New Cooperative Agreement Awarded

Following a competitive application process, CIFAR has been awarded a new 5-year cooperative agreement as the NOAA Alaska Regional Cooperative Institute, beginning July 1, 2008.

To better reflect the Alaska regional aspect to the new cooperative institute, the acronym CIFAR will now represent the new "Cooperative Institute for Alaska Research" (rather than "Arctic" as in the past).

Under the new agreement CIFAR will have three broad research themes: (1) Ecosystem Studies and Forecasting; (2) Coastal Hazards; and (3) Climate Change and Variability.

Principal Investigators (PIs) are advised that under this new cooperative agreement, all proposals for research funded through CIFAR must contain the elements described on page 8 of the NOAA broad agency announcement. All projects funded under our new cooperative agreement are by definition "new" not "continuing" awards.

Required proposal elements include a brief project summary that covers all relevant project elements, clear research objectives and specific approaches to achieving those objectives, including methods, timelines, and expected outcomes. The research must be relevant to one or more of CIFAR's three research themes, and thus to NOAA's strategic plan.

Progress reports for projects funded during the initial year of the new CIFAR award will be required in March rather than August 2009, and those PIs will be contacted in February 2009 regarding necessary format for those reports.

There are no anticipated announcements of research funding opportunities to be released by CIFAR in FY09.

Further information can be obtained by contacting either John Walsh, Director, or Susan Sugai, Associate Director.