and the blue economy. 

NOAA has been working diligently with our partners to actively support the ocean enterprise and blue economy by growing and disseminating our ocean observations and working with our partners to build tools and services that address societal needs. This season I have enjoyed discussing these efforts at OCEANS 2024 Halifax, Ocean Biodiversity TechSurge Conference, and UG2 Workshop ’24.

IOOS is also working closely with Phase 1 awardees of the Ocean-Based Climate Resilience Accelerators program as they scope out their Phase 2 efforts. We are working to finalize plans and initial activities, with a focus on announcing Phase 2 funding recipients in December 2024. IOOS has been impressed with the skill, dedication, creativity, and expertise that the Phase 1 awardees have shown, and we are excited to see where Phase 2 takes us.

In December, I’m looking forward to the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Fall Meeting in Washington, DC including the ‘Ocean Enterprise and Weather Enterprise Collaboration Towards Improving Forecast Skill’ Town Hall where panelists will explore ways to further evolve connections between the Ocean and Weather Enterprises in the delivery of improved weather forecasts and climate projections in support of coastal resilience and the Blue Economy. 


Warmly,

Carl C. Gouldman
Director
NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Office

ANNOUNCEMENT

Memorandum of Understanding between NOAA and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster

At the OCEANS 2024 conference in Halifax, NS, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS) signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) “To Collaborate On Technical Cooperation And Strengthening Coordination For Blue Economy Activities.” 

With shared borders spanning three oceans and the Great Lakes, close collaboration between ocean industries in the U.S. and Canada is imperative. Formalizing the relationship between OSC and NOAA means improving the coordination around joint objectives including convening industry, academia and governments to develop greater connections in both countries, sharing knowledge and technical information, and collectively supporting ocean workforce development. 

This MOU formalizes NOS-OSC’s collaboration and advances shared priorities in the sustainable development of the ocean economy. Through this agreement, NOS and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster will work to convene engagements to develop connections, share knowledge and exchange technological information, and focus on workforce development to expand and strengthen the Ocean Enterprise. The establishment of this cross-border relationship with one of Canada’s largest private industry organizations working in and with ocean technology is a positive step toward growth in the Ocean Enterprise. With this MOU, NOS hopes to further encourage collaboration and cooperation with the Supercluster, opening up new pathways for information exchange, workforce development, and technological advancement.

“From tackling climate challenges to transition of energy to food security to how we move our goods, the ocean is at the heart of addressing some of the biggest shared global challenges we face today, while also creating significant opportunity for workforce development and economic growth in the process,” said Kendra MacDonald, CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. “Today’s formal agreement between Canada’s Ocean Supercluster and NOAA represents a joint commitment to working together in context of this opportunity, increasing collaboration between Canada and the US in the ocean sector, and outcomes with a greater reach than either partner could achieve alone.” 

“We’re excited about this collaboration to join Canada’s Ocean Supercluster in support of the Ocean Enterprise. It’s great to be joining forces across the border with our Canadian colleagues and build upon their proven success working with technology clusters to collectively advance ocean science and technology to meet societal needs.” – Carl Gouldman , NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System Office Director

Across all eight of NOS’s programs, information and services related to oceans and coasts are delivered that contribute significantly to the Ocean Enterprise. By bringing together industry and the public sphere in a shared, collaborative space, we are opening up new and diverse opportunities to advance and grow the Ocean Enterprise and delivering far-reaching societal benefits. More information about the Canada's Ocean Supercluster can be found here, and more information about NOS can be found here.

UPDATE

OCEANS 2024 Halifax

OCEANS is an annual event  presented by The Marine Technology Society and the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society for global marine technologists, engineers, students, government officials, lawyers, and advocates. 

At OCEANS 2024 Halifax, over 2000 thought leaders gathered for four days to highlight relevant topics and current trends while creating a community of learners and influencers who consistently advance research, practices, and policies for the marine field. During the conference, over 500 professionally reviewed technical papers were presented; over 100 exhibitors showcased the latest innovations in products and services; a poster session featured outstanding projects from around the world; and training Sessions, workshops, demonstrations, government listening sessions, and networking opportunities were held to educate participants and support professional development. 

During OCEANS 2024, a new Memorandum of Understanding between NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster was signed by Kendra MacDonald (CEO of Canada Ocean Supercluster), and Carl Gouldman, (Director of the U.S. IOOS Program, on behalf of NOS). This MOU supports collaborations between NOS and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster to convene to develop connections, share knowledge and exchange technological information, and focus on workforce development to expand and strengthen the Ocean Enterprise.

 

Carl Gouldman also spoke at the panel, ‘The Impact of Public Sector Policy on Ocean Technology Innovation,’ alongside Paul Snelgrove (Science Advisor to the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans), Ken Paul (former Fisheries and Oceans Advisor to the Assembly of First Nations), and Justin Manley (MTS President and Founder Just Innovation, Inc.). Panelists spoke to: (1) how the public sector policy supports innovation in ocean technology; (2) sustainable development of the ocean enterprise; (3) the challenges of government budgetary cycles and complexities; (4) and fostering communities of practice to bring together developers, scientists, investors, stakeholders, decision makers, and local communities.

UPDATE

UG2 Workshop ’24

UG2 Workshop ‘24 brought together the global underwater glider community from across the private, public, and academic sectors to strengthen international collaboration through community dialogue, exchanges of information, sharing of experiences, and development of best practices to support the underwater glider community. Read More → 

UPDATE

Ocean Biodiversity TechSurge Conference

Led by the Marine Technology Society (MTS), National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON), this event focused on technologies to address biodiversity loss and market drivers to aggregate supply. Read More →

UPDATE

Climate Week NYC 2024

Climate Week NYC, the biggest annual climate event of its kind, takes place in partnership with the Climate Group and United Nations General Assembly and is run in coordination with the United Nations and the City of New York. Climate Week NYC creates a platform for some 600 events to drive climate action forward by those at the very top of business and politics, artists, and activists. Speakers included Ali Zaidi (Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor, The White House), Ben Jealous (Executive Director, Sierra Club), Blair Swedeen (Global Head of Net Zero and Sustainability, Meta Platforms, Inc.) Brenda Mallory (Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality), U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Celeste Saulo (Secretary General, WMO), Espen Barth Eide (Foreign Minister, Norway), the Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern (Former Prime Minister of New Zealand), and Governor Jay Inslee (D-Washington). Read More →

OPEN FEDERAL OPPORTUNITIES

FUNDING

  • NOAA: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Tribal Engagement in Regional Ocean Partnership Priorities. Funding encourages or enhances tribal engagement or participation with existing Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs); proposals must: (1) support tribal activities aligned with ROP priorities; (2) provide opportunities for tribes to work together to define intertribal ocean and coastal management priorities and identify alignment and intersection with ROP priorities; enhance or create capacity for tribes to engage with and in ROP activities); (4) support the development of partnerships or engagement between a tribal government and a ROP in the management of ocean and coastal resources; and/or (5) increase consideration and inclusion of tribal information and knowledge (as appropriate) in regional data portals, enhance tribes’ ability to access data developed by ROPs, or to inform which data and tools are available in regional data portals. Closing date: October 31, 2024.
  • NOAA: Fisheries Citizen Science Funding Opportunity. Funding citizen science projects that can help support federal fisheries stock assessments and climate-ready fisheries management. Funding will prioritize projects that: provide information that can supplement and/or inform stock assessments or increase understanding of current and/or future impacts of climate change on fish stocks and/or fishing communities. Closing date: November 4, 2024.
  • NOAA Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessments for Ocean and Coastal Acidification. The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program is requesting proposals for collaborative projects that synthesize ocean and coastal acidification information at a regional scale. This announcement specifically addresses priorities for how ocean and coastal acidification - in the context of changing ocean conditions - affects dependent human communities (the human dimensions of ocean and coastal acidification). Closing date: December 2, 2024.
  • NOAA: Leveraging Uncrewed Systems Data for Climate Applications. Focused on climate risks addressing a suite of urgent climate-driven societal challenges faced by our Nation — including water availability and quality, marine and freshwater ecosystems, coastal changes and inundation, drought and extreme heat and related cascading hazards like wildfire, and air quality, and climate mitigation. Closing date: December 9, 2024.
  • USACE ERDC Broad Agency Announcement. Funding for a Broad Agency Announcement for various research and development topic areas: hydraulics, dredging, coastal engineering, instrumentation, oceanography, remote sensing, geotechnical engineering, earthquake engineering, soil effects, vehicle mobility, self-contained munitions, military engineering, geophysics, pavements, protective structures, aquatic plants, water quality, dredged material, treatment of hazardous waste, wetlands, physical/mechanical/chemical properties of snow and other frozen precipitation, infrastructure and environmental issues for installations, computer science, telecommunications management, energy, facilities maintenance, materials and structures, engineering processes, environmental processes, land and heritage conservation, and ecological processes. Closing date: December 31, 2024.
  • NOAA: FY25 NOAA Marine Debris Removal under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Funding to support impactful, large marine debris removal projects that will improve the resilience of the coastal and marine environment. This competition considers impactful projects to be those that will have long-lasting, transformational benefits to marine and coastal NOAA Trust Resources, coastal communities, and/or local economies. Closing date: January 31, 2025.
  • EDA FY2023 Disaster Supplemental. Awards will help communities and regions devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of non-construction and construction projects  to address economic challenges in areas where a Presidential declaration of a major disaster was issued.Closing date: No submission deadlines.

UPCOMING DATES AND EVENTS