Maine Sea Grant
Setting the Course: From Discovery to Action
2008-2009 Biennial Request for Proposals
Deadline for
Preliminary Proposals: Friday, March 9, 2007, 4:30 p.m.
Late applications
will not be accepted
The Maine Sea Grant College Program invites preliminary proposals for one- or two-year research projects that will be funded in the period February 2008 through January 2010. Note: there will not be a call for proposals in 2008. Operating in partnership with the National Sea Grant Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the mission of Maine Sea Grant is to play a leadership role in marine science research and education and to promote use of that knowledge for the sustainable development, management, and stewardship of marine and coastal resources. Maine Sea Grant is administered by the University of Maine, but the research competition is open to faculty and staff at any public or private research or higher education institution in the state.
Sea Grant programs in the Northeast encourage proposals for projects that address regional problems or issues and involve collaboration among more than one Sea Grant program. A regional proposal should address regional scale changes that affect ecosystem-level processes, have the support of more than one Sea Grant program, and be sufficiently broad in scope to support a multi-disciplinary team effort. Anyone interested in submitting a regional proposal must contact the Maine Sea Grant office.
Maine Sea Grant will consider proposals for one- or two-year research projects beginning in 2008. The available funds for projects in 2008 and 2009 are anticipated to be approximately $335,000 each year.
Maine Sea Grant invites proposals that contribute to the understanding of four cross-cutting issues: community-based natural resource management, the future of coastal communities, sustainable seafood, and stewardship through citizen science. Maine Sea Grant strives to have a balanced portfolio of research projects in the natural and social sciences addressing those issues. The goal is to provide information useful to decision-makers and citizens affected by those decisions. Priorities for natural- and social-scientific research, from the current Strategic and Implementation Plans, are:
- Area-specific ecosystem management, including social and environmental aspects
- Natural resource economics, governance, and other social themes related to community inclusion in natural resource management
- Community resiliency to coastal hazards
- Assessment, maintenance, and development of coastal access
- Ecologically sustainable nature-based tourism
- Commercial and recreational fisheries, including collaborative research with fishermen
- Role of Marine Protected Areas in conservation and sustainable management
- Multi-trophic-level aquaculture
- Technologies and methodologies for environmentally sustainable aquaculture
Maine Sea Grant seeks to foster the highest quality marine research, so only the most creative and rigorously conceived proposals will receive consideration. All proposals must contribute to the improved understanding, utilization, sustainability, conservation, or management of coastal and marine resources. Each research project must include an outreach component designed to extend the research findings to the potential information users. Please note, the first step is a review of preliminary proposals by an in-state review panel of stakeholders, with the primary criteria being relevance to the state of Maine and region and the potential for impact.
Sea Grant funding requires 50% non-federal match. All preliminary proposals must indicate source and level of available non-federal match. Proposals without sufficient match will not be considered.
The development and review of Sea Grant proposals is a three-step process:
· First, short preliminary proposals are to be submitted to Maine Sea Grant by 4:30 p.m., Friday, March 9, 2007. Preliminary proposals must follow the guidelines available from the Maine Sea Grant office found at www.seagrant.umaine.edu or by calling 581-1435. One electronic copy and 16 paper copies are required.
· Second, applicants who submit the most promising preliminary proposals will be invited to submit full project proposals, due by 4:30 p.m., Friday, June 1, 2007.
· Third, after a comprehensive merit review by mail and by a technical panel, the most promising full proposals will be submitted to the National Sea Grant Office with a recommendation for funding.
Guidelines for preparing Preliminary Proposals (including regional proposals) and copies of the Strategic Plan and Implementation Plan are available on this web site or from the address below:
Dr. James McCleave, Assistant Director for Research
Maine Sea Grant College Program
5784 York Complex, Suite 66
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5784
(207) 581-1435
sgresearch@maine.edu
Proposal Development
Calendar
January 12, 2007. Release 2008-2009 request for preliminary proposals.
Friday, March 9. Preliminary proposals due in Sea Grant office by 4:30 p.m.
April 11 (approximate). Stakeholder advisory panel reviews preliminary proposals and makes recommendations to Maine Sea Grant Management Team.
April 25. Applicants receive recommendations regarding development of full proposals.
Friday, May 18. Proposal Submission Form due in Sea Grant office by 4:30 p.m.
Friday, June 1. Full proposals due in Sea Grant office by 4:30 p.m.
June 11-15. E-mail proposals to scientific reviewers.
July 27. Reviews due in Sea Grant office; anonymous copies provided to applicants.
Friday, August 17. Rebuttal letters due in Sea Grant office by 4:30 p.m.
September 19 (approximate). Technical advisory panel reviews proposals and makes recommendations to the Maine Sea Grant Management Team, which makes final decisions on which projects will be included in the 2008-2009 proposal to the National Sea Grant Office.
September 25. Selected projects and rationale submitted to the National Sea Grant Office for approval.
By October 5. Applicants informed of decisions.
October. Production of proposal to National Sea Grant office.
November 1. Final proposal mailed to the National Sea Grant office.
February 1, 2008. Anticipated 2008-2009 awards begin.
