The NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) invite applications for the establishment of a cooperative institute (CI) to support NOAA research facilities in the northwest U. S. in the area of marine resources that will focus on the themes

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of:
(1) seafloor processes, (2) marine mammal acoustics, (3) marine ecosystems, and (4) protection and restoration of marine resources.

The CI will be established at a research institution not only having outstanding graduate degree programs in NOAA-related sciences, but also located within a commuting distance that allows direct interactions with CI and NOAA scientists at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and Alaska Fisheries Science Center offices in Newport, Oregon, on a regular basis.

The CI will provide significant coordination of resources among all non-governmental partners and will promote the involvement of students and post-doctoral scientists in NOAA-funded research.

If the CI is comprised of multiple member institutions, only the lead institution applying for the award and where the CI will be established must satisfy the commuting distance requirement.

This announcement provides requirements for the proposed CI and includes details for the technical program, evaluation criteria, and competitive selection procedures.

Applicants should review the CI Interim Handbook prior to preparing a proposal for this announcement (available at www.nrc.noaa.gov/ci).