Subject: Pending Proposals, Results of PI meeting, 9 July Memo and Budget Revisions
Thank you very much for the Herculean effort in the 2 July meeting and beyond -- adjusting budgets and projects in light of the overall program and budget realities. We have made a number of decisions with regard to the requests in the 9 July memo on the results of the Phase II Principal Investigators' Meeting, the Zooplankton Technical Group effort, and requests that have come in independent of the 9 July memo.
We are frantically trying to get action started on awards for late in FY96 - now!, both at NOAA and NSF. Most awards from NSF will have a 1 September 96 start date with a few delayed to 15 October and FY97 funding. Judy Gray has spoken to most about the starts for NOAA projects. The overall program, with the late revisions outlined below, is currently budgeted for greater that the anticipated $15 million for three years and any funds for contingencies are nonexistent. The budget has been exceeded even with Peter Wiebe volunteering to eliminate his bioacoustical research project as a less-than highest priority.
Below are listed the decisions we have made with regard to minor changes requested both within and outside Table 1: "Scientific Problems that have Arisen from the Current Funding Allocations" in the 9 July memo.
The needs for the Zooplankton Technical Group effort are understood as a continuing activity and the continued funding is accounted for in the overall budget.
Priorities #1, # 3, and #5 will be accommodated in Durbin proposal. Ted Durbin has been contacted and the budget revisions are being made and submitted to NSF.
Priority #2 will be accommodated in Mountain proposal. Dave Mountain has been contacted and the budget revisions are being made and submitted to NOAA.
Priority #4 will be accommodated in the Beardsley and Lynch proposals. Both have submitted budget revisions to NSF that include a shift of resources for the BIO mooring activity.
Priority #7 will be accommodated in the Davis and Lynch proposal. Dan Lynch has submitted a budget revision to NSF that includes the post-doc.
Priority #8 will be accommodated in Bisagni and Cornillon proposal. Jim Bisagni has been contacted and the budget revisions to NOAA are being made to accommodate Option 1.
Priority #9 is still under discussion.
The request associated with priorities 6, 10, 11 and 12 definitely cannot be accommodated with additional funds. The additional Lynch request for the Lynch, Werner, Lough proposal definitely cannot be accommodated with additional funds *. For all of these requests, the overall Program (NW Atlantic Phase II) will have to discuss these needs and solutions and make adjustments to budgets and plans accordingly.
Again, thanks for all the time and effort to date in launching US GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic Phase II. We will continue to update you as we implement the awards here in D.C.