CIESRDS/CIRES 5-year review wrap-up

NOAA 

Lessons Learned

• Poster session needed better representation of categories/themes to ensure balanced representation across teams.
• Late logistical changes created stress and inefficiencies.
• Limited clarity on CIAO participation and expectations led to confusion. 
  • Late additions to the admin review made the space too small
  • CI did not know when CIAO would be in attendance for science review presentations
• Federal directors wanted greater visibility and engagement throughout the process.
• Representation of federal collaborators in projects was not always explicit.
• Scheduling challenges (e.g., tour timing, spring break overlap).
  • Campus was easier to navigate, but lost some individuals due to spring break plans, and not as lively as an atmosphere

Best Practices / Recommendations

• Develop structured themes/categories for poster sessions in advance.
• Confirm logistics early and lock changes as much as possible.
• Engage CIAO early with clear, written expectations (deliverables, roles, attendance).
• Ensure federal collaborators are visibly included in presentations and materials.
• Request clearer guidance for review committees and consider CIAO delivering a “CI 101” session early on.
• Plan for larger venues and anticipate additional attendees.
• Maintain transparent communication with federal leadership throughout planning.

IT & Data Management

Lessons Learned

• Platform inconsistency (Google vs. OneDrive) created inefficiencies.
• Lack of standardized data led to inconsistencies across presentations.
• Captioning worked well but required intentional setup and resources.

Best Practices / Recommendations

• Standardize on one collaboration platform (preferably Google) to avoid access/version issues.
• Create a centralized demographic/data file for consistency across all presentations.
• Dedicate specific hardware and IT support for accessibility tools like captions.

Pre-Award

Lessons Learned

• Review panelists lack a consistent understanding of Cooperative Institutes (CI model).
• Connections between projects were not always clearly articulated.
• Some overlap in projects created perceived duplication risks.

Best Practices / Recommendations

• Include clear CI overview (“CI 101”), ideally led or reinforced by CIAO 2-3 months prior to the review.
• Ensure presenters mention collaborations in the briefing book.
• Use tools like Strategic Plan, STEPS, and ASA to demonstrate integration across efforts.
• Clearly label projects with lab, funding source (NOAA office where funding originated), and federal partners.

Post-Award / Review Process

Lessons Learned

• Limited engagement from CIAO admin reviewers (e.g., distractions during sessions, taking meetings during the presentations).
• Unclear expectations about admin vs. science review boundaries (e.g. clarity on why science reviewers asked admin questions).
• Uncertainty about attendee list impacted preparation (e.g. space in the meeting room, who we were presenting to, name plates, lunch orders).

Best Practices / Recommendations

• Set expectations for reviewer engagement (e.g., active participation norms).
• Clarify scope of admin vs. science review roles.
• Confirm attendance lists in advance.
• Provide pre-briefs/prep materials to attendees to improve participation and feedback quality.

HR & Internal Coordination

Lessons Learned

• Team valued the inclusive process and ability to contribute.
• Timeline planning was strong and enabled quality outputs.
• Briefing book questions that included multiple admin areas were challenging to coordinate an answer. 
• Confusion around organizational naming (CIRES vs. CIESRDS).

Best Practices / Recommendations

• Maintain clear timelines with milestones.
• Define roles, responsibilities, and decision authority (“final say”) early.
• Increase cross-team check-ins to avoid duplication or confusion.
• Standardize and communicate organizational branding/naming conventions.

Communications & Materials

Lessons Learned

• Inconsistencies in metrics and accomplishments reporting.
• Lack of clarity on panel expectations impacted preparation.

Best Practices / Recommendations

• Develop standard templates (presentations, briefing book, metrics reporting).
• Provide teams with clear guidance on panel expectations early.
• Involve Communications from the beginning of planning.
• Centralize file management in a shared, accessible system.
• Create a “Briefing Book 101” guide for contributors.

Events & Logistics

Lessons Learned

• Catering logistics were more difficult when campus services were limited.
• External platform use (BaseCamp) complicated coordination.
  • File access issues
• Bring events in earlier in the process for awareness and planning

Best Practices / Recommendations

• Schedule events when campus services are fully available (or ensure backup options).
• Explore hosting at NOAA.

ACI / Partnerships / External Contributors

Lessons Learned

• Positive engagement opportunities (e.g., GRA work) were valuable but under-leveraged.
• Knowledge gaps occurred when key contributors were unavailable (e.g., funding questions).

Best Practices / Recommendations

• Ensure continuity plans so others can answer key content questions.

Cross-Cutting Themes and Takeaways

• Need for earlier alignment with CIAO and clearer expectations for panel members
• Importance of consistent data, messaging, and tools
• Value of early and inclusive communication across teams
• Highlight federal involvement in project outlines and continue strengthening collaboration activities