MOREHEAD CITY — N.C. Sea Grant is offering funding opportunities to Carteret County residents and others with research proposals.
NCSG is accepting pre-proposals for research projects for funding in the 2022-24 funding cycle. According to the NCSG website, preproposals for research funding are due by 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11.
NCSG uses the proposal management system, eSeaGrant, online at go.ncsu.edu/ncesg, for all parts of the proposal cycle.
Detailed instructions are included with the application materials online at the website ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/core-funding.
The website says the research projects the NCSG funds “include diverse coastal topics that typically are funded by a combination of both federal and state dollars with an emphasis on applied research initiatives.”
“N.C. Sea Grant supports a multidisciplinary, integrated program of applied research, outreach and education that addresses coastal and marine issues important to the state of North Carolina,” said NCSG Executive Director Dr. Susan White in the official request for proposals issued Nov. 11.
Dr. White said NCSG strives to fund applied research in four focus areas: healthy coastal ecosystems, resilient communities and economies, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and environmental literacy and workforce development.
“This opportunity provides funding to tackle real-world problems,” Dr. White notes. “We welcome proposals from researchers with a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds, who will bring strategies to consider coastal, marine and watershed issues important to North Carolina.”
NCSG uses a two-step process for its core funding. Initially, researchers submit preproposals that outline the research topic, its need within the state, the approach and strategy and the team to be assembled. The second step, known as full proposals, will take place in 2021. A preproposal is required before a full proposal can ben submitted for the final competitive review.
Proposals should recognize NCSG’s multidisciplinary, integrated program of applied research, outreach and education and should fit one or more of the primary focus areas.
“Researchers must relate their topics to the current North Carolina Sea Grant Strategic Plan, which has been updated to cover through 2023,” said John Fear, deputy director.
Lead investigators must be at an institution of higher education in North Carolina, but collaborators can come from other avenues for academic, industry, government and other expertise. Multi-campus and interdisciplinary teams are encouraged.
NCSG encourages proposals from faculty researchers at historically black colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions and/or from traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities, as well as faculty who can demonstrate how their work and related outreach will benefit underserved and underrepresented communities.
Preproposals are reviewed on three aspects:
- Relevancy and need – Will the project help address a high priority coastal issue?
- Approach – Are the proposed methods appropriate to complete the work?
- Transferability – Is it clear the results of the work will be provided to end-users, and do they want the research and results?
The 2022–24 NCSG funding cycle will fund research to begin Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, and be completed by Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024.
