FY2011 Maine Water Resources Research Grants Program

Special Focus for 2011:
Water Resources Research Act Outcomes

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
14. Appendix C: Water Resources Research Act (pdf)

DEADLINES

• Three page pre-proposal deadline: CLOSED
• Invitation to prepare full proposals: Tuesday, June 11, 2010.
• List of reviewers deadline: Friday, August 6, 2010.
  (Submitted to umgmc@maine.edu)
• Full proposal deadline (by invitation): CLOSED
  (See submission guidelines)
• Project Period: March 1, 2011 to February 28, 2012.
• Project Report: April 30, 2012.

OVERVIEW

This request for pre-proposals from the Maine - USGS Water Research Resources Institute (a program of the Mitchell Center), constitutes the FY11 Maine grants program as authorized by the federal Water Resources Research Act of 1984 as amended. This request for pre-proposals is for research and information transfer projects in the areas of water resources and related environmental sciences. The special focus areas for 2011 are related to outcomes defined in the Water Resources Research Act. Projects involving these topics 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, 2011 through February 28, 2012. Projects may be funded for a second year, subject to program funding. Investigators requesting two years of funding will be required to notify the Director of the Maine WRRI during the FY12 call for proposals. Additional instructions will be provided at that time.

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 under this program by the Mitchell Center:

1. Research grants are typically funded for up to $40,000, not including required match provided by the PI. A typical grant is approximately $25,000.
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 $17,605 per year, plus a portion of the health insurance fee, check with Sponsored Programs for current costs. Investigators must have their full proposals reviewed by their sponsored research office for compliance with applicable rules, regulations, and agreements.

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. Please check under PI Guidelines for details.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The goal of the Maine USGS Water Research Resources Institute, as authorized by the Water Resources Research Act is to plan, conduct, or otherwise arrange for competent applied and peer-reviewed research that fosters:

1. improvements in water supply reliability;
2. the exploration of new ideas that
   a. address water problems or
   b. expand understanding of water and water-related phenomena;
3. the entry of new research scientists, engineers, and technicians into water resources fields; and
4. the dissemination of research results to water managers and the public.

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:

FY 2011 Special Topic
This year's special topic is directly connected to outcomes defined in the Water Resources Research Act.

Applied research or related activity including potential and actual:

1. increases in annual water supplies;
2. increases in annual water yields;
3. advances in water infrastructure and water quality improvements; and
4. methods for identifying, and determining the effectiveness of, treatment technologies and efficiencies. 

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.

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 or UMaine scientists in the Maine Surface Water Ambient Toxic program,
3. Maine Geological Survey scientists working in watersheds identified by the Water Resources Planning Committee,
4. other agency initiatives, or
5. 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/bottom_menu/wrri_research.htm for a partial listing of University and agency environmental scientists who have participated in WRRI projects. 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.

We encourage researchers at all colleges and universities to apply for research or information transfer grants. The Mitchell Center will provide a bibliography of proposal writing support documents and training, as well as information about potential collaborators at the University of Maine. Additional special consideration is given to new researchers, junior faculty, and graduate student projects.

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 $1,471 ($17,650 annual) . PIs are urged to provide tuition in the ‘other’ budget line. Tuition does not generate IDC match. Please note that partial payment of health insurance premiums is required for UMaine graduate students. Please check the ORSP web page for details.

NOTIFICATION AND AWARD PERIOD
Proposed projects may be up to 12 months in duration and may begin as early as March 1, 2011. Projects must be completed by February 28, 2012. No extensions will be granted. Successful PI's will be notified by December 2010.