Research Comment Portal
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Introduction
Thank you for your interest in the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Research Program. CARB is initiating the research planning process for fiscal year (FY) 2023-2024 with a call for research comments and concepts from the public, which is facilitated through a survey. The annual collection of research comments and concepts is an important part of CARB’s engagement with the public to inform program priorities.
Background
Each year, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Research Program funds a set of research projects that are responsive to CARB programmatic goals and address emerging air quality and climate issues. CARB’s research priorities are summarized in the Triennial Strategic Research Plan, which provides an overview of past and current research activities, as well as remaining research needs. The annual process begins with a call for project comments and concepts from the public. All responses from the public are reviewed and assessed based on their alignment with CARB program needs. Any member of the public that submits a comment or concept that CARB staff prioritize for funding will be contacted directly. If a selected concept/comment author doesn’t want to be involved in performing the work, the concept will be included in the annual solicitation for others to apply to. The top comments and concepts are developed into projects that, if approved by the executive office and the Board, are then developed further for public release and proposal solicitations. Applicants who submit the top proposals are then awarded contracts to perform their proposed research. From initial concept collection to contract initiation takes approximately one and a half years.
It is important to note that the Research Program operates on a very limited budget. Although the Research Program receives around 200 comments and concepts each year, only a small fraction of publicly submitted concepts and comments can be pursued for funding due to budget limitations. However, comments and concepts are still incredibly valuable and help CARB identify the needs of the public. All comments are catalogued and added to the current Triennial Plan as an addendum and helps guide overall CARB Research Program goals.
The survey, which closed on June 15, 2022, (link below) provided two submission options. One option collected community concerns on air quality or climate change that can be addressed with research. The second option collected research concepts that include specific objectives, proposed methods, and estimated cost.
Academic and community researchers were invited to submit 300-word project concepts. Note that project concepts are more likely to be developed into full projects if they’re in alignment with research priorities as outlined in the Triennial Strategic Research Plan and CARB program goals.
For non-researchers, concerned residents and community members, CARB collects comments on air quality and climate concerns. This information is important for identifying community concerns and steering the research projects toward specific topics in future.
We created a short video providing context on CARB’s Research Program, jurisdiction and program goals as well as further guidance on this survey and the research planning process.
CARB staff will summarize the number of project concepts received and the research topics covered. The summary overview of public submissions will be included in a Triennial Plan Addendum, which will be available on the Triennial Plan landing page. No personal information or details on project concepts will be shared publicly.
A public meeting was held on September 14, 2022 to get input on the top 20-30 projects that have been identified as priority project concepts. Input at this stage is critical in finalizing the list of projects that will be presented to the Board in January 2023 for approval and funding. CARB’s research budget limits how many concepts can be developed into full research projects.
We greatly appreciate your time and engagement in providing your input.
For a more detailed introduction to our Research Program and the survey, we have created a publicly viewable video. The slides in the video are available at the bottom of this page.
Introductory Video
Comments and concepts can be submitted through the survey, however, any new submissions will be considered for FY24-25 funding. To submit a comment or a concept, please use the survey link below:
Survey
You may contact us directly at research@arb.ca.gov. If you would like to receive updates and notices for public meetings by email, sign up for our listserv and select the “Research Activities” option from the list of topics.
Public Meeting
The California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board) held a public meeting to discuss research priorities for CARB to fund in fiscal year 2023-2024. The purpose of the meeting was to solicit comments from the public on the research priorities CARB is considering to fund in fiscal year 2023-2024. In addition, staff provided an update on the submissions CARB received from the public call for research concepts and comments that closed on June 15, 2022. Material presented at the meeting is now available at the bottom of this page. A recording of the meeting is linked below.
Video Recording
Final Input on FY23-24 Research Concepts and Comments
To submit written comments on research priorities for CARB to fund in fiscal year 2023-2024, please email them to research@arb.ca.gov. During the September 14 meeting we launched a poll so that participants could select which tentative projects were of high priority. A version of that survey is also available below. Please complete the poll and submit written comments by October 4, 2022.
Fill Out Poll
A summary of all comments received at the meeting and via email will be summarized in a new appendix in an updated version of the 2021-2024 Triennial Strategic Research Plan that will be available on January 31, 2023.