Call for Preliminary Proposals
California Sea Grant and USC Sea Grant are now soliciting preliminary proposals for the California Ocean Protection Council's Proposition 84 Competitive Grant Program.
The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) was established to improve the management and protection of ocean and coastal resources and ecosystems. One of the many ways the OPC achieves this purpose is by supporting innovative research that directly informs and improves the stewardship of ocean and coastal resources. In partnership with the state’s two Sea Grant Programs, the California Sea Grant Program (CASG) and the University of Southern California Sea Grant Program (USCSG), the OPC is initiating a Proposition 84 competitive grant program to implement scientific research projects that directly support the OPC’s priorities.
FULL ANNOUNCEMENT
Opportunity
Focus Areas
Eligibility
How to Submit
Timeline
OPPORTUNITY
This announcement invites the submission of brief, preliminary proposals (hereafter, pre-proposals) from Principal Investigators (PI) at eligible organizations who wish to pursue research relating to the priority research topic areas identified below. Pre-proposals must be submitted to qualify to submit a full proposal, subsequently. Pre-proposals, which are intended to be brief and succinct statements of intent, will be reviewed by a panel of scientific and management experts in order for the OPC and Sea Grant programs to determine which submitted research ideas will be invited to submit full proposals.
Eligible proposing institutions are welcome to propose research lasting up to three years in duration, and requesting a total budget from $80,000 to $250,000 (sum of total direct costs plus 25% indirect costs). Shorter duration research projects and/or those requesting above the minimum allowable funds but less than the maximum allowable funds are welcomed. A total of $6,000,000 is available to be awarded as grants to support research within the focus areas and priority research topics.
FOCUS AREAS
OPC has identified six broad focus areas that include all the priority research topic areas identified in this call. They are:
- Ocean acidification and hypoxia, and other changes in ocean conditions from a changing climate
- Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture
- Sea-level rise adaptation and coastal resilience
- Coastal sediment management
- Marine pollution
- Marine renewable energy
Applicants must submit a pre-proposal to one of the Sea Grant programs, depending on the focus area and priority research topic(s) that the proposed research addresses. If the proposed research addresses more than one of the focus areas, then pick one as primary, and identify the overlap in the pre-proposal document and on its cover page.
ELIGIBILITY
Eligible applicants for this competitive grant program include public agencies, nonprofit corporations, or private entities subject to Public Resources Code Section 35650, as stated in OPC's Proposition 84 Grant Funding Procedures. Projects must benefit the state of California. If you have questions about your institution’s eligibility to apply to this call, please contact Holly Wyer (holly.wyer@resources.ca.gov; 916-653-0538) or Chris Potter (chris.potter@resources.ca.gov; 916-654-0536). OPC is the final arbiter of decisions regarding eligibility.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Submit your pre-proposal to the CASG program if your research conforms to any of the following:
- Ocean acidification, hypoxia and other changes in ocean conditions from a changing climate
- Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture
Submit your pre-proposal to the USCSG program if your research conforms to any of the following:
- Sea-level rise adaptation and coastal resilience
- Coastal sediment management
- Marine pollution
- Marine renewable energy
Whether submitting to the CASG or USCSG, all pre-proposals must be submitted using eSeaGrant:
- California Sea Grant: https://eseagrant2.ucsd.edu
- University of Southern California Sea Grant: http://usc.eseagrant.ecsion.com/
Instructions on how to submit via eSeaGrant can be found here:
TIMELINE
- 20 February 2018 – Informational webinar hosted by OPC, CASG, USCSG
- 15 March 2018, 5:00 pm Pacific Time – pre-proposals due (firm deadline)
- March – May 2018 – pre-proposal review
- 1 June 2018 (approximate) – proposers notified of recommendation
- 10 June 2018 (approximate) - proposal submission instructions provided
- 1 August 2018, 5:00 pm Pacific time – proposals due (firm deadline)
- August-October 2018 – proposal review
- October-November 2018 (approximate, dependent on date of OPC meeting) – proposals for funding recommended to OPC
- 1 December 2018 – awards begin