Derek Parks

DOC and NOAA emblems with text "SBIR NOFO FY2023"

NOAA issues FY23 call for Phase I SBIR proposals

Featured Story, Phase I General Info, SBIR News, Small Business Innovation Research, Technology Partnerships Office News / By

Small businesses must submit a Letter of Intent by January 13, 2023 On December 2, 2022 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Phase I Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. NOAA Phase I SBIR awards provide up to $175,000, which funds a six month period of performance for conducting feasibility and proof of concept research. The tentative award start date for the FY23 competition is August 1, 2023.  NOAA encourages proposals from qualified small businesses for highly innovative technologies with strong commercial potential that fit within NOAA’s mission areas.  To be eligible to submit a Phase I application, small businesses must first submit a required Letter of Intent via this form by Friday, January 13, 2023 at 11:59 pm (ET). In response to submission of the Letter of Intent, the NOAA SBIR Program will provide feedback indicating if an application is likely to be nonresponsive to the NOFO. Instructions for submitting the Letter of Intent are available in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Full applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by March 17, 2023 at 11:59 pm (ET). Topics for the NOAA FY 2023 SBIR Phase I solicitation include: 9.1  Extreme Events and Cascading Hazards 9.2  Coastal Resilience 9.3  The Changing Ocean 9.4  Water Availability, Quality, and Risk 9.5  Effects of Space Weather 9.6  Monitoring and Modeling for Climate Change Mitigation Additionally, NOAA gives high priority to proposals developing technologies that integrate any of the NOAA Science & Technology Focus Areas, which include Uncrewed Systems (UxS), Artificial Intelligence, Data and Cloud Computing, ‘Omics, and Citizen Science. NOAA FY23 SBIR Phase I Notice of Funding Opportunity informational webinar: An informational webinar to discuss the Notice of Funding Opportunity and application process for the NOAA FY23 SBIR solicitation will take place on Tuesday, December 13th at 1:00 pm (ET). The webinar will include an overview of the FY23 competition and an opportunity for attendees to ask questions. Questions can be submitted in advance to noaa.sbir@noaa.gov with the subject “NOAA FY23 SBIR NOFO Webinar”. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the NOAA SBIR website.  Register for the webinar by clicking HERE. Key dates: Thursday, December 2, 2022: Notice of Funding Opportunity released Tuesday, December 13, 2022: Informational Webinar Friday, January 13, 2023: Letter of Intent (required) due date Friday, February 10, 2023: Letter of Intent feedback provided Friday, March 17, 2023: Full application due date The NOAA SBIR Program aims to stimulate U.S. economic and business growth through the commercialization of innovative, mission-relevant technologies by investing in small businesses and providing education and support to entrepreneurs throughout the process of researching, developing, and commercializing technologies. For additional information, please visit our website, follow the NOAA Technology Partnerships Office on LinkedIn and Twitter @NOAAinnovate, or contact the NOAA SBIR Program at noaa.sbir@noaa.gov. Media contact: suzi.webster@noaa.gov

Layout of the NO Detection System

Induced Fluorescence NO Detector and Method

NOAA Patented Technologies Available for Licensing / By

US Patent 11,415,859 – Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Patent Licenses Available Background Nitric oxide (NO) is important to radical chemistry in Earth’s atmosphere. In the troposphere the catalytic reaction of NO with the hydroperoxy and organic peroxy radicals NO+RO2/HO2 →NO2 +RO/HO is frequently the rate-limiting step for the production of tropospheric ozone (O3), and causes the buildup of O3 from anthropogenic emissions of NO. Oxidation of NO also results in the formation of nitric acid, and consequently nitrate aerosols and nitrogen deposition. Current research in atmospheric science seek to  understand radical chemistry cycling in low NO regimes. The ability to measure atmospheric NO at very low mixing ratios and with low uncertainty will be crucial to address questions in atmospheric chemistry research and in other fields of research for the foreseeable future. For example, measurement of NO in exhaled human breath is also an important diagnostic of various medical conditions including asthma. Summary of the Invention NOAA has developed a device and method to measure nitric oxide (NO) in the atmosphere with laser induced fluorescence using a fiber laser source to excite NO near 215 nm (A(v’=1) <- X(v’’=0) electronic transition). The technique can distinguish NO isotopologues (14N16O, 15N16O, 14N18O) and can be used to measure the isotope ratios. Nitrogen dioxide can be measured by photolyzing it and measuring the nitric oxide product. The technique uses a light source of sufficient power in the wavelength range of 300-410 nm, and illuminates the sampled gas either in the sampling inlet or in the fluorescence detection cell. The invention can be used to measure NO with very high precision (low part per trillion mixing ratios). Licensing Information NOAA is seeking qualified licensees to manufacture and sell this technology, which has been Patented in the United States.  Interested parties should contact the NOAA TPO at noaa.t2@noaa.gov for more information. 

A satellite image shows Hurricane Florence as it churns through the Atlantic Ocean toward the U.S. East Coast on September 11, 2018

NOAA’s Cooperative R&D Agreements – Supporting Partnerships with the U.S. Private Weather Industry

CRADA Success, Partnerships, Technology Transfer / By

NOAA’s laboratories regularly partner with private sector companies through Cooperative Research and Development Agreements – CRADAs – to conduct work that is mutually beneficial and helps to accomplish the NOAA mission. One area of increasing collaborative activity is in private weather forecasting. A recent article in Grist.org provides a good description of how NOAA’s weather forecasting work overlaps with private industry and how they complement each other. Read the original article: As private weather forecasting takes off, who is left behind?

This rendering shows what the new Viking expedition ships will look like, including the hangar for launching small vessels. Credit: Viking

NOAA teams up with Viking to conduct and share science aboard new Great Lakes expedition voyages

CRADA Success, Featured Story, Partnerships / By

NOAA plans to expand its research in the Great Lakes region as the agency teams up with the travel company Viking to carry scientists aboard new expedition voyages planned to begin in 2022. As part of the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, NOAA scientists will join Viking expeditions in the Great Lakes to conduct research focused on changes in the region’s weather, climate, ecosystems and maritime heritage resources. NOAA scientists will also serve on the Viking Scientific Advisory Committee. Read the Full Story –>  

A before and after satellite showing coastal damage

SBIR Partner Expanding Access to NOAA Data

SBIR News, SBIR Success / By

Geocollaborate Tool is improving situational awareness and decision making across many economic and government sectors We are exposed to a wide variety of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, floods, earthquakes, severe storms, and volcanic eruptions. Natural hazards turn into disasters when lives are lost and livelihoods are damaged or destroyed. Some hazards, whether manmade or natural, become catastrophic disasters or large scale mass casualty events, which bring entire regions to a standstill.