Competitive research grants

Competitive grants are offered on a two-year cycle, through a peer-reviewed process that begins with a call for preliminary proposals. Note: We are not currently accepting proposals; this information is provided for those who are looking ahead, but it may be changed. The next call for proposals be issued in the fall of 2008 with preproposals due in the spring of 2009.

To be informed when a new call is issued, please subscribe to our grant announcement e-mail list.

Call for Preliminary Proposals
for March 2008–February 2010

The Oregon Sea Grant Program invites preliminary proposals for research on important marine and coastal issues from faculty of any institution of higher education in Oregon. Proposals will be entered into a highly competitive review and selection process described in more detail below. Proposed work may begin on either February 1, 2008 or February 1, 2009. 

Under the laws governing NOAA/Sea Grant funding, we are able to accept proposals only from researchers who are affiliated with institutions of higher education.

• Submission and review schedule
• Proposal guidelines
• Funds available
• Our decision process
• Submitting a proposal

Complete guidelines for preparing and submitting a proposal are found on our Webnibus online submission system.

THE PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND REVIEW SCHEDULE

• Preliminary proposals due: February 2, 2007
• Invitations for full proposals: March 2, 2007
• Full proposals due: May 4, 2007
• Masked reviews to investigators: August 3, 2007
• Investigator rebuttals due: August 14, 2007
• Notice of funding decisions: September 6, 2007
• Successful projects begin: February 1, 2008 or February 1, 2009

GUIDELINES

An ideal Sea Grant proposal would apply the best science and an innovative approach to a well-defined coastal or marine problem or opportunity that is important to Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and the nation.

Successful Oregon Sea Grant proposals are likely to:

• show at least some significant progress within two years
• focus on outcomes and clearly show how the work would make a difference
• include meaningful collaboration with industry, agencies, communities, or other stakeholders
• have substantive evidence of co-funding or co-support from interested stakeholders
• request less than $90,000 per year and provide convincing justification for the funds
• involve regional or multi-institutional collaboration, especially that which involves one or more Sea Grant programs from other states
• include support for students

Oregon Sea Grant is especially interested in proposals that address:

• change in coastal communities; economic, demographic, population growth and development
• seafood processing and safety; value-added products, waste reduction
• fisheries; innovative management concepts and tools, communication issues
• coastal natural hazards; waves and structures, coastal storms and tsunamis
• marine education; developing, testing, and evaluating innovative approaches to public education
• coastal and marine ecosystem structure and function

*a more complete description of our priorities may be found in our Strategic Plan [.pdf] [HTML]

FUNDS

Funds available for Oregon Sea Grant’s competitive grants program total about $1,000,000 in federal money each year.  In the coming biennium, some of these funds have already been committed to continuing projects.  Total funds available for new projects on February 1, 2008 are approximately $850,000.

COST MATTERS

Not all ideal proposals can be funded. Excellent proposals are sometimes not a “good buy” relative to other excellent proposals. Proposals requesting larger amounts will be accepted. However, all else being equal, proposals that request $90,000 or less per year will have a competitive advantage over those requiring more than $90,000 per year.

DURATION OF GRANT

Proposals requesting support for either one or two years will have a distinct competitive advantage over proposals seeking three years of support. Requests for support exceeding three years will not be considered. Proposals to continue work beyond the initial one or two years may be entered into a future regular biennial competition.

MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL TEAMS

While we see the team approach as a means of mobilizing the best research talent to address complex issues, such an approach is administratively complex. Therefore, we suggest that investigators informally discuss ideas with us before submitting the preliminary or full proposal that involves funding from more than one Sea Grant program.

OUR DECISION PROCESS

In our decision process, Oregon Sea Grant uses different sets of criteria to evaluate proposals at various points in the process. These criteria are listed in Appendix 3 of the Oregon Sea Grant Strategic Plan and can be found here: http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/onlinepubs/q05001.html#AP3 Investigators are encouraged to review these criteria at each stage in order to better prepare competitive proposals. All else being equal, we will fund the best science, but research to gain knowledge for its own sake is considered inappropriate for Sea Grant support. Investigators must present a clear rationale for, expected outcomes from, and beneficiaries of the proposed work.

SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL

Web-Based Process

Oregon Sea Grant has developed a Web-based proposal process. This system will make it easier for you to prepare and submit your proposal and will reduce the volume of paper used in the submission and review process. Unless there is a reason you cannot use the Internet, we ask you to use the Web-based process.

Our Web-based proposal submission system is called Webnibus and is located here: https://webnibus.org/oregon/logn/logn_login.php

If you have not used Webnibus before, you may find it beneficial to contact us early on for help. We will not be offering formal group help sessions this year.

ELIGIBILITY

Preliminary proposals may be submitted by the faculty of any public or private institution of higher education in Oregon. Awards will be made only through colleges and universities. The proposed project may involve researchers who are not university faculty, but the project’s principal investigator must be a faculty member. With sufficient justification, individuals not associated with a college or university may serve as paid or unpaid consultants to the project’s principal investigator.

You may submit more than one preliminary proposal, but it is unlikely that more than one full proposal will be requested from any one investigator.

For more information or assistance, please call the Sea Grant administrative office at (541) 737-2714 (or e-mail seagrant.admin@oregonstate.edu). We will be happy to help you.

If you have questions regarding potential proposal ideas, please contact:

Robert Malouf, Director
Phone: (541) 737-2714
E-mail: robert.malouf@oregonstate.edu

For other questions about the process, see our contacts page.