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Transition Plans

SUBMIT FEEDBACK

ORTA Feedback Form

A transition plan is intended to provide the vision for the proposed transition efforts toward uses to meet mission requirements (operation, application, commercialization, other uses). It is a living document to be amended with increasing detail as the project matures and will remain valid as long as the corresponding development project is completed successfully, satisfies end user-defined Line Office metrics for success and constraints, and clearly surpasses each of the associated gates or requirements for transition.

Content below is strictly informational. Please check with the Line Office Transition Managers and use established Line Office specific standards and benchmarks to determine the appropriate oversight and coordinate reporting.

For additional inquiries on transition plans or to setup at meeting with ORTA Transition Support, please contactย oar.orta@noaa.gov.ย 

Transition Plan Templates

The templates below are provided solely as guides to a generic transition plan. Not all sections that are identified in the templates may be needed for all transitions.ย Key sections from these templates are derived from NAO 216-105B Handbook Appendix D.ย Users can use those sections which may be pertinent to their needs to provide the necessary information on their transition. Ultimately,ย each AA or their delegate can set the requirements and expectations for Transitionย Plans for their Line Office. Check with the Line Office Transition Managers and use established Line Office specific standards, benchmarks, and guidance to develop transition plans.ย 

In addition, the ultimate decision to transition the project resides with the appropriate decision maker of the receiving Line Office or external end-user. Signing a transition plan provides situational awareness of the work and approval to move forward and does not represent a binding agreement and/or funding availability.

**NEW** Summary Transition Plan Template

Summary Transition Plans convey the importance of protecting NOAA intellectual property (IP), with specific emphasis on the NOAA RFP process. Outside parties beyond those submitting the proposal are typically involved in the review process, including competing NOAA PIs, academics, industry, and other agencies. This could compromise intellectual property and/or proprietary information associated with projects, and it could provide an unfair advantage to a competing PI on the technology, vendors used, transition process, and other sensitive information IP must be protected together with other Personally Identifiable (PII), Business Identifiable (BII) and NOAAโ€™s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Information.

When it is suggested that transition plans (TPs) may increase the likelihood of their proposal being selected for funding, PIs should only include a transition plan summary with the proposal. Cooperative Institute and Affiliate contract staff should follow IP reporting guidelines consistent with the clauses in their respective grants and contracts.

Below you may access a Template of the Summary Transition Plan.

Please do NOT request edit access for either document.

For NOAA Access, login with NOAA credentials to access the Google Doc. Please make a copy (File > Make a Copy) of the template

For Public Download Access, you may click the button to download a .docx file. No login credentials needed!

Types of Transition Plans & Templates:

Please select the appropriate template for download pending your credentials to:

1) “NOAA” Accessible Google Docs

Requires NOAA login.

Copy the document for your own use.

2) “Public” Accessible .docx Download

For all others (not NOAA associated)

No login/credentials needed.

Please do NOT request to access or edit these files.ย  If you are prompted to request access, instead utilize the “Public” .docx download.

Basic Transition Plan Instructions

Basic Transition Plan Template – NOAA (Google Fillable Form)

Fillable form only available for Basic Templates via NOAA login

Basic Transition Plan Template – NOAA (Google Doc)

Please do NOT request edit access for templates.

Multi-Component Umbrella Transition Plan Instructions

“Users should use the Standard Transition Plan Template when creating this type of Multi-Volume Transition Plan.”

Standard Transition Plan Template – NOAA (Google Doc)

Please do NOT request edit access for templates.

Multi-Component Umbrella Transition Plan Instructions

“Users should use the Standard Transition Plan Template when creating this type of Multi-Volume Transition Plan.”

Standard Transition Plan Template – Public (.docx)

Commercialization Transition Plan Instructions

Additional infromation is required for an appropriate template.

Contact the Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) early in the R&D process for guidance on protection of intellectual property and commercialization.

Transition Plan Examples

Transition Plan Checklist
A transition plan is developed, now what?

Line Office Transition Manager Contact Information

Line Office Specific Guidance on Transition Plans

Transition Plans are living documents as are the templates and tools that have been and continue to be developed on the ORTA website.ย  There is no “one-size” transition plan that can fit all types of transitions, and each unique transition plan will likely require content specific to the project being transitioned.ย 

Transition plan authors should ensure they follow guidance provided by their funding programs and/or their line office processes. Below are templates drawn from NOAA line offices that reflect best practices and lessons learned for developing transition plans. These templates cover the transition of R&D to applications such as NOAA operations, commercialization, and applied knowledge.ย  While these templates are not intended as firm guidelines or mandatory requirements, they are presented as educational materials to help transition plan developers with contexts on how to approach transition plans based on their R&D outcomes.

Other Resources