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The NGI is committed to high-quality research, technology, education
and outreach programs responsive to the needs of the Northern Gulf of
Mexico region. The NGI faces several distinctive challenges in creating
a successful response to regional needs. These challenges will strongly
influence the NGI's programmatic efforts throughout its first
five-year award period. The distinctive challenges are:
Regional Focus
Build an effective research and technical coordination and
collaboration program (based on defined regional priorities) among five
academic institutions, NOAA (both national and regional), other
government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the recovering
communities of the Northern Gulf of Mexico region. A vital element of
NGI is institution- and community-building through collaboration and
effectively coordinating its efforts and results with local-to-national
organizations. A significant challenge to program building is to
develop and deliver regional solutions-to harness effectively the
confluence of geographic, ecological, social-demographic, weather,
climate and other attributes that characterize the Northern Gulf.
Awareness
Focus outreach, research, development, training and education on
filling gaps or reducing limitations in Northern Gulf awareness,
interest, understanding, acceptance and assimilation of scientific and
technical results. A successful NGI program will contribute to each
level of regional need from improved awareness of problems, needs and
solutions through expanding interest in tackling ecosystem-based issues,
to improved lay and scientific understanding of the Northern Gulf.
Integration
Promote and expand scientific, technical and systems integration as a
guiding principle for the NGI, i.e., integration of upland, waterway,
coastal and coastal ocean processes, integration of scientific and
technical disciplines and institutions, integration of physical and
biological sciences and social science data, and harvesting value from
integrating NOAA and NGI strengths and resources.
Collaboration
Develop an agency-wide collaboration with NOAA. Provide access for
NOAA and NOAA-led projects to the academic and technology assets of NGI
through a NGI Executive Office, a Stennis Space Center NGI Program
Office, and to and through all NGI member institutions. At the same
time, provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, visiting
scholar and Intergovernmental Personnel Act postings at all
collaborating NGI institutions and locations.
Continuous Improvement
Sustain a commitment to continuous adaptation and improvement based
upon rigorous project and program monitoring and evaluation, internal
and external reporting and reviews and, whenever possible, the
transition of NGI results to support decisions. For NGI, evaluation is
a continuing priority promoted by leadership attention, integration of
evaluation into project management, and adequate investment of
evaluation resources.
Partnership
Leverage NOAA support of NGI by fostering collaboration within and
among the NGI institutions, with NOAA Line and Research Offices, with
other government organizations, and the private sector-by seeking
outside NGI funding and resource sharing. Successful leverage will,
among other benefits, support NOAA's recent emphasis on fostering
regional collaboration activities (see, e.g.,
www.ppi.noaa.gov/regional_collaboration)
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