Maryland Sea Grant 2024 Biennial Research Competition

Program Synopsis

Maryland Sea Grant is soliciting proposals for its next funding cycle. Two different opportunities are available:

Track 1: Two-year, single or multi-investigator pre-proposals at the $100,000 per year level for research projects within Maryland’s coasts and watersheds focused on three areas: (1) healthy coastal ecosystems; (2) sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; and (3) resilient communities and economies.

Track 2: Proposals that use a co-production approach to address the challenges facing underserved coastal communities in Maryland with a budget of up to $125,000 per year for two to four years. Proposals may focus on any topic relevant to the three Maryland Sea Grant focus areas (e.g. access to coastal resources, food security in the context of fisheries and aquaculture, workforce development). Importantly, Maryland Sea Grant has a special interest in topics that help coastal communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change and extreme events.

MDSG is particularly interested in proposals that specifically connect to the needs of communities, and/or environmental management and policy and include an engagement plan for effectively translating information to the specific audiences affected by research findings.

We anticipate funding 4 projects at the $100,000 per year level and 1 project at the $125,000 per year level. 50% non-federal cost match is required for each proposal ($1 match for every $2 of Sea Grant funding).

Pre-proposals: January 20, 2023 at 5:00 PM EST

Full Proposals: June 1, 2023 at 5:00 PM EDT

Download the Request for Proposals.

Download the Full Proposal Guidance.

Join our RFP Notification List. 

Eligibility and Proposal Process

The RFP document contains information about the format and timetable for submitting pre-proposals and full proposals. PIs must be affiliated with an academic institution or research laboratory in Maryland or the District of Columbia. Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) on projects can be from institutions outside of Maryland. Single investigators and multiple-investigator research teams from different institutions are encouraged to apply. Extension agents are welcome to serve as Co-PIs or senior personnel. We welcome participation from the broad natural and social science research community and invite participation by investigators new to the Maryland Sea Grant RFP process.

Pre-proposals should present a succinct but sufficiently detailed synopsis of the project in order to evaluate its relevance to the Maryland Sea Grant Strategic Plan, its technical feasibility, and the PIs’ qualifications. Pre-proposals undergo an extensive review and a subgroup of those is encouraged for submission as full proposals. Pre-proposals not encouraged forward may still be submitted as full proposals at the PI's discretion. PIs must have submitted a pre-proposal to submit a full proposal. Researchers should conform to the submission policies of their host institution, particularly with regard to institutional endorsements and requirements for original signed signature pages.

Webinar on the RFP and Integrating Research and Outreach

On Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at 3:00 PM EST, Maryland Sea Grant held a webinar to discuss the proposal submission process and expectations for outreach in research projects. Tips for developing effective engagement programs and suggestions of potential partners to consider were discussed. View the webinar by clicking the image at left and using passcode 1z=dW#pv

Resources

• Full text of Request for Proposals solicitation
• Proposal submission portal - eSeaGrant
• Full proposal guidance
• Proposal forms 
• Maryland Sea Grant Final 2024-2027 Strategic Plan

Program Contacts

Fredrika Moser, Director
Michael Allen, Associate Director for Research and Administration
Phone: 301-405-7500