Using Customer Satisfaction, Experience, and Engagement Data to Improve the Ease of Applying to WPO’s Funding Competitions

The Weather Program Office (WPO) is dedicated to supporting exceptional weather research aimed at safeguarding lives, preserving property, and bolstering the national economy. Annually, the WPO hosts funding competitions, encouraging academic and private sector stakeholders to submit research proposals focused on advancing weather forecasting, enhancing knowledge, and creating weather-related products and services. To continually optimize the proposal submission process for these competitions, the WPO seeks to gain insight into how applicants presently perceive and engage with its funding opportunities and submission procedures. To address this need for essential data, the WPO launched the Applicant Customer Experience and Satisfaction (ACES) survey at the conclusion of the Fiscal Year 2023 proposal submission window. By analyzing both quantitative and qualitative ACES Survey feedback, this stakeholder input will enable the WPO to refine its funding competition procedures and enhance the overall user experience for prospective applicants, ensuring greater accessibility to WPO's funding opportunities.