: Education,Training and Capacity Development for Weather, Water and Climate Forecasting (ETCD)

Background
NOAA’s National Weather Service Office of the Chief Learning Officer is soliciting proposals for Education, Training, and Capacity Development (ETCD) for Weather, Water, and Climate Forecasting. The ETCD program’s goal is to improve performance of all operational meteorologists and hydrologists worldwide. Improving human performance for enhanced decision support services is done through collaborative training and education.
ETCD is accomplished through collaboration between operational hydrologists/meteorologists, scientists, and academic staff with expertise across a wide range of environmental, educational, and social and behavioral sciences.

Grant Details
The objective of the Education, Training, and Capacity Development (ETCD) Program is to improve forecast and warning capabilities of the weather, water, and climate communities. This improvement is achieved by addressing human performance improvement activities through collaborative efforts between NOAA, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), other agencies, and universities.
The primary goal of ETCD is to enhance the performance of its workforce, partners, and users. The program priorities include improved region-specific conceptual models for various weather events, improved training for selected developing countries, improved understanding of cloud physics and associated microphysical processes.
Improved forecasts and warnings for severe weather events during tropical cyclones and other extreme weather events are also prioritized. Additionally, improved coordination among interagency partners, academia, and within the NWS on the implementation of the Consumer Option for an Alternative System to Allocate Losses (COASTAL) Act and on the measurement of High Water Marks (HWMs) following a landfalling tropical cyclone.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education; non-profit organizations; for-profit organizations; state, local, tribal or territorial government entities; foreign public entities; foreign organizations; other organizations with a demonstrated capacity to provide training in environmental science or social science research methods; individuals; and domestic or international educational institutions.

Period of Performance
Expected project start date is September 1, 2021.

Grant Value
NOAA anticipates that up to $8,000,000.00 will be available annually. The actual annual funding that the awardee receives may be less than the anticipated amount.