Our program connects WPO’s research across a spectrum of partners, advocating for its transition to maximize societal impact.

The Portfolio Analysis & Research Transitions (PART) Program streamlines research transitions by providing tailored support, office-wide project monitoring, and data-driven portfolio insights. As a liaison with NWS OSTI, we foster coordination, address challenges, and drive decision-making while promoting open science to ensure WPO-funded research is accessible and beneficial for practitioners and the public.

Current Focus Areas

Transition Management

We support WPO Programs with communicating NOAA’s transition process, managing the transition plan process, and developing transition policies for the office.

Project Monitoring and Tracking

We maintain the Project Directory infrastructure, manage NRDD updates, ensure PARR compliance, and track Open Science metrics to support accurate reporting and project monitoring strategic decision-making.

Internal Stakeholder Coordination

We act as the primary liaison with NWS OSTI, support WPO Programs in coordinating Points of Contact, and assist with resolving challenges in the transition process.

Portfolio Analysis and Evaluation

We provide portfolio evaluations, consultation on analyses, gap and trend assessments, and support in communicating research value to enhance strategic decision-making.

What Does it Mean to Transition Research?

The transfer of research and development (R&D) to an operation, application, commercial product or service, or other uses is called a transition. Transitioning research requires coordination, planning, and sharing of knowledge and other research outputs from one group to another and vice versa. Successful transitions increase the return of U.S. taxpayer investments in NOAA’s R&D, support U.S. economic development, and contribute to accomplishing NOAA’s mission.

Research to...

Operations (R2O)

Sustained and reliable mission activities to deliver products & services.

Applications (R2A)

The use of a NOAA R&D output as a system, process, product, service, or tool.

Commercialization (R2C)

The process of introducing a NOAA product or technology into the commercial market.

Other Uses

May include: Knowledge, policies, regulations, education & outreach.

How Can You Make Your Research More Useful to Practitioners?

WPO works to ensure research outputs are useful, usable, and eventually put into practice. Engaging potential end users ahead of writing a proposal for funding can enhance the relevance and feasibility of proposed research. Partnering with end users can provide particularly valuable insights. This collaboration ensures that research outputs are not only theoretically sound but also practically applicable and beneficial to practitioners.

How Do We Assess Transition Readiness?

Identifying & Funding Research Transitions with

NOAA Readiness Levels

Readiness Levels (RLs) are how NOAA tracks the progression of transitionable R&D projects along a spectrum of Basic Research (RL1) through operational transition (RL9). NOAA uses RLs to characterize the status of R&D relative to its readiness to be used operationally or in other societal applications. Projects reaching RL4 (successful testing in experimental environment) or beyond are required to complete a transition plan.

Collaborative Funding Opportunities, particularly the annual Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), are the primary mechanism for supporting transitionable R&D projects. WPO continually engages its partners, especially in OAR, NWS, and academia, to better inform research priorities. Input from operational centers and external partners allows WPO to regularly identify and assess current science gaps and develop funding priorities to address them.

When preparing your proposal, keep in mind that WPO uses RLs to assess project maturity—not to evaluate the accuracy of a proposal’s RL designation. We also recognize that research and development takes time, so projects are not expected to progress through all RLs within a single two- or three-year funding period.

Readiness Level 1: Basic Research

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).

Readiness Level 2: Applied Research

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).

Readiness Level 3: Proof of Concept

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.

Readiness Level 4: Successful Evaluation

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.

Readiness Level 5: Successful Evaluation II

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.

Readiness Level 6: Demonstration of Prototype

RL 6: Demonstration of a prototype system, subsystem, process, product, service, or tool in relevant or test environment (potential demonstrated).

Readiness Level 7: Prototype Functionality

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).

Readiness Level 8: Finalization

RL 8: Finalized system, process, product, service or tool tested, and shown to operate or function as expected within the user’s environment; user training and documentation completed; operator or user approval given.

Readiness Level 9: Deployment

RL 9: System, process, product, service or tool deployed and used routinely.

How do we document a transition?

The transition process is about early engagement, collaboration, and building trusted relationships between researchers and practitioners. The outcome of that stakeholder collaboration is a transition plan.

A Transition Plan is a document that represents an agreement between clearly identified researchers and potential recipients, organizations, or other users of the product resulting from the transition of an R&D output.

Transition Plans include general information about the project and a proposed process for how it can most efficiently be integrated into operations or other applications. Early (and often) coordination during a project allows for researchers, developers, and operators to identify both the potentials for success and possible limitations of both the new technologies/ideas and the existing operational framework, and strategize a connection between the two.

Useful Links:

The NOAA Science Council has made available several example transition plans
Download a basic transition plan template

What if my Transition end user is outside of NOAA?

Have end user write a letter of support

How often should I update my transition plan?

PIs/PMs should revisit TP once a year to update progress as needed. This helps leadership with budget/resource planning.

Who drafts the transition plan?

A transition team usually consists of the R&D team including PIs and Federal POCs, end users, and line office leadership including lab directors and the leadership of the adopting line office

How Do We Evaluate Our Research Portfolio?

Our team creates dashboards and reports to provide meaningful insights that answer key questions and help showcase the value of WPO’s research portfolio.

Portfolio Insights
and Data Support

We conduct comprehensive evaluations of WPO’s R&D portfolio, providing office-wide or division-specific insights that support informed decision-making.

Consultation on Portfolio
and Data Analysis

We offer expert guidance on best practices for conducting portfolio analyses, interpreting findings, and addressing other data analysis needs.

Gap and
Trend Analysis

We use portfolio analysis findings and insights to identify research gaps, evaluate trends over time, and recommend priorities for future funding and strategic initiatives.