Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment in the Southeast U. S. (VORTEX-SE), and Infrasound Detection of Tornadoes | NOAA OAR OWAQ 2018 2005511

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA OAR OWAQ 2018 2005511

This FY 2018 funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce, issued jointly by NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ), and NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), supports research tied to VORTEX-SE (Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment in the Southeast U.S.) and to infrasound-based tornado detection. The overall goal is to generate new, practical knowledge about tornado formation and detection in the southeastern United States, and to better understand how people receive, interpret, and act on tornado forecasts and warnings. The program is designed to translate that knowledge into better forecasting and warning performance and, just as importantly, better public responses that can reduce injuries, fatalities, and property damage.

A central scientific focus is improving understanding of the meteorological processes that lead to tornadoes in the Southeast, a region with unique challenges such as complex terrain, abundant tree cover, frequent nighttime events, and storm modes that can be harder to observe and warn for. A notable emphasis in this particular year is tropical cyclone-related tornadoes. For the first time in the program's history, the announcement explicitly highlights research aimed at clarifying how tornadoes develop within outer rainbands of tropical cyclones and during the tropical-to-extratropical transition after landfall. That focus reflects the operational reality that landfalling tropical systems can produce numerous, fast-forming tornadoes that strain warning systems and public decision-making, especially when severe weather is embedded within broader hurricane impacts.

Beyond meteorology, the announcement also targets the social and behavioral side of tornado risk. Projects can address how different communities in the Southeast respond to warnings, how people make protective action decisions, how they perceive risk, and what communication approaches lead to faster and safer responses. The intent is not only to improve scientific understanding of storms, but also to close the gap between issuing a warning and the public taking effective action, recognizing that warning success is ultimately measured in real-world outcomes.

The opportunity is structured as three separate competitions, each with its own funding pool. Two competitions fall under the VORTEX-SE umbrella: one focused on either meteorological priorities or social/behavioral priorities, and a second aimed at multi-disciplinary proposals that intentionally integrate both meteorological and social/behavioral components. The third competition is devoted to the infrasound category, supporting work on detecting or characterizing tornadoes using low-frequency acoustic signals. Infrasound research is relevant because it may offer additional ways to detect tornado-related phenomena and potentially complement traditional radar and observational systems, especially in situations where conventional measurements are limited.

For review and selection, proposals are grouped into independent pools based on these topic areas, as defined by the program's Principal Investigators. Each pool is peer reviewed, ranked, and funded independently, which matters for applicants because proposals are effectively competing most directly against others in the same focus area rather than against the entire set of submissions across all topics.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding under CFDA 11.459, and NOAA expects to make awards through grants and/or cooperative agreements. The stated award ceiling is $500,000, with an anticipated total of 14 awards. The original posting date is February 5, 2018, with an original application deadline of April 12, 2018. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with details referenced in the notice's additional eligibility information, which typically means applicants need to consult the full announcement to confirm whether universities, nonprofits, for-profits, state or local governments, or other entities are eligible under the specific terms.

In practical terms, this announcement is aimed at teams that can contribute to improved tornado science in the Southeast, advance tornado-related infrasound methods, and/or produce actionable social science insights that strengthen warning communication and public protective actions. The emphasis on tropical cyclone rainband tornadoes and transition-phase processes signals a clear interest in research that addresses high-impact, operationally difficult scenarios that forecasters and emergency managers face in the region.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment in the Southeast U. S. (VORTEX-SE), and Infrasound Detection of Tornadoes" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.459.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 05, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 12, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 14 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA OAR OWAQ 2018 2005511

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