FY2007 Maine Water Resources Research Grants Program

Special Theme for 2007:
Sustainability of Maine’s Water Resources

Table of Contents:

1. Deadlines
2. Overview
3. Deliverables
4. Program Objectives
5. Research Priorities
6. Collaboration
7. Eligibility
8. Fiscal Guidelines
9. Notification and Award Period
10. Pre-proposal Guidelines
    Pre-proposal Process
    Pre-proposal Format
11. Full Proposal Guidelines
    Review, Ranking Criteria and Selection Process
    Full Proposal Format
12. Appendix A: Focus Categories
13. Appendix B: Keywords

DEADLINES

• Three page pre-proposal deadline: Wednesday, August 16, 2006.
  (Submitted to umgmc@maine.edu)
• Invitation to prepare full proposal: around August 25, 2006.
• List of reviewers deadline: Friday, September 29, 2006.
  (Submitted to umgmc@maine.edu)
• Full proposal deadline: Wednesday, October 4, 2006.
  (See submission guidelines)
• Project Period: March 1, 2007 to February 29, 2008.
• Project Report: May 2008.

OVERVIEW

This request for pre-proposals from the Maine - USGS Water Research Resources Institute (a program of the Mitchell Center), constitutes the FY07 Maine grants program as authorized by the federal Water Resources Research Act of 1984. This request for pre-proposals is for research and information transfer projects in the areas of water resources and related environmental sciences. The theme for 2007 is related to the sustainability of Maine’s water resources. Projects addressing this theme will be given priority, subject to peer review. Approximately $90,000 (depending on Congressional appropriations) will be awarded following external peer review and selection by a panel of Maine environmental specialists and researchers.

Research proposals for projects up to 12 months in duration will be considered to occur in a project period of March 1, 2007 through February 29, 2008. Funded projects may be considered for additional funding for a second 12 month period in FY08.

Please note that the match required by USGS for this program is two (2) non-federal dollars for each federal dollar requested. This match should be clearly identified in all proposals responding to this RFP. Questions about meeting or documenting this match should be directed to the WRRI program director (Jpeck@maine.edu).

There are three categories of projects funded by the Mitchell Center:

1. Research grants are typically funded for up to $40,000, not including required match provided by the PI.
2. Information transfer or environmental education grants are typically funded in the range of $5,000 to $15,000, not including PI match.
3. One year seed grants are funded for no more than $5,000, not including PI match. These grants are intended to be pilot projects or incubators for future research ideas or funding. The PI is urged to describe how these dollars will leverage other funds as part of the project, or comment on anticipated future leveraging of the funds.

Federal program guidelines require that all projects must demonstrate student training. Graduate stipends must be at least $15,000 per year (M.S.) or $16,000 (Ph.D.).

DELIVERABLES

Required deliverables for projects funded under this program include, but are not limited to:

• An annual report in the USGS format as specified by the Mitchell Center,
• One or more student theses, presentations, or posters,
• A talk or technical session by the investigators at a future Maine Water Conference, and
• Final project deliverable(s). Final project deliverables may include published or submitted papers in lieu of a final report. Investigators may also submit as the final deliverable, a follow-on proposal to another agency. USGS support must be acknowledged in all publications.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

This program supports:

1. research projects that respond to high priority state research issues in freshwater or estuarine environments as outlined in the priorities section below;
2. information transfer projects that enhance communication of research results, or serve a broad environmental education or public service function; and
3. research projects that explore or develop innovative topics, especially 'seed' or pilot projects with a high likelihood of generating significant additional funding in the future from other agencies.

RESEARCH PRIORITIES

Projects on surface waters, ground waters, and estuarine waters are encouraged in the following areas:

Sustainability of Maine’s Water Resources (Special Theme)

Maine’s water resources are essential for many functions such as: supporting diverse eco-systems, water supply, agriculture, and recreation. The State of Maine has recognized that these multiple functions require vastly different types of management and coordination. This special focus encourages projects that address the hydrologic, geologic, biogeochemical, social, or economic aspects of sustaining water resources. Federal guidelines prohibit this program from funding projects focusing on human health or biology, although either topic may be part of a broader project focus. This RFP intends to facilitate new and creative collaborations between researchers, regulators, and stakeholders especially in regards to Maine DEP’s Proposed Chapter 587, In-stream Flow and Water Level Standards (http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/topic/flow/index.htm). Specific topics that may be proposed include (but are not limited to): a) investigate problems needing to be resolved in order to assess the current status of specific waters; b) establish baseline conditions for future research in highly stressed watersheds; c) contribute to the understanding of the hydrological and human context of sustainability so that progress can be measured; or d) predict future conditions or responses that can be tested within the framework of existing or proposed regulations. Projects addressing this theme will receive priority in the FY07 funding cycle.

All of the core themes for the Maine WRRI program also apply to the special theme.

Non-point source pollution and watershed management

Research in this category includes the role of non-point source contributions to environmental degradation and the evaluation of effective, economic technologies for their control. Example topics include: a) sources/magnitudes of pollution to surface and ground waters from agriculture, silviculture, urban-suburban runoff, and atmospheric deposition; b) forestry and water quality; c) the evaluation/demonstration of low-cost/low-maintenance better management practices (BMPs); d) pollution prevention methods or enhanced environmental monitoring techniques, e) improved understanding or mitigation of lake eutrophication, f) water quality and land use development patterns, especially as they pertain to the Maine stormwater control law; g) non-point source runoff to estuaries; h) drinking water source protection; i) TMDL research or development; j) ecological flow requirements (minimum flows, flow variation, effects of flow management including withdrawal); k) water issues related to Atlantic salmon.

Contaminant transport, fate, history, effect, and remediation

Research in this category includes: a) the fate and transport of toxic inorganic or organic chemicals, b) the monitored history, inferred history, or inventories of contamination, and the demonstrated effects; or c) the development of cost effective remedial measures or analytical techniques for these contaminants. Research expanding the foci of the DEP Surface Water Ambient Toxics program (SWAT) could include concentrations, fate, transport, persistence, or innovative analytical techniques for mercury, dioxin, PCBs, trace metals, or pesticides in aquatic environments.

Information transfer or environmental education (IT/EE)

Competitive projects in IT/EE will be those which enhance communication or use of existing data, bring together partners and collaborators to develop innovative mechanisms for IT or EE, or serve a facilitating role for research and monitoring in Maine. Leveraging and partnerships are important for maximum impact for the funding.

Although the goal is to encourage projects pertaining to sustainability of water resources, projects not specifically addressing the theme will be considered for funding in 2007.

COLLABORATION

Projects will be given extra consideration by the review panel if they are developed with:

1. USGS scientists in the National Water Quality Assessment program, or in the Water Resources or Biological Resources Divisions of USGS in Maine (Augusta or Orono field offices),
2. DEP, DHHS, MGS or other state or federal agency scientists in the Maine Surface Water Ambient Toxic program,
3. other agency initiatives, or
4. other multi-institutional collaborations.

The goals of these collaborations are a) for broader use and awareness of existing academic, state, and federal data, and b) research that builds on existing data to further investigate issues beyond the scope of agency resources. Investigators should clearly identify collaborations in pre-proposals and proposals. Mitchell Center staff can assist PIs in making connections with potential collaborators (call 207/581-3244).

See http://www.umaine.edu/waterresearch/research/funded.htm for a partial listing of University and agency environmental scientists. Experience has shown that single-investigator proposals do poorly in research competitions due to the inherent multi-disciplinary nature of modern research: Single investigator proposals are discouraged.

ELIGIBILITY

1. Federal guidelines for this USGS program require that principal investigators (PI) be faculty or regular staff of a four-year institution of higher education in Maine. Co-investigators are not required to meet this criterion.
2. All PIs and co-PIs must be current on deliverables from prior USGS Institute grants.
3. Federal employees cannot be Principal Investigators, but are encouraged as co-investigators. Federal employees may not be supported by funds from these grants, but are encouraged to provide fiscal support for the project. Federal support cannot be counted as match.
4. This program supports water resource-related research. Projects primarily focusing on human health, specific biological organisms or communities (unless to be used as an indicator or wider application), oceanography, or exclusively marine issues are not eligible for this program under federal rules. Estuarine proposals are eligible for funding.

FISCAL GUIDELINES
Proposal budgets must reflect a $2 non-federal match for each federal dollar requested. This means that a federal request of $20,000 will result in a research project with at least a $60,000 total project cost. The match may include fringe benefits and indirect costs, as well as direct costs. Contact John Peckenham at the Mitchell Center (jpeck@maine.edu) for specific guidance on match. Overhead costs are not permitted to be charged on the federal funding request in this program, although the match may include the indirect costs that are not charged on federal dollars. An Excel budget template is available. If you need assistance contact UMGMC@maine.edu.

All projects must include a training component for students, and typically will fund a graduate assistantship. The recommended minimum monthly stipend rate is $1,250 ($15,000 annual) for M.S. level students, and $1,333 ($16,000 annual) for Ph.D. level students. PIs are urged to provide tuition in the ‘other’ budget line. Tuition does not generate IDC match.

NOTIFICATION AND AWARD PERIOD
Proposed projects may be up to 12 months in duration and may begin as early as March 1, 2007. Successful PI's will be notified in December, 2006.