2019 Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP): Understanding Coral Ecosystem Connectivity in the Hawaiian Archipelago | NOAA NOS NCCOS 2019 2005822

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS NCCOS 2019 2005822

The 2019 Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP) opportunity, titled "Understanding Coral Ecosystem Connectivity in the Hawaiian Archipelago," is a NOAA-led competitive funding announcement focused on improving scientific understanding of how key species within Hawaiis mesophotic coral ecosystems are connected across the region. Mesophotic coral ecosystems generally occur at deeper depths than many well-studied shallow reefs, and they remain relatively poorly understood in terms of how organisms move, disperse, reproduce, and maintain populations across islands and habitat patches. NOAA is seeking a research project that can clarify population connectivity for important mesophotic species in the Hawaiian Archipelago and translate that knowledge into better decision-making for conservation and management.

This solicitation is issued by the Department of Commerce through NOAA, specifically the National Ocean Service (NOS) and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Competitive Research Program. It is being offered in partnership with NOAAs Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, signaling that the work is expected to have both applied management value (such as supporting sanctuary or protected-area planning) and strong exploration and research components suited to deep reef environments. The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial federal involvement during the project period compared to a standard grant, often through coordination, shared planning, data integration, or alignment with NOAA program needs.

The core purpose of the project is to produce information that resource managers can use to proactively develop strategies to manage and protect mesophotic coral ecosystems. In practice, this means the research is expected to go beyond basic ecological description and instead generate actionable insights about regional ecosystem connectivity. Connectivity information can inform questions such as whether certain reefs act as larval sources for others, whether populations are isolated or linked across the archipelago, how resilient different areas may be to disturbance, and which locations might be especially important to protect to sustain broader ecosystem health.

The opportunity anticipated supporting a single award. The planned period of performance could extend up to five years, reflecting the complexity of conducting fieldwork and analysis in deeper coral ecosystems and the time needed to build robust connectivity assessments. The budget was described as an approximate annual amount up to $1,000,000, with the overall award spanning multiple years depending on appropriations and project design. The announcement explicitly notes that funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2019 federal appropriations, meaning the agency intended to fund the project if and when Congress appropriated the relevant funds.

Key administrative details include the funding opportunity number NOAA NOS NCCOS 2019 2005822 and the CFDA number 11.478. The opportunity category is discretionary, and the funding activity aligns with environment, natural resources, and science and technology research and development. The posting (creation) date was October 18, 2018, and the original closing date for submissions was January 31, 2019. Eligibility was listed broadly as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in the full eligibility text of the announcement, implying that applicants likely needed to consult the full notice to confirm whether universities, nonprofits, state or territorial entities, tribal organizations, or other research institutions were included and under what conditions.

Overall, this REPP solicitation aimed to fund one substantial, multi-year research effort that advances understanding of how mesophotic coral ecosystem species are connected across the Hawaiian Archipelago, producing knowledge that directly supports improved, forward-looking management and protection of these deeper, understudied coral systems.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2019 Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP): Understanding Coral Ecosystem Connectivity in the Hawaiian Archipelago" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.478.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 18, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 31, 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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NOS NCCOS 2019 2005822

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