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MAPP PI Handbook

This information preempts the reporting information below. A new, standardized and expanded set of information and metadata about your project is being required by the Department of Commerce, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget. Some pieces of information are similar to what you have provided to us before; many pieces are new. The most important difference is that your progress report requirement is no longer satisfied by submitting a PDF to us via Grants Online. It is now satisfied by you, or your sponsored programs representative, submitting responses to a series of form field questions in Grants Online. The consolidated questions are shown here. A guide to how to navigate this process in Grants Online is available here. One reporting element this new process heedlessly eliminates is the ability to easily submit figures, which are very important to our ability to understand and communicate about your report. We ask that you use the attachment feature in the report submission form to send us a document (pdf or word) containing figures and captions to help understand your work. You may reference the figures in your report narratives typed into the form, as you would in a traditional report. We will communicate soon regarding what Federal award recipients, whose awards are not managed through Grants Online, should do to continue reporting progress to us. The process for reporting journal articles and requesting no-cost extensions remains the same.

This document describes the process of maintaining your MAPP award, including guidance for submitting your annual or final reports, information about requesting a no-cost extension on your project, and requests regarding journal publications produced as a result of your research project.

All recipients of MAPP funding are expected to submit annual and final reports documenting research progress and achievements. These reports should include identification information about the project, research results and accomplishments for the previous year only (unless submitting a final report), resulting publications, next-year budget, and future work. Please follow the guidance below to ensure your work is duly represented as part of the MAPP program.

Annual Reports

  • Submit one report inclusive of entire project team’s activity organized by the lead PI; co-PIs submit identical report to grants online; non grant recipients (e.g., BOPs, IATs) do not need to send report if activity is reported through main report organized by lead PI
  • Send e-mail to oar.cpo.mapp@noaa.gov in addition to submitting to Grants Online, if project is a grant
  • Follow report preparation and submission guidance in section 1 “Annual Reporting”
    • Include bulleted list of accomplishments
  • Name report file with following convention: PIname_GC#_FY19
  • Read through guidance in section 5 “Frequently Asked Questions” before contacting program staff

Final Reports

  • Each individual co-investigator, regardless of grant/BOP/IAT, should submit a final, cumulative report that specifically describes their institution’s contribution to the project.

NO-COST EXTENSION REQUESTS

  • For Grants, submit no-cost extension (NCE) request >30 days before project expiration; choose “prior approval waived” if first NCE; choose “prior approval required” if second NCE

HIGH-IMPACT PUBLICATION REPORTS

Due dates for annual reports are specified in the email that was sent out. The dates may not be exact for grants; dates posted in Grants Online are regarded as official.

For All MAPP Awards:

See Report Preparation and Submission Guidelines (below) for instructions on how to prepare and submit your report. The lead PI is responsible for sending a report on behalf of all project collaborators to oar.cpo.mapp@noaa.gov. If there are any issues with the information in the table, please send an email to oar.cpo.mapp@noaa.gov. For grants, please note the grant ID # (NA…) in the subject line of your e-mail. Please note that final reports will be posted on the public-facing MAPP website.

For Grants:

In addition to emailing their report to the Program Managers, grantees MUST also submit their report via the NOAA Grants Online system. The Program Manager cannot approve your continuation of funding without the Grants Online report submission and approval. The Grants Online System will send an automated report request to a representative at the grant recipient organization 30 days before the official due date (note: Grants Online due dates may differ slightly from those in the table included here; please consider the Grants Online due dates as official). Delinquent reports are grounds for action against the recipient.

Report Preparation and Submission Guidelines

The report should be one single file (pdf or word) with the following naming convention: PIname_GC#_reportyear
When emailing the report, please state PI name, GC# and Report Year in the subject line. The GC#, which is an internal tracking identifier, can be used to help you identify various parts of one project:

GC18-432d
Proposal number (only one per project)
Project component (one per funded co-investigator; in this case, there would also be parts a, b, and c, and perhaps more)

Your report must include each of the following elements. Please use the provided template, which provides additional explanation of the content sections.

  1. Header
  2. Main goals of the project, as outlined in the funded proposal
  3. Results and Accomplishments Lead PIs of projects involving multiple investigators should consolidate reports from contributing PIs and submit a single report for the project.
  4. Highlights of Accomplishments
  5. Transitions to Operations – describe any developments that have transitioned into operational or applied use
  6. Estimate of current technical readiness level of work (see section 6, below)
  7. Publications from the Project
  8. High Performance Computing use
  9. PI Contact Information
  10. Budget for Coming Year (annual progress reports only)
  11. Future Work (annual progress reports only)

All of the guidance in section 1. Annual Reporting applies; however, each individual investigator should submit their own final report summarizing their own institution’s work on the project for the entirety of the project’s lifetime.

The lead PI should include in their institution’s final report a paragraph summarizing the cumulative net outcomes and impacts of the project, as of the writing of the report. Some components of the project may not be finished — thus, this statement should cover the cumulative outcomes of the project as of the writing of the final report by the lead PI.

Acknowledgements

We request that you acknowledge MAPP program support (including the award number, if applicable) in all publications supported by MAPP. A suggested statement: “This study was supported by NOAA’s Climate Program Office’s Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections program.” You should include the grant #, if applicable. We also request that you acknowledge your participation in any of MAPP’s Task Forces. If work in your journal article leveraged High Performance Computing support you receive from NOAA via MAPP, please acknowledge this, as well.

Publication notice

Navigate to the publication notification page to send us information when ANY papers supported through your MAPP award are accepted for publication (within 2 weeks of acceptance).

Prior notice for major papers and events

Send MAPP program management (oar.cpo.mapp@noaa.gov) notice of upcoming major papers (and press releases) for MAPP funded work 2-3 weeks prior to their publication date (this is intended for major findings or papers in journals like Science, Nature, etc.). Such publications will be promoted to NOAA leadership and in some cases, to Department of Commerce or Executive Branch offices.

Also give us prior notice for any other major events of relevance to your MAPP project (special sessions/meetings that you are convening, special issues that will appear, etc.) that demonstrate your MAPP work and accomplishments.

If we receive prior notice we are able to alert CPO and OAR communication offices in a way that ensures maximum coverage for your papers/events. Also, please let us know if your work/event receives news coverage so we can highlight such coverage on the MAPP web page.

If your project is in its final year, it is your organization’s responsibility to ensure the funds are utilized before the end of the project. If funds will not be utilized before the project’s expiration, a no-cost extension to finish planned work may be requested. A “No-Cost Extension” request must be submitted 30 days prior the end of the project — no exceptions or extensions are possible if submitted past this deadline, and funds will be permanently de-obligated after this period. Each co-investigator is responsible for requesting their own no-cost extension; the lead PI cannot request one on behalf of the entire team. The request should include a progress report and financial spending plan for the leftover funds. For grants, this request MUST be submitted through the Grants Online System before the deadline. Grants Online will not approve No Cost Extension requests submitted outside of this window.

Failing to correctly submit a No-Cost Extension request will result in the expiration of the award and the closure of any leftover funds by NOAA’s Grants Management Division. For all awards, also send the request directly to the responsible Program Manager. A second no-cost extension may be granted in view of exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Program Managers. If you are requesting the grant’s first no-cost extension, select the “prior approval waived” option in Grants Online. If you are requesting a second no-cost extension, select the “prior approval required” option.

This informal guidance regarding administrative issues is based on program management’s past experience. However, NOAA’s current rules and regulations and special award conditions will take precedence if different from what is stated in this document.

General

I am having trouble accessing my Grants Online account or performing actions on this account; whom should I contact?

You should call the Grants Online Help Desk at 1-877-662-2478 or e-mail them at grantsonline.helpdesk@noaa.gov.

I need to re-budget some of the costs for my award; whom should I contact?

For grants, you should submit an award action request (AAR) through Grants Online to rebudget. This request should include a new budget table, a new budget description, and a letter explaining the need for and nature of the budgetary change and a statement ensuring that the rebudgeting will help and not interfere with the team meeting the project’s objectives.

How do I know if my award is a grant?

If you have a Grant # in the MAPP Projects Reports Table at the end of this document, your award is a grant that needs to be handled through the Grants Online System.

Reports

Do I really have to submit a report, and if yes, what’s the exact process?

Yes, anyone who receives funding from the MAPP program, whether they are federal or non-federal staff, must submit a report on annual accomplishments. Note that all report requirements including formatting and content, described elsewhere in this document, pertain to all of the following. Here are the explicit submission process expectations:
  • If you are a federal project lead -- It is your responsibility to submit a comprehensive report covering your and any related co-investigators work to oar.cpo.mapp@noaa.gov.
  • If you are a non-federal project lead -- It is your responsibility to submit a comprehensive report covering your and any related co-investigators work to Grants Online and also to send that report to oar.cpo.mapp@noaa.gov.
  • If you are a federal co-investigator (but not project lead) -- It is your responsibility to contribute to the report the lead investigator is preparing for the project. You do not have to submit a report to Grants Online or by e-mail.
  • If you are a non-federal co-investigator (but not the project lead) -- It is your responsibility to contribute to the report the lead investigator is preparing for the project, and to submit that identical report to Grants Online to fulfill your reporting requirements. You do not have to submit the report by e-mail.

I have questions regarding how to prepare and submit my progress report, due dates or any other information in the table; whom should I contact?

You should send an email to oar.cpo.mapp@noaa.gov.

My award is a grant. How many progress reports should I expect to submit?

Generally, for 3-year grants there is a first progress report 9 months after the start of the project, a second year progress report 12 months after that, and a third progress report 12 months later. A Final Comprehensive report is due 3 months after the end of the project. This may be different for particular awards.

What happens if I don’t submit a report for my grant?

Grants Online will continue to send emails regarding your report notifying all relevant parties in your organization and at NOAA that your report is delinquent and your funding continuation will not be processed.

A report that is never submitted is subject to enforcement action by NOAA and may impact the eligibility of your institution to receive future funding.

My project is funded through a Cooperative Institute (CI); do I still need to submit a report directly to the MAPP program?

Yes, we ask that you submit a report according to the instructions in this document in addition to any report prepared for your respective CI, following any special award condition requirements.

Continuation of Funding and requesting No-cost Extensions

I have submitted my report but I still have not received continuation of funding for my project; whom should I contact regarding my funding?

After you submit your progress report, it may still take several months for the funding to arrive at your institution. You can contact Diane Brown (diane.brown@noaa.gov) for information regarding the status of funding for your project.

I asked for a no-cost extension before the deadline. This was approved, but I still don’t see a change in the project duration in Grants Online; why is that?

There may be a lag between the no-cost extension approval and the change in the final date of the project in the Grants Online System. Ask the program manager responsible for your award to double check that the no-cost extension has indeed been approved and if so, just wait for it to appear in Grants Online. You can also call the Grants Online help desk with questions.

I asked for a no-cost extension after the deadline; is this likely to be approved?

No, no-cost extension requests that are made after the prior 30-day deadline will not be approved.

MAPP Staff

To email the entire MAPP staff use: oar.cpo.mapp@noaa.gov
Annarita Mariotti (Program Director), annarita.mariotti@noaa.gov
Dan Barrie (Program Manager), daniel.barrie@noaa.gov
Amara Huddleston (Communications and Program Analyst), amara.huddleston@noaa.gov

CPO Administrative Staff

Diane Brown (Grants Administration Team Leader), diane.brown@noaa.gov
Grants Online: https://grantsonline.rdc.noaa.gov
Grants Online Help: Toll free: 1-877-662-2478 | Local (DC area): 301-444-2112 | Email: GrantsOnline.HelpDesk@noaa.gov | Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Eastern

  • RL 1: Basic research, experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any particular application or use in view. Basic research can be oriented or directed towards some broad fields of general interest, with the explicit goal of a range of future applications (OECD, 2015).
  • RL 2: Applied research, original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge. It is, however, directed primarily towards a specific, practical aim or objective. Applied research is undertaken either to determine possible uses for the findings of basic research, or to determine new methods or ways of achieving specific and predetermined objectives (OECD, 2015).
  • RL 3: Proof-of-concept for system, process, product, service, or tool; this can be considered an early phase of experimental development; feasibility studies may be included.
  • RL 4:  Successful evaluation of system, subsystem, process, product, service, or tool in a laboratory or other experimental environment; this can be considered an intermediate phase of development.
  • RL 5: Successful evaluation of system, subsystem process, product, service, or tool in relevant environment through testing and prototyping; this can be considered the final stage of development before demonstration begins.
  • RL 6:  Demonstration of a prototype system, subsystem, process, product, service, or tool in relevant or test environment (potential demonstrated).
  • RL 7:  Prototype system, process, product, service or tool demonstrated in an operational or other relevant environment (functionality demonstrated in near-real world environment; subsystem components fully integrated into system).
  • RL 8: Finalized system, process, product, service or tool tested, and shown to operate or  function as expected within user’s environment; user training and documentation completed; operator or user approval given.
  • RL 9: System, process, product, service or tool deployed and used routinely.
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