National Sea Grant Law Center Grant Competition

The National Sea Grant Law Center is accepting proposals for one-year, legal research and outreach projects addressing coastal and marine issues. Approximately $295,000 in federal funds is expected for 2011. A funding request of $25,000 per project is suggested. Matching funds (cash or in-kind) equivalent to 50% of the federal funds are required.  Letters of intent must be received by 5 p.m. Central Time on Friday, September 13, 2010. Full proposals must be received by 5 p.m. Central Time on Friday, November 19, 2010. Please see the attached Request for Proposals for additional information on proposal requirements and grant competition timeline. For more information, please see the request for proposals.

Biennial Research Grants

Every two years Florida Sea Grant issues a call for proposals for research projects dealing with coastal and marine issues identified in the program’s strategic plan.

Next call for proposals: January 2011

The RFP will target research projects that address specific needs in: 

• healthy coastal ecosystems;
• sustainable and hazard-resilient coastal communities;
• seafood production and safety; and
• climate change: impacts and adaptations.

Florida Sea Grant supports applied research. In addition to being knowledgeable about our program’s strategic priorities, successful applicants must work proactively with end-users of research results to develop relevant proposals. Engagement with end-users (resource managers, industry, NGOs, etc.) to identify specific needs and develop partnerships should begin well before the development of a project proposal. Research projects are selected in a two-stage process. Short (5-page) pre-proposals are reviewed by Florida resource managers, industry representatives, other stakeholders and a panel of out-of-state experts. Top-ranking projects are selected for development into full proposals, which are peer-reviewed and rated again by the out-of-state panel for relevance, technical merit, and clarity of a required outreach plan. All funded research projects must support, wholly or in part, at least one graduate student. The maximum amount of funding is expected to be $100,000 per year for two-year awards. Please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for additional details.

No funding is available at present. This link remains active to provide general information on the guidelines for submitting a program development proposal. These proposals must be less than $10,000 in requested funds, have no indirect costs, and have a 50-cent on a dollar of matching money from your institution. Before submitting, you must contact the Director (Karl Havens, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to determine whether Florida Sea Grant might support the research.

Gulf of Mexico Regional Research

In the last two biennial funding cycles, the four Sea Grant programs surrounding the Gulf of Mexico (Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi-Alabama, and Texas) have collectively funded regional research projects through a separate call for proposals.

Next call for proposals: January 2011

In the current (2010-11) funding cycle, the focus is on research projects dealing with coastal community resilience to natural hazards and sea-level rise, with projects expected to be funded at up to $200,000 per year for two years. The focus of the next call for proposals will be announced in fall 2010 and is subject to availability of federal and other funds. Please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for additional details.

Florida Sea Grant Elise Newell Seminar Series

Annually these seminars allow persons from on and off Florida’s campuses to learn more about timely issues concerning the coasts and oceans. This year, the focus of the seminar series will be on the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) oil spill and will feature leading scientists who have conducted prior oil spill related research, who are currently doing research related to the GOM spill, or who are conducting extension and outreach projects around the Gulf or in the South Atlantic region. Sea Grant will aim to host speakers on a broad range of topics related to the spill and have talks at academic institutions broadly distributed across the state.

This is an honorary seminar series named after Elise B. Newell, who served as the fiscal officer for Florida Sea Grant from 1979 until her death in 1997. During that time she mentored colleagues statewide and nationally, always seeking ways to advance the efforts of faculty and students. The series reflects Elise’s commitment to excellence and service to Florida.

The format for each event includes a formal presentation and individual and small group discussions with faculty, students and resource managers. Through these seminars, Florida Sea Grant fosters the goal of providing highly relevant academic service to the public of Florida on critical coastal and ocean issues. The due date for applications will be announced soon and we anticipate funding seminars held in the August to December 2010 time frame. 

Waterway Assistance Program, Florida Inland Navigation District

This is a grant program established by the Florida Legislature and the District for the purpose of financially cooperating with local governments to alleviate problems associated with the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and associated waterways within the District.

Next call for proposals: January 2010

Information on year-round grant programs pertaining to derelict vessel removal and spoil island restoration can be found by visiting the FIND web site.