FY 2026 Ocean Technology Transition Program

Request for Applications Description: The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) is a national and regional partnership working to provide ocean, coastal and Great Lakes observations, data, tools, and forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect our environment. To increase observational and technical capabilities we need smart investments to innovate sensors, data management, decision support products, and other technical capabilities that will improve our ability to monitor and forecast environmental conditions with greater efficiency. The primary objective of IOOS’ Ocean Technology Transition Project (OTT) is to reduce the Research to Operations/Commercialization transition period for ocean observing, product development, and data management technologies for the ocean, coastal and Great Lakes. The term ‘Technologies’ includes: ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes sensors, information technology (data management, data visualization), platform enhancement, and technology modernization efforts.

This objective is accomplished by investing in the transition of emerging and promising marine and Great Lakes observing technological capabilities from the mid to latter phases of research into operational status. Earlier technical development is supported by programs such as the NOAA Ocean Enterprise Accelerators [https://ioos.noaa.gov/ioos-in-action/accelerators/].

The U.S. IOOS Office is seeking to fund projects, subject to the availability of funds, which advance new or existing technology-based solutions that address long standing and emerging coastal observing, product development, and data management challenges. The projects will be focused on those technologies for which there are demonstrated operators or customers who commit to integrated, long term use of those technologies and open data sharing. A Transition Manager for the project should be identified and a Transition Plan will be a Year One deliverable.

Funding will be targeted to technologies that are sufficiently mature for long term operations. This announcement specifically funds activities needed to progress these technologies through the transitional stages between research and full operations such as system integration, testing, validation, and verification. Funding will not be awarded to continue projects previously funded through the Ocean Technology Transition Program.

In FY 2026-2029, it is estimated that up to $7.5 million will be available from the U.S. IOOS Office for this competition. Multiple awards are anticipated, subject to availability of funds, in amounts up to $400,000 per year for up to three years. Proposals not funded in the current fiscal period (Fiscal Year 2026) may be considered for funding in the next fiscal period (Fiscal Year 2027) without NOAA repeating the competitive process outlined in this announcement.