Conceptual Science Experiments

The Project Office wishes to thank all of the members of our community who submitted full proposals in response to the Conceptual Science Proposal RFA (Request For Assistance). Following on from an initial receipt of 53 Letters of Intent, the submission of some 48 full proposals, representing the thoughts and ideas of more than 550 investigators and direct participants, and the involvement of over 130 separate research and educational institutions attests to an unprecedented level of interest and enthusiasm on the part of the US oceanographic community for ocean observatory based science.

• Proposal Abstracts (and available full proposals)
• Letter to all RFA respondents (PDF, 216 KB)

Next Steps

• Read the Community Letter on the RFA Process

The ORION advisory committees, together with the Project Office, are currently surveying the functional and technical requirements of the highly regarded proposals identified from the RFA review process and will use this to specify the preliminary overall design of the OOI observatory network. In an iterative manner, desired technical requirements, and their systems engineering specification will be used to baseline the observatory infrastructure design.

• RFA Full Proposal Required Forms

Cover Sheet (PDF, 140 KB)
Annual Budget Sheet (DOC, 71 KB)
Cumulative Budget Sheet (DOC, 71 KB)

• RFA Guidelines (PDF, 178 KB)

  This document outlines the scope of the RFA, important dates, contact information, details of the application requirements and a discussion of how the proposals will be reviewed. It should be consulted by all those interested in responding to the RFA.

• Frequently Asked Questions (Updated: 22 April 2005)

  A list of Frequently Asked Questions on proposal preparation and administration. Respondents to the RFA are asked to re-visit this list.

• Configuration of OOI Capabilities (PDF, 9.2 MB)

  Complete details of the expected configuration of OOI observing elements have been discussed at numerous community workshops and meetings. This document, prepared by the ORION ESC, represents a useful summary of the functional requirements currently expected of the OOI.

• Reports

  Lists documentation that additionally may be useful in responding to the RFA.

• Community Announcements

  This page provides an opportunity for individuals and groups who are preparing an ORION RFA proposal to post announcements of self-organization efforts and information about their regional or disciplinary focus.