FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

FY2023 104G Funding Opportunities – NOW OPEN!

The National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) have released their annual request for proposals (RFPs) under their National Competitive Grants Program. In cooperation with USGS, these RFPs, submitted through each state’s Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), have historically funded only four applicants throughout the nation. In the last few years, however, Congress has recognized the unique capabilities of this program and has allocated additional funds around specific focus areas. In addition to a general water-related focus of the annual RFP(104G), a RFP focusing on PFAs and a RFP focusing on Aquatic Invasive Species in the Upper Mississippi River Basin have been added. All three RFPs require similar preparation and encourage regional WRRI/Water Science Center collaborations. Any investigator at an institution of higher learning with research that focuses on water issues of regional and national importance is eligible to apply for these grants .

NOTIFICATION OF INTENT DUE: 03/20/23

Given the potential benefit of these opportunities to the Great Lakes Region, the WRRIs in this region (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI) are organized a joint informational webinar focusing on RFP preparation and regional collaborative opportunities. We discussed the full proposal process, addressed funding priorities and gave researchers a chance to ask questions.

Access the recording and slides for the National Competitive Grants RFP Informational Webinar below.   

Additional details on specific opportunities are below.

Expected FY2023 project start date is 01/01/2024.

USGS is expected to award 10 PFAS, 5 AIS, and 6 general 104G proposals, nationally.

COST SHARING/MATCHING REQUIREMENT: Each applicant must match each federal dollar provided to support each proposed project with not less than one dollar from non-federal sources. Please check with your campus business office for allowable sources of matching funds.

INDIRECT COSTS: As per the Water Resources Research Act, federal funds shall not be used to pay indirect costs; however, unrecovered indirect costs on both the federal and non-federal funds CAN be used to help fulfill the Cost Sharing/Matching Requirement.h

Amy Weckle
Illinois Water Resources Center
Assistant Director

aweckle@illinois.edu
(217) 300-2101

2023 104G General research priorities:

Dates Open: 02/27/2023 – 04/12/2023

This competitive grant program focuses on: “water problems and issues of a regional or interstate nature beyond those of concern only to a single State and which relate to specific program priorities identified jointly by the Secretary (of the Interior) and the (water resources research) institutes.”

OBJECTIVES:

  1. Promote collaboration between the USGS and university scientists in research on significant national and regional water-resources issues. Proposals exhibiting substantial collaboration between the USGS and the applicant are strongly encouraged. Collaborative proposals should describe in detail the respective roles of the USGS and the applicant in the proposed work. It is anticipated that in FY2023 the USGS will have internal funds available for modest support of USGS scientists on selected proposals.
  2. Promote the dissemination and application of the results of the research funded under this program, both to the scientific community and to the general public.
  3. Assist in the training of scientists in relevant water-resource fields. Proposals that include a strong educational component (student support) are encouraged, as are those from early-career faculty.

2023 104G General RESEARCH PRIORITIES:

Ongoing research needs include improving and enhancing the nation’s water supply and availability, as well as promoting the exploration of new ideas that address or expand our understanding of water problems. Proposals are sought in the following specific areas of inquiry; levels of priority are not assigned, and the order of listing does not indicate the level of priority:

National-scale evaluation of water budget: Retrospective or predictive analyses using hydroclimate-forcing data sets, with emphasis on CONUS404, which was developed in a USGS-NCAR collaboration. Additional guidance includes 

• Emphasis on prediction of water-budget components through a variety of interpretive approaches.
• Incorporation of how uncertainty in hydroclimate-forcing propagates to water budget components.
• Consideration of both retrospective and projected conditions.

Rasmussen, R.M., Liu, C., Ikeda, K., Chen, F., Kim, J., Schneider, T., Gochis, D., Dugger, A., and Viger, R., 2023, Four-kilometer long-term regional hydroclimate reanalysis over the conterminous United States (CONUS), 1979-2020: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9PHPK4F.

Socieoeconomics: Integrate ongoing USGS research and data collection in order to assess socioeconomic and ecological vulnerability to compounding extreme events and develop adaptation measures. This proposed project should undertake new research (e.g., Water Use and Social and Economic Drivers Program) to understand the vulnerability of urban (e.g., trans-basin diversions), agricultural (e.g., reservoir management), and ecological (e.g., endangered species) water-use sectors to drought and compounding hazards such as wildfire. Additional guidance includes: 

• Providing a quantifiable portfolio of risk for water-use sectors (including ecological and socio-economic) 
• Developing climate futures and planning scenarios for relevant institutions: management, communities, other institutions

PROPOSALS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING:

  1. Proposals for research on health effects involving human subjects.
  2. Proposals for research involving oceanography (estuarine research proposals are acceptable).
  3. Proposals submitted by an Institute or Center that has not met reporting requirements on a previous award by the USGS.
  4. Proposals that do not comply with the terms of this Announcement.
  5. Proposals for research that do not meet the listed Research Priorities.

MAXIMUM AWARD: $310,000

ANTICIPATED AWARD START DATE: January 1, 2024

AWARD DURATION: 1-3 years

104G PER– AND POLYFLUOROALKYL Substances funding opportunity

Dates Open: 02/27/2023 – 04/12/2023

The challenges and opportunities of understanding the effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances on water resources are poorly understood, despite the real and growing effect of this group of man-made substances on water quality and the resultant exposure to humans, other organisms, and ecosystems. Research is needed to better understand these interactions and guide management decisions that will improve water resources at the regional or national scale.

OBJECTIVES:

  1. Promote per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances research as related to the nation’s water quality as well as the social and(or) economic implications that might drive or be affected by PFAS. This includes integration with ongoing USGS science, monitoring, and goals, including those summarized by Tokranov and others (2021; https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1490).
  2. Promote the dissemination and application of the results of the research funded under this program, both to the scientific community and to the general public.
  3. Assist in the training of scientists in relevant water-resource fields. Proposals that include a strong educational component (student support) are encouraged, as are those from early-career faculty.

Proposals are sought on the following specific areas of inquiry (levels of priority are not assigned, and the order of listing does not indicate the level of priority):

Media-specific methods: Enhanced methods for detection on specific media, with a clear indication of:

• new or different compounds,
• new or different methodological approaches,
• lower detection levels for specific media or compounds, especially with respect to EPA health guidelines for PFOA  (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate).

Media of interest include (in ranked order) (1) tissues/plasma, (2) sediment, (3) air or interfaces, (4) water.

Atmospheric sources: Improved understanding of atmospheric exchange in PFAS distribution and fate. This may include methods to determine transport of PFAS to the atmosphere and to subsequent receiving waters, such as a water method that determines “new” compounds based on their likelihood to occur in the atmosphere.

Processes oriented at molecular level: Process-oriented research of PFAS fate, transport, and effects, with emphasis on molecular-level understanding of PFAS precursor transformation, sorption dynamics, or mechanisms of bioaccumulation and(or) biological/ecological effects.

PROPOSALS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING:

  1. Proposals for research on health effects involving human subjects.
  2. Proposals for research involving oceanography (estuarine research proposals are acceptable).
  3. Proposals submitted by an Institute or Center that has not met reporting requirements on a previous award by the USGS.
  4. Proposals that do not comply with the terms of this Announcement.
  5. Proposals for research that do not meet the listed Research Priorities.

MAXIMUM AWARD: $279,000

ANTICIPATED AWARD START DATE: January 1, 2024

AWARD DURATION: 1-3 years

104G AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES Funding Opportunity

Dates Open: 02/27/2023 – 04/12/2023

The challenges and opportunities that link aquatic invasive species and water resources are poorly understood, despite the real and growing effect of numerous aquatic invasive species on water quality, water quantity, and aquatic ecosystems. Research is needed to better identify and understand these interactions and to guide management decisions that will help to improve invasive species management and thus reduce effects of invasive species on water resources and aquatic ecosystems at local, regional, and national scales. 

OBJECTIVES:

  1. Promote aquatic invasive species research as related to hydrodynamics, water quality, control technologies, and(or) human dimensions in the upper Mississippi River basin to address critical needs, including integration with ongoing USGS science and monitoring.
  2. Promote the dissemination and application of the results of the research funded under this program, both to the scientific community and to the general public.
  3. Assist in the training of scientists in relevant water-resource fields. Proposals that include a strong educational component (student support) are encouraged, as are those from early-career faculty.

Proposals are sought in the following specific areas of inquiry (levels of priority are not assigned, and the order of listing does not indicate the level of priority): 

Effects: Research that improves our understanding of the effects of aquatic invasive species on lakes, rivers, and associated tributaries in the upper Mississippi River basin, including changes to water quantity, water quality, and ecosystem dynamics.

Characteristics: Research that identifies physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of water bodies that infer resistance and resilience to the distribution, establishment, and effects of aquatic invasive species in the upper Mississippi River basin. Research is needed to better understand these interactions to guide management decisions that will improve invasive species management and result in positive effects on aquatic ecosystems.

Management: Research on assessment of the detection, spread, and management of aquatic invasive species in the upper Mississippi River basin and the connections to human dimensions, both socially and economically. Note that this does not include physical control of AIS.

PROPOSALS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING:

  1. Proposals for research on health effects involving human subjects.
  2. Proposals for research involving oceanography (estuarine research proposals are acceptable).
  3. Proposals submitted by an Institute or Center that has not met reporting requirements on a previous award by the USGS.
  4. Proposals that do not comply with the terms of this Announcement.
  5. Proposals for research that do not meet the listed Research Priorities.

MAXIMUM AWARD: $279,000

ANTICIPATED AWARD START DATE: January 1, 2024

AWARD DURATION: 1-3 years

Great Lakes Region Contacts for USG National Competitive Grants
Great Lakes Region Water Resources Centers and Institutes
United States Geological Survey

*104B funding opportunities are currently closed. 

Prior to submission of a full proposal, please submit a Notification of Intent

Please only submit proposals that are submission-ready. Your business office should review for completeness, IWRC will submit your proposal as part of our annual application for funding from USGS to Sponsored Programs Administration. IWRC’s process is strictly administrative, submitting the proposal without alteration. The proposal contents are the PI’s responsibility. If specific points in the call for proposals are confusing, feel free to reach out to IWRC for additional clarification.  

PROPOSALS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING:

  1. Proposals for research on health effects involving human subjects.
  2. Proposals for research involving oceanography (estuarine research proposals are acceptable).
  3. Proposals submitted by an Institute or Center that has not met reporting requirements on a previous award by the USGS.
  4. Proposals that do not comply with the terms of this Announcement.
  5. Proposals for research that do not meet the listed Research Priorities.

MAXIMUM AWARD: $15,000

ANTICIPATED AWARD START DATE: September 1, 2023

AWARD DURATION: 12 months

COST SHARING/MATCHING REQUIREMENT: Each applicant must match each Federal dollar provided to support each proposed project with not less than two dollars from non-federal sources. Please check with your campus business office for allowable sources of matching funds.

INDIRECT COSTS: As per the Water Resources Research Act, federal funds shall not be used to pay indirect costs, however, unrecovered indirect costs on both the federal and non-federal funds CAN be used to help fulfill the Cost Sharing/Matching Requirement.

104B Annual Funding Opportunity

The Illinois Water Resources Center (IWRC) requests proposals to fund exploratory research or educational projects that enhance water sciences research and higher education throughout Illinois. While we are interested in all water resources issues that impact Illinois, our 2023 priority topics are agriculture, climate, ecosystem structure and function, per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), urban resilience, water-energy nexus, and water equity. We are particularly interested in supporting projects that will help grow the body of research in Illinois, including proof-of-concept projects that may help researchers attract larger grants. Proposals continuing the work of previous IWRC Annual Research Grants will not be accepted. This is an open call contingent on funding availability.

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