33 U.S.C. § 893 — Ocean and atmospheric research and development program

to identify emerging and innovative research and development priorities to enhance United States competitiveness, support development of new economic opportunities based on NOAA research, observations, monitoring modeling, and predictions that sustain ecosystem services;

to promote United States leadership in oceanic and atmospheric science and competitiveness in the applied uses of such knowledge, including for the development and expansion of economic opportunities; and

to advance ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric research and development, including potentially transformational research, in collaboration with other relevant Federal agencies, academic institutions, the private sector, and nongovernmental programs, consistent with NOAA’s mission to understand, observe, and model the Earth’s atmosphere and biosphere, including the oceans, in an integrated manner.

define “transformational research”;

identify emerging and innovative areas of research and development where transformational research has the potential to make significant and revolutionary – 1 advancements in both understanding and U.S. science leadership;

describe how transformational research priorities are identified and appropriately – ¹ balanced in the context of NOAA’s broader research portfolio;

describe NOAA’s plan for developing a competitive peer review and priority-setting – ¹ process, funding mechanisms, performance and evaluation measures, and transition-to-operation guidelines for transformational research; and

describe partnerships with other agencies involved in transformational research.