Important Dates:
July 21, 2022, 12:00PM PT: Partnership form due
August 9, 2022, 8:59PM PT: Letters of Intent due to oar.sg.marine-debris@noaa.gov
September 16, 2022, 5:00PM PT: Full Proposals due to California Sea Grant via eSeaGrant
September 30, 2022, 8:59PM PT: Full Proposals submitted by California Sea Grant to grants.gov
National Sea Grant anticipates having approximately $16,000,000 to fund approximately 5-12 projects of up to three years' duration. We expect the average project size will be between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000; however, applications may request up to $3,000,000 in federal funds addressing the program priorities. The anticipated start date is January 1, 2023, with projects to be completed by December 31, 2025.
For complete information please review the Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity: NOAA-OAR-SG-2022-2007452
All applicants must complete a partnership form by July 21st, 12:00PM PT to help coordinate proposals with California Sea Grant Extension and Communication personnel. See more details below.
funding opportunity overview
The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities.
Subject to the availability of funding in fiscal years 2022 and 2023, Sea Grant anticipates approximately $16,000,000 will be available to support innovative, transformational research to application (R2A) projects that will address the prevention and/or removal of marine debris, with award periods of three years. “Research to application” or R2A refers to research and development projects that transition into tangible outcomes and outputs. Examples include (but are not limited to) new prototypes, products, processes, or tools.
Proposals may address (but are not limited to) innovative interception and/or removal technologies, reusable systems, microplastics, and/or nanoplastics. Proposals are sought that will build upon and extend existing knowledge and efforts related to marine debris; support broad, non-proprietary, and innovative research to address critical gaps with respect to marine debris; make that information available to communities and stakeholders; include Sea Grant education and extension professionals, community representatives, government, academic, non- governmental, and industry partners, as appropriate; and proactively incorporate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility at every level of the work.
Proposals must include funding for Sea Grant education and/or extension personnel as collaborators. Community, government, academic, non-government, and industry stakeholder participation/involvement in projects is strongly encouraged. Applications DO NOT require the standard 50% non-federal match for Sea Grant projects. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to combine NOAA federal funding with formal matching contributions and informal leverage from a broad range of sources in the public and private sectors. To this end, applicants should note that cost sharing and leverage of other funds is an element considered in the evaluation criteria.
Fully integrated teams of collaborators noted above must submit proposals with and through a Sea Grant program (Sea Grant Colleges, Institutions, or Coherent Area Programs). A Sea Grant program may submit or participate in more than one proposal. Collaborations among Sea Grant programs are encouraged, as appropriate. Please note that it is not a requirement that investigators, including the PI, are part of a Sea Grant program. Contact information for each program can be found at https://seagrant.noaa.gov/About. All 34 Sea Grant programs are eligible to serve as partners and to submit applications. If you need further assistance in identifying a program to partner with please contact the National Sea Grant Office via email at oar.sg.marine-debris@noaa.gov.
This is one of two National Sea Grant federal funding opportunities in support of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to address the prevention and removal of marine debris. This competition will support original, innovative, and transformational marine debris prevention and removal research that pushes the boundaries of existing technologies and approaches, changes the current landscape of marine debris mitigation, and ties that research to tangible outputs.
A second opportunity NOAA-OAR-SG-2022-2007012, the “Special Projects H - National Sea Grant IIJA Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions,” is available for creating coalitions among areas, groups, or communities, especially those that have been systemically underserved or disadvantaged, to address marine debris prevention and removal. These two Sea Grant IIJA NOFOs complement a Marine Debris Program NOFO that will fund large-scale marine debris removal and interception projects.
Full details on requirements for submitting to this funding opportunity are detailed in the full announcement (NOAA-OAR-SG-2022-2007452). Additional guidance and tips on how best to prepare an application are provided in the Sea Grant General Application Guide available at (https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Portals/1/Guidance/SeaGrantGeneralApplicationGuide.pdf).
Program objective
To strengthen efforts in prevention and mitigation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), has directed NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program to execute $50.0 million over five years for the prevention and removal of marine debris. While plastics are a key focus, this work will also address other relevant types of marine debris, as appropriate. This work will complement broader NOAA efforts, particularly, the National Ocean Service’s Marine Debris Program, focused on active removal, cleanup, mitigation, and prevention of marine debris. Each Sea Grant program will determine and prioritize local needs and research-driven solutions that fully integrate the needs of historically underserved communities as defined by Executive Order 13985 (Section 2(b)).
This competition will support innovative research to application (R2A) projects that will address the prevention and/or removal of marine debris and provide the potential for transformational behavior change. “Research to application” or R2A refers to research that transitions into tangible outputs. Example outputs include (but are not limited to) inventive prototypes, commercial products, specialized services, or cutting-edge tools. Big ideas and risk taking are encouraged. Planning and capacity building activities are allowed but must accompany subsequent implementation activities; the end result of these projects cannot be solely academic or non-tangible outputs (e.g., scientific publications, awareness/training). A strong application will clearly outline how the project will produce new and effective deliverables that change the landscape for marine debris prevention and/or removal. Projects will communicate these outputs to the public (communities, stakeholders, industry, etc.) with the aim of addressing critical gaps with respect to marine debris. Proposals may address (but are not limited to) innovative interception and/or removal technologies, reusable systems, microplastics, and/or nanoplastics. See Section I.B. Program Priorities for more details.
Competitive projects will include funding for Sea Grant education and extension professionals and display a diverse coalition of partners including (but not limited to) community representatives, stakeholder groups, and industry collaborators. Projects will proactively incorporate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility at every level of the work.
Principal investigators of proposals selected for funding will be required to participate in annual National Sea Grant Marine Debris meetings to share results of work conducted, discuss challenges, synthesize outputs, and to plan next steps. Cost sharing, leveraged funds, and in-kind support will make projects more competitive. Applicants are strongly encouraged to combine NOAA federal funding with formal matching contributions and informal leverage from a broad range of sources in the public and private sectors. To this end, applicants should note that cost sharing and leverage of other funds is an element considered in the evaluation criteria.
program priorities
This competition will fund proposals that invest in transformative marine debris research to application (R2A) projects that will show clear and measurable outcomes and applications for marine debris prevention and removal. Projects should have a clear pathway for research or ideas to transition into application, operation, or commercialization by relevant stakeholders, and have the potential for long-term utilization. Proposal topics should support priorities laid out in relevant documents, such as the NAS 2021 report, relevant regional marine debris action plans (https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/emergency-response-guides-and- regional-action-plans#pub-term-145), strategic plans, and/or other documents, such as:
- Development of innovative removal and/or interception technologies and reusable systems that prevent debris from entering the marine environment.
- Innovative solutions for mitigation and clean-up of derelict fishing gear and ghost gear.
- Microplastics and nanoplastics
- Mitigation of the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on human health and marine biota (including residence time, digestive degradation, and ingestion and excretion rates).
- Detection methods for microplastics and nanoplastics in products, organisms, and/or the environment.
- Improvements to wastewater treatment that eliminate microplastics and nanoplastics from effluent and sludge.
- Mitigation of the impacts of plastics in food webs (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2021. Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste).
Proposed projects should also:
- Be responsive to state, local, and regional needs within a national framework (see California priorities below).
- Leverage existing Sea Grant and partner investments and capacities.
- Embed diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility (DEIJA) fully into the effort.
- Show how this work will be enhanced through partnerships, including collaboration among Sea Grant programs, with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, and with other appropriate partners.
Proposals should address any of the priorities in this section along with the four principles above to be acceptable for this opportunity.
State and regional priorities
Previous work by California Sea Grant, the Ocean Protection Council, and NOAA Marine Debris Program outline state priorities regarding marine debris and microplastics:
2018 California Ocean Litter Prevention Strategy
Statewide Microplastics Strategy
Award information
Subject to the availability of funding, this announcement describes how eligible applicants should apply for the National Sea Grant IIJA Marine Debris Challenge Competition. Sea Grant anticipates having approximately $16,000,000 to fund approximately 5-12 projects of up to three years' duration. We expect the average project size will be between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000; however, applications may request up to $3,000,000 in federal funds addressing the program priorities.
There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards, or that any application will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, it does so at its own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if a project fails to receive full funding.
The anticipated start date is January 1, 2023, with projects to be completed by December 31, 2025.
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement to an eligible institution. A cooperative agreement is used when substantial involvement of the federal government during performance of the proposed work is anticipated. The nature of the substantial involvement includes strategic engagement with the National Sea Grant Marine Debris Team, support from National Sea Grant Communication efforts, and annual National Sea Grant Marine Debris meetings.
Eligibility
eligible applicants
The following entities are eligible to submit to this opportunity: Sea Grant College Programs, Sea Grant Institutional Programs, and Sea Grant Coherent Area Programs. A Sea Grant program may submit or participate in more than one proposal.
Other interested entities must submit proposals in partnership with and through a relevant Sea Grant program. Please note that it is not a requirement that investigators, including the PI, are part of a Sea Grant program; however proposals must be submitted with and through a Sea Grant program. California Sea Grant requires prospective collaborators to complete a partnership form by 12PM PT on July 21st, 2022 to help coordinate proposals with California Sea Grant Extension and Communication personnel.
Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding under this competition; however, federal scientists and other employees can serve as uncompensated partners or co-Principal Investigators on applications. Federal labs and offices can also make available specialized expertise, facilities, or equipment to applicants but cannot be compensated under this competition for their use.
The National Sea Grant College Program champions diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and accessibility (DEIJA) by recruiting, retaining, and preparing a diverse workforce, and proactively engaging and serving the diverse populations of coastal communities. Sea Grant is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives, and ways of thinking. We encourage applicants of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, income, and socioeconomic status types to apply for this opportunity.
Cost sharing or matching requirement
Standard Sea Grant cost sharing is waived for this call. However, cost sharing, leveraged funds, and in-kind support will make projects more competitive. Applicants are strongly encouraged to combine NOAA federal funding with formal matching contributions and informal leverage from a broad range of sources in the public and private sectors. Community, government, academic, non-government, and industry stakeholder participation/involvement in projects is strongly encouraged through cost sharing, leveraged funds, and/or in-kind match.
Submission information
Full details on requirements for submitting to this funding opportunity are detailed in the full announcement (NOAA-OAR-SG-2022-2007452). Additional guidance and tips on how best to prepare an application are provided in the Sea Grant General Application Guide available at (https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Portals/1/Guidance/SeaGrantGeneralApplicationGuide.pdf).
partnership form
All applicants must complete a partnership form to help coordinate proposals with California Sea Grant Extension and Communication personnel. Applicants will be asked to provide an overview of their idea(s) for proposals to help our staff understand your interests. You can submit this form multiple times for separate proposal ideas. After you submit the form, our team will follow-up with you directly. In order to develop meaningful collaboration and proposals, our team anticipates that only a small number of proposed ideas will move forward to the LOI and full proposal stage.
Those interested in applying need to complete this partnership form as soon as possible, and no later than 12:00 PM PST on July 21st, 2022. Due to the short timeline and high interest, CASG cannot consider requests for partnership outside of submissions via the partnership form by the specified deadline.
Letter of Intent
If California Sea Grant staff would like to pursue a letter of intent (LOI), they will work directly with the applicant(s) to write and submit the LOI. LOIs must be sent by California Sea Grant via email by the Competition Manager (oar.sg.marine-debris@noaa.gov) by 8:59PM PT on Tuesday, August 9, 2022.
Full proposal
Working with California Sea Grant staff, full proposals will be due to via eSeaGrant by 5:00PM PT on Friday, September 16, 2022. California Sea Grant will then submit the full proposals to grants.gov by the deadline of 8:59PM PT on Friday, September 30, 2022.
contacts
Questions about Partnership Form, eSeaGrant, or California Sea Grant: sgproposal@ucsd.edu
Questions about Budgets: sgbudget@ucsd.edu
Questions about the Funding Opportunity: oar.sg.marine-debris@noaa.gov
Additional Marine Debris funding opportunities
Now Open: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Grant Opportunity for Marine Debris Removal