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A. Proposal and Funding Information 2010 - 2011
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is a solicitation for Statements of Interest proposing two-year coastal
and marine related research projects. A strong Statement of Interest is the first step
to secure Sea Grant funding, so please read this information carefully.
Although brief, the Statement of Interest is the basis for deciding whether to
request a full proposal. Preparation should be done thoughtfully.
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1.
Research Priority areas are: 1) Healthy Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, 2) Sustainable and Hazard-Resilient Coastal Communities, 3) Seafood Production and Safety, 4) Climate Change: Impacts and Adaptations. (Review
the Priority Areas in Depth)
2. This is an open statewide competition for collegiate faculty at
Florida institutions.
3. Projects must be strong in scientific or professional merit, rationale
and user relationships. Other criteria described below apply.
4. The maximum annual Sea Grant award is $100,000 over two years and 50% non-federal or in-kind match is
required. |
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What
Is a Statement of Interest?
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The Statement of Interest is a project pre-proposal that identifies a topic relevant to coastal and ocean needs in Florida and the nation. It describes the scope of the need, problem or opportunity, and how the results achieved under a grant would contribute to development, conservation, or use of marine resources. Statements of Interest allow for review of concepts, rationale, general approach and expected outcomes and impacts before faculty must commit additional effort to writing a 15-page narrative of detailed methods, literature review, and other aspects of a full proposal.The five-page (maximum) Statement of Interest format and a one-page biographical data form (for each investigator listed) are described in section C. Preparing Statement of Interest.
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Download
the Statement
of Interest worksheet (MS Word document) and one-page Biographical
Data worksheet (MS Word document).
Completed Statements of Interest are limited in length of up to five 8 1/2 x 11 pages, single-spaced text, using standard, 12-point
type size and 1-inch margins. (Note section
on review criteria and strong/weak
proposals below.) Return to
Questions |
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The
Florida Sea Grant Funding Cycle
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| Florida
Sea Grant research projects are normally funded for two years. Thus, projects
proposed should be for the period February 1, 2010 to January 31,
2012. Key dates are: |
2009
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| January 5 |
Call
for Statements of Interest released |
| February 20 |
Statements
of Interest due |
| Mid - April |
Statement of Interest Review
Panel meets |
| April 20-24 |
Faculty
notified if Statement of Interest is selected |
| April 20-June 5 |
Invited
full proposals written |
| June 5 |
Full
proposals due |
| June - August |
Peer
review of research proposals conducted |
| Mid August |
Technical
Review Panel meets for full proposal review |
| Late August |
Faculty
notified if proposal is successful (Note: No additional review
will be conducted at the national level, and faculty will know if their
proposal is accepted.) |
| September 11 |
Rebuttal letter
to peer reviews due |
| October
1 |
Omnibus
Florida Sea Grant Proposal submitted to National Sea Grant Office,
NOAA |
| 2010 |
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| February 1 |
New projects start |
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| Return
to Questions |
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Who
Can Apply?
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| Faculty
at Florida institutions of higher education or non-agency, non-profit
marine research laboratories may apply. Investigators "new"
to Sea Grant (i.e., not funded in previous cycle) are encouraged to apply. |
| Faculty
may participate in a maximum of two Statements of Interest. Being
listed as either Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator,
or Associate Investigator counts as participation. |
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2008-2009 Florida Sea Grant received 88 Statements of Interest and
invited 23 full proposals for review. Of the full proposals received, 13
were funded. The desired outcome in this new call for proposals is to fund at least 50% of investigators who are invited to write full proposals. Return
to Questions |
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Size
of Grant Awards
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| The maximum annual award that Florida Sea Grant will provide is $100,000. For each Sea Grant dollar, a 50% matching fund commitment is required (i.e., every two federal dollars must be matched by one dollar from non-federal or in-kind sources). For 2010 and 2011, the anticipated amount (assuming the current federal appropriation) of annual research funding available will be approximately $1,000,000. At the $100,000 level, this would fund approximately 10 projects, in addition to regional Gulf of Mexico projects pertaining to natural hazard resiliency and climate change (see below). Occasionally, projects that receive high scores but fall just below the cutoff for full funding can be supported at a reduced scope and cost with Program Development funds. Return
to Questions |
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Regional Gulf of Mexico Projects
The four Sea Grant programs around the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) are requesting regional research proposals for 2010-2011 that focus on hazard resiliency in coastal communities. The total available federal dollars for those projects is expected to be $1.5 million over the two year funding cycle, with the annual amount of funds for an individual project to be $200,000. Complete details on GOM research priorities and proposal submission guidelines may be found at http://www.flseagrant.org/funding/GOM/index.htm. Please note that the submission process for the GOM regional projects is different than this Call for Statements of Interest. |
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Student Involvement Is Essential
Sea Grant is a program with its base in the academic sector. Thus, student participation in Sea Grant funded research is essential. Florida Sea Grant's goal is to ensure that 25 percent of its research funding supports students (and their associated costs) who are working within a project. |
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| Review Criteria |
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Peer review is the responsibility of the Florida Sea Grant Program (Director). Oversight of the peer review process is the responsibility of the National Sea Grant Office (Program Monitor). For Statements of Interest, Florida Sea Grant will obtain email reviews from agency and industry stakeholders, as well as reviews from a visiting panel of broadly experienced out-of-state scientists recognized for both their disciplinary and program leadership experience. They will consider email reviews and their own in recommending which Statements of Interest will be selected for development to a full proposal.
Statements of Interest must focus on one or more of the priorities indentified under B. Research Priorities or they will be declined. Six criteria will be used by reviewers and panel members to evaluate Statements of Interest:
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1. Scientific or Professional Merit (40%) -- the degree to which the proposed project is innovative and will advance the science or discipline through rigorous state-of-the-art research. |
2. Rationale (10%) -- the degree to which the proposed project addresses a research priority issue (or issues) identified in Section B. Projects that ultimately contribute to economic and/or environmental sustainability fare best. |
3. Users, Participants and Co-Sponsors (15%) -- the degree to which users or potential users of the results of the proposed project have been brought into the planning and funding of the project, will be brought into the execution of the project , or will use results. Researchers must work with end-users in developing relevant proposals. Please note that extramural co-sponsors (e.g., agencies, industry) usually are involved in the most competitive proposals. |
4. Expected Results, Applications and Benefits (25%) -- the degree to which the completed project is expected to create new commercial opportunities, improve technological and economic efficiency, promote environmental sustainability, or improve management decisions, in Florida or possibly nationally.
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5. Links to Other Projects (5%) -- the degree to which the proposed project will contribute as an essential or complementary unit to other past, ongoing, or planned projects.
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6. Investigator Qualifications (5%) -- the degree to which investigators are qualified by education, training, and/or experience to execute the proposed project consistent with stage of career development; record of achievement with previous funding.
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Statement of Interest reviews will serve as the primary basis for advancing to the full proposal stage. However, the Director also will consider criteria including prior performance of the PI on Florida Sea Grant funded research projects and the goal of distributing research funds across many Florida academic institutions or non-profit marine research laboratories in reaching a final decision.
Return to Questions |
Strong Statements/Weak Statements
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Strong Statements:
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Project idea builds on FSG strategic priorities, clearly documents the issue, accurately states how the proposed work will help prevent or solve a problem, and explicitly lays out the steps needed to produce such valuable outcomes |
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Strong scientific merit is apparent |
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Imaginative, creative, advances scholarship |
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State and national impact |
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Testable hypotheses or methods to rigorously evaluate efficacy of new tool, technology, policy or product are clearly articulated |
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Objectives are measurable, realistic in number |
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Methods clearly explained with evidence of likely success (e.g., pilot data), recognition of likely problems, and plans to address potential problems |
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Outputs and potential impacts are clearly defined |
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Involvement of end-users clearly defined and documented |
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Realistic timeframe and budget |
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Matching funds or in-kind services from outside cooperator already committed or pending |
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May be part of a package of inter-related projects, possibly regional in scope |
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PI has coordinated development of the project with a Sea Grant marine agent, a resource management agency or the private sector |
Weak Statements:
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PI sends in ill-conceived last-minute idea |
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Idea may be better suited to another sponsor (weak link to FSG research priorities) |
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Rationale is merely indicative (lacks data and clear evaluation of further work needed to produce outcomes) |
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Poor technical design |
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Florida impacts are not clear |
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Objectives are merely a statement of methods |
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Methods to collect, analyze and interpret data are not explicitly stated and assumptions and likely problems are not clearly addressed |
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Vague identification of end-users of research results |
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Geographic/subject focus too narrow, limited |
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Too ambitious, unfocused |
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No identification of role of outside cooperators |
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Isolated from related efforts |
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Exceeds space limitation |
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Biographical information incomplete, not up-to-date Return to Questions |
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About
Florida Sea Grant
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Florida Sea Grant is part of the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP). The mission of Florida Sea Grant is to provide integrated research, education, communications and extension to enhance the responsible use and conservation of coastal and marine resources to create a sustainable economy and environment. The NSGCP is authorized by federal legislation and is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce. Florida receives its federal funds from the NSGCP. Florida Sea Grant is one of 32 such programs in the nation, and it is hosted by the University of Florida. Florida Sea Grant functions as a partnership of universities, marine industries, citizens and government. The research skills of university scientists from all disciplines related to ocean and coastal topics are combined with a strong commitment to make research findings available to a wide audience through a network of extension and education specialists. Florida Sea Grant conducts its work principally through (1) research grants to faculty at Florida academic institutions or non-profit marine research laboratories, (2) full-time Sea Grant extension professionals, and (3) a central communications and management staff.
The Core Program
The core biennial award from NOAA supports Florida Sea Grant research, extension/outreach, education, communications and program development and management. It is subject to annual Congressional appropriations and continuing quality of program performance. Beyond that, additional appropriations may be designated by the NSGCP for special competitions nationally. Interested faculty members are urged to apply for NSGCP special competitions announced throughout the year. The Florida Sea Grant website will provide information on these competitions when they become available. |
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